Slamdance Grand Jury Prize 2019 – Woman in Stall
A woman finds herself trapped in a bathroom stall by a man whose intentions are not entirely clear.
Interview with Director/Actor/Producer Madeleine Sims-Fewer
Watch Woman in Stall here:
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
I had the idea for the short after an uncomfortable encounter with a man on the London tube. We were in an empty carriage, and he sat next to me and kept trying to get me to come to a party, and just seemed completely unaware that his behaviour was invasive in any way. I was making another short at the time, and sort of parked the idea, but I just couldn’t get it out of my head.
When Dusty and I started working together he really liked the idea, and we developed it with writer Josh Boles. We liked that it was one long, tense encounter between two people who cannot see each other, and thought that it would speak to both women and men who have been in a similar situation.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
Woman in Stall is relevant, charged, and will definitely provoke discussion. We think audiences will find it suspenseful and entertaining too.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
The film comes from my own experience but deals with themes of gender politics and miscommunication that many people can relate to. Dusty and I approach filmmaking from a personal place first. If the film is specific to a theme we feel strongly about we think it will reach people in a more meaningful way.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
The main way the idea changed is how much (or rather, how little) we show the male character. We shot coverage of both of us, but in the edit room we quickly realized that it was stronger from just the woman’s point of view. Hearing his voice but staying inside the stall with her gives a feeling of claustrophobia and mounting dread that makes the film much more suspenseful.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
The film is definitely divisive – people usually pick a character they relate to and defend their actions pretty vehemently. That’s sort of the point for us – to get people talking about who is right and who is wrong. Ultimately maybe they’re both a bit wrong and both a bit right, but the film sparks discussion about our behaviour as human beings, which is what we hoped for.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
Without giving too much away there have been women who really support the male character and feel that the woman completely overreacts – this was surprising as we thought we were maybe making the guy too much of a villain.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
We just want people to get interested in Woman in Stall and hopefully see it somewhere!
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
The film is currently with Premium Films in Europe and will be broadcast on the CBC in Canada later this year. We just want to get the film to audiences.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
Obviously, we hope people like it! I suppose we want the film to resonate with people, even if they find it hard to watch, or frustrating, or disturbing. We want it to stick with people, so they think about it and talk about it afterwards.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
Is a fundamental lack of trust at the heart of gender inequality? We think that is the central question the film is asking.
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
Dusty and I recently received funding for our first feature, which we will be shooting this year, and are in post-production on a new short ‘Chubby.’
Interview: January 2019
We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
Woman in Stall
A woman finds herself trapped in a bathroom stall by a man whose intentions are not entirely clear.
Length: 10:00
Director: Madeleine Sims-Fewer & Dusty Mancinelli
Producer: Madeleine Sims-Fewer & Dusty Mancinelli
Writer: Josh Boles
About the writer, director and producer:
MADELEINE SIMS-FEWERS and DUSTY MANCINELLI met at the 2015 TIFF Talent Lab and experienced an instant convergence of minds, quickly joining forces as a filmmaking duo. Highly focused on a naturalistic performance style and visual aesthetic, their films explore gender politics, the selfishness of human nature, and abuse of power. Their short film Slap Happy screened at BFI London Film Festival, VIFF and Slamdance, among others, and their latest short Woman in Stall won the Jury Award for Best Narrative Student Short at the Austin Film Festival.
JOSH BOLES is a screenwriter from Combermere, Ontario, Canada. Past films he’s worked on include The Dirties and Operation Avalanche. He met Dusty Mancinelli and Madeleine Sims-Fewer at York University film school.
Key cast: Ben Kerfoot (Jeff), Madeleine Sims-Fewer (Lana)
Other: https://www.dmfilms.com/woman-in-stall/
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month?
Slamdance Film Festival/Utah - Jan 27, 30; Cinequest Film Festival - tbc; Landshut Film Festival - Mar 23; Kingston Film Festival - tbc; Florida Film Festival - tbc