Do you think of film as a form of poetry?
For me, film is the ultimate poetry in the sense that you’re bringing together the cinematography, the movement, the costume, the setting. Everything together is a form of poetry, and it’s very rare that you can have full control over a world and create your own versions of utopia and madness and joy, all in one setting. So, I definitely think film is poetry.
You’re in the UK. Things are very different there right now insofar as all this madness with COVID-19 and everything. So how are things progressing over there in the industry now that the cinemas are open and production work has started again? How do you feel actually getting your film released in a theater as opposed to the alternatives?
It has been so mad. We were meant to release the film in June, and I can barely believe that it’s coming out now. It’s still a slow trickle effect, and things are changing every day, so we don’t know—hopefully, it’ll stay for the whole duration, but it could get shut down at any minute because the numbers are rising again. We were really lucky because just before lockdown, I shot another feature with a director called Jamie Adams. We basically shot that a week before the London lockdown. We managed to make something just before. I think it’s just a really strange landscape, probably like New York. The theaters are still closed. I think I’m so eager to put films out there and draw people back to cinemas, but it’s such a strange time. Hopefully, it’ll bring people some form of entertainment, if not anything else. I’m lucky I didn’t make a super-depressing film because I don’t think people can handle any more than what’s already there.
“…the ultimate poetry in the sense that you’re bringing together the cinematography, the movement, the costume, the setting.”
Thankfully it’s very lighthearted. The movie that you were talking about did you write that one as well, or were you an actor?
I played the lead alongside an actor called Fabien Frankel. Our production company, which Robert, my husband, and I started called Sulk Youth. We produced Hurt By Paradise, but we also produced Venice At Dawn, which I just shot with Jamie Adams, the director. My husband, Robert Montgomery, and I started Sulk Youth Films. Hurt By Paradise is its first film, and Venice at Dawn is the second.
That’s very cool! I’m glad you got to finish that project before all this nonsense with COVID unraveled.
I can’t believe it. It was a mad experiment, though. We were working from a “scriptment,” so it was partially scripted and partially improvised. I’ve just seen the first edit of it, and it’s really funny, so I’ll send you a private screener when it’s ready to go.
Ooh yay, that’s awesome. Just one more question. What films inspired you on your journey towards becoming a filmmaker?
I’ve always been a huge fan of Terrence Malick. Just because I think that’s the ultimate poetry of all time in movies. Badlands and Days Of Heaven are my earliest most mind-blowing films. What else? What else? I love Jim Jarmusch. Only Lovers Left Alive was so good. Also, I’m a huge fan of Joanna Hogg, who just made The Souvenir. Hurt By Paradise actually went to the Edinburgh Film Festival and was up for the same award as The Souvenir. If you haven’t seen it, it’s so good.
