Cairn
A groundskeeper in rural Georgia stumbles on a dark secret on her employer's property and is forced to decide whether her own safety is at risk when facing the guests staying for the weekend.
Interview with Writer Anna Vecellio and Producer LAZE
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
ANNA: As someone born and raised in the South, I’ve always been fascinated by the Southern Gothic and its take on violence - particularly how someone raised in the outwardly polite soil of the South can be pushed to openly harm others. When I pitched the film to the team, it became clear that this question of violence and how people come to it had a universality to it. We were all interested in it and had our own thoughts, opinions, and points of view.
With Cairn, we wanted to dive into this question headfirst and craft a situation where the right and wrong decisions are so muddled by the circumstance that there could be a real debate as to what the right answer was.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
ANNA: On the surface, Cairn is a fun genre film. It rides the line between thriller and horror in such a way that makes it entertaining to watch while also challenging you to dig deeper into your own choices. As people, we are so locked into our point of view that we can never be sure that we’re right or wrong in the things we do. This film gives audiences the opportunity to explore that conflict within the confines of an exciting, twisting narrative.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
ANNA: In 'Cairn', Ada is forced into a corner by a seemingly simple question: does he mean me harm? This is a question that most women have asked themselves at one point or another. When you’re walking alone and you hear someone behind you - do you run or shout or do nothing? Does that man staring on the bus want to hurt you? Can you trust this boy you’ve known but never been alone with? This yes or no calculation women make every day forms the core of our film.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
ANNA: This script started out as a short I used to apply to graduate school. I wrote it based on a real location I had visited and was inspired by, but never thought it would be something I would get the chance to make. The team and I really committed ourselves to hone the themes and characters into something that was entertaining and thought-provoking.
We, like many films shot during that time, ended up being profoundly affected by COVID. We had to shut down our film halfway through shooting and pick it back up months later. On one hand, it was definitely a blow. But it also gave us a chance to dive back into the script and make sure we were producing the best film we could. I’m just thankful for all the crew and cast members who stuck it out with us and saw the film over the finish line.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
ANNA: We’re just starting our festival run and will be premiering at Davey Fest this month. However, the feedback in our private screenings has been great. It’s been so exciting to see how people react to the film and its questions.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
ANNA: We went through a couple rounds of feedback during our editing process in which we invited friends and family to give us notes on the film. Having the chance for viewers with no history with the story to watch the film was invaluable. When you’re making a horror or thriller film, you have to ride the line between exposition and mystery. But when you’ve lived with the film for so long you can also start to lose perspective on whether your twists and scares are really working. Our early audience was able to help us figure out where our pacing and reveals needed work, resulting in changes that brought the film to the next level.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
LAZE: We would like to leverage your platform to reach more potential audiences that would be interested in our film and find a home for our film after its festival run!
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
LAZE: We are looking for EPs to help advocate for our film in the festival circuit and we are also looking for distributors/buyers who would love to connect our film with their audiences!
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
ANNA: I think genre films are unique in this industry. On one hand, they’re able to bring entertainment, excitement, and thrills to viewers. But those thrills also open us up as viewers to challenging things we wouldn’t normally be able to. So it’s our hope, that Cairn will not only entertain audiences but inspire them to ask what they would have done if they’d been in the same situation.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
ANNA: Similar to my last answer, our team hopes that our film will inspire people to not only talk about their favorite twist or turn but to challenge if the characters made the right decisions throughout the story.
Would you like to add anything else?
LAZE: We would just like to give credit and appreciation to some of the many amazing artists/teammates who made this film possible.
Director - Gia-Rayne Harris and Joshua Nathan
Cinematographer - Akanksha Shyam
Production Designer - Masha Lyass
Editor - Jessica Petersen
Executive Producer - Michelle Mao
Co-Producers - Melody Sui, Sanford Nathan, Kirsten Zerger
Associate Producers - Brielle Yuke Li, Nancy Y. Xu
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
Anna is currently in development on a short film that will be her directorial debut. In addition, she is working on original, full-length projects to take out with her manager's post-WGA strike.
Joshua is in development on his second feature film, Trawler, which he's also written. He’s gearing up to direct another short film, Compound Interest.
LAZE is developing/producing a comedy feature film called The Worst Teoswa Son along with other short films and weekly sketches for social media.
Interview: July 2023
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
Cairn
A groundskeeper in rural Georgia stumbles on a dark secret on her employer's property and is forced to decide whether her own safety is at risk when facing the guests staying for the weekend.
Length: 19:25
Director: Gia-Rayne Harris, Joshua Nathan
Producer: LAZE
Writer: Anna Vecellio
About the writer, director and producer:
GIA-RAYNE HARRIS is a writer/director who focuses on complex, character-driven narratives. She is a finalist for the HBO Short Film Award at ABFF, a recipient of SeriesFest and Shondaland’s 2022 Women Directing Mentorship, and a part of the NBCULaunch Female Forward Program 2022-2023. Her short film Pens and Pencils was acquired by HBO and she made her TV directing debut on Chicago PD in 2023.
JOSHUA NATHAN is a director/writer/producer, working in both narrative films and commercials. You can learn more about Joshua by following him on Instagram @joshuazevnathan or at his website joshuazevnathan.com.
ANNA VECELLIO is a queer, southern screenwriter and graduate of the AFI Screenwriting program. Her work explores the nature of identity, morality, and connection through a genre lens. She is an alum of the Film Independent Episodic Lab - where she received an Alfred P. Sloan Grant. She was also awarded the 2022 AFI Writers Room Ready Award. In addition, her work has been honored by The Nicholl Fellowship, ScreenCraft, WeScreenplay, and The Sundance Episodic Lab.
LAZE is a producer/actor/creator based in LA. He focuses mainly on comedy because he thinks making people laugh would make them like him, to which his therapist responded “Uh-huh.” You can critique his work at www.laze123456.com or IG @laze123456. LAZE is represented by Harding Talent Management.
Key cast: Nyree Neil (Ada), Spencer Watson (Wyatt), Erica Janey (Autumn), Joseph Stromberg (Cole), Chara Kirkland (Danielle), Danny Breslin (Liam)
Looking for: sales agents, distributors, journalists, film festival directors, producers, buyers
Instagram: @cairnfilm
Hashtags used: #horror, #thriller, #mystery, #black, #female, #diversity, #shortfilm
Funders: Crowdfunded from difference sources.
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month?
Davey Fest/Salt Lake City, Utah - 6/23/2023