Ashes
Bereft after the loss of her beloved Dad James, Frances misses the appointment to pick up his ashes. Through a bizarre posthumous prank, can James rectify his daughter’s habitual lateness, even after he’s gone? A darkly comedic story about grief, tough love and the unexpected ways those who have passed continue to influence us.
Interview with Writer/Director/Producer/Actor Georgina Haig
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
Thank you so much! My dear Dad, also a filmmaker Russell Haig, passed away earlier last year. He had numerous wonderful qualities, one being he was a highly punctual person. So when I completely missed the appointment to pick up his ashes, I was mortified but also thought 'That’s ironic, that could make a good basis for a short film'. It's not totally autobiographical, I added some fairly major fictional twists, but the emotional shifts all came from me feeling completely undone and raw and unprepared when I was handed Dad in a box. I guess I took that energy and channelled it into a film. It’s about transformation and change through a significant emotional impact.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
Hopefully, I've made the weirdness of grief and the mundane admin of death feel very alive. I've attempted to capture a specific moment in the ragged post-death process that hopefully audience members will connect with and relate to.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
I guess by taking these big overwhelming themes of death, grief, guilt and love and then examining them through a unique specific lense: how do we change? how do we break habits? what does it actually take for that to happen?
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
I wrote the script pretty quickly while the experience was fresh. It took a few drafts to nail the transitions to the flashbacks. In the end, we used visual cues, and I don't think that idea seemed obvious to me until I was really picturing the shots in my head.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
A good friend liked that it was more an exploration than a single gag, that there was no big twist, but lots of smaller ones. That meant a lot to me. We just had our first screening at Dances with Films LA and I had a lot of people telling me how much they related to the story. I loved that people laughed and seemed to be on a strange journey with my characters. Also, I had lots of compliments about the cast. Michael Caton and Michala Banas are both incredible veterans of the Australian film industry and during filming, I was constantly surprised and delighted by the nuances and textures they found.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
The feedback has been a relief, cause I feel like how folks are reacting is how I wanted them to feel!
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
I'd like the film to screen at lots of festivals. To potentially get some sort of release, I'm not sure what those avenues are for shorts. I'm trying to get a feature up so I hope that I can have more conversations about that if people see and like my work.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
There are so many amazing short films, it would just be great if there were more platforms that would screen them. The big streamers could run a shorts section? Also, I think more short films should be available to watch on long-haul flights, don't you think that would be great? Who can make that happen?
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
You get to see into my soul and hopefully, that makes something in your soul feel comfort.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
Is it okay, 18 months post-death, to still have your Dad's ashes gathering dust on top of your wardrobe even though he wanted to be scattered at the beach, because you are not emotionally ready to deal with them?
Would you like to add anything else?
I dedicate this film to Dad, for who he was, for what he stood for, and because he would love that I took my flaws and my intense heart-wrenching emotions and my stupidity and made up an entertaining story about it. And I'd like to thank the amazing cast, crew, volunteers and donors that made making this film possible. It has been one of the most meaningful experiences of my life.
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
I'm developing a female-driven horror film set at an all-girls boarding school. Dean Francis (DP, Producer, Colourist) is about to start shooting a queer noir called Body Blow that I'm also appearing in. Michala Banas is starring in a hilarious comedy called Gold Diggers. Bob Shea (Production Designer) is working on Adam Elliot's new film.
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
Ashes
Bereft after the loss of her beloved Dad James, Frances misses the appointment to pick up his ashes. Through a bizarre posthumous prank, can James rectify his daughter’s habitual lateness, even after he’s gone? A darkly comedic story about grief, tough love and the unexpected ways those who have passed continue to influence us.
Length: 13:20
Director: Georgina Haig
Producer: Dean Francis, Daisy Betts-Miller, Charmaine Kuhn
Writer: Georgina Haig
About the writer, director and producer:
With experience acting in Australian and US film and television for over 14 years, GEORGINA HAIG makes her directorial debut with her personal dark comedy Ashes. Her roles across a wide range of genres (comedy, fantasy, sci-fi, thrillers and horror) have helped inform the kinds of stories she wants to tell; thought-provoking, punchy, genre-bending, strange, funny and heartfelt. She is committed to developing characters who are complex and flawed in surprising ways. A graduate of the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, her film credits include Late Night with the Devil, The Mule, The Sapphires, Wasted on the Young, Where We Disappear, Road Train and Crawl. Some of her television credits include Archive 81, Once Upon a Time, Fringe, A Moody Christmas, Secret Bridesmaid's Business, Snow Piercer, Back to the Rafters, The Crossing and INXS Never Tear Us Apart. Georgina is currently developing a female-driven horror feature The Echoes Fade Not centred around the mysterious happenings at an elite all-girl boarding school.
DEAN FRANCIS a multi-award-winning director, producer, and cinematographer whose work has been screened in more than 200 international film festivals. He is the founder and CEO of JJ Splice, an all-media production company working on commercials, music videos, branded content, and feature films. He has lectured at the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) and the Australian Film, Television and Radio School, from which he graduated with a Master of Arts in 2004.
DAISY BETTS-MILLER has worked as an actor for over 15 years and recently studied directing at AFTRS under Elissa Down. Daisy directed the short film Darklight, a semi-finalist in Los Angeles Cinefest and won best director at the California Women’s Film Festival.
CHARMAINE KUHN has worked for 20+ years in the Los Angeles, San Francisco, Reno, Melbourne, Sydney and South Australian film and television industries in various roles from production managing to 1st assistant directing.
Key cast: Georgina Haig (Francis) Michael Caton (James) Michala Banas (Tanya) Toby Truslove (Greta Garbo)
Looking for: sales agents, distributors, buyers
Facebook: Ashes - Short Film
Instagram: @ashes_short_film
Hashtags used: #ashesshortfilm
Website: www.ashesshortfilm.com
Other: IMDb
Made in association with: Stewart Haig Productions and JJ Splice Films
Funders: The Australian Cultural Fund- australianculturalfund.org.au
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month?
Dances With Films, Los Angeles- June 26th, 4.45 at the TCL Chinese Theatre
LA Shorts International Flim Festiaval- July 4th- July31st