Issue

With their short film LOVE CRISIS Olga Ruano and Chus de Castro aim to spread a message filled with hope regarding the worldwide financial crisis, with an approach that’s sociological rather than political.

FG: Did you realise LOVE CRISIS would be so successful?

CC: My co-director Olga Ruano and I did not expect it at all! We had tons of selections and we won awards and audiences in movie theatres loved them too, and Olga and I are more than happy about it all!

FG: Would you credit the success of the film to the simplicity of the story?

CC: Absolutely! Love Crisis is a 21st century story, it is fun and sad, simple and deep,

CHUS DE CASTRO

FOLLOWING THE SUCCESS OF “LOVE CRISIS” AT “REEL WOMEN”, FAYE GENTILE SPEAKS TO THE CO-CREATOR:

“LOVE CRISIS is not only about our two protagonists, but also about every single one of us.”

interviewshort but with a never ending epilogue. It is a story inside another story. It talks about the effects of economic crisis through the romantic crisis of a couple, since all kinds of crises begin and end in a very similar way. In fact, once it has started, no matter what the origin was, the only way to get over it is working together to defend a common cause, whatever it might be...whether it is within a relationship or a whole country. Love Crisis is not only about our two protagonists, but also about every single one of us.

FG: Is it challenging condensing an effective story in such a brief time frame?

CC: Well, regarding short films, that’s actually my main challenge as a writer/director, to be able to tell a complex story with many different nuances and contradictions in just a few minutes, since as the saying goes, “Brevity is the soul of wit”.

I just don’t like redundancy. I watch such great shorts and films that repeat the same ideas over and over again and, in my opinion, that’s a mistake from the point of view of storytelling and also it is like underestimating audiences which is so wrong. It is like not only telling the same joke twice but also explaining it.

As they usually say, plot comes first, then it is about defining what your characters do and that’s what tells us who they are. That’s a truth in the dramatic narrative but it is also true in life, isn’t it? Actions speak louder than words and having that clear in terms of writing was a big one for me.

FG: You star and direct in a lot of your films: can you tell me why you choose to do that?

CC: I am an actor, that’s what I am, so

... fun and sad, simple and deep, short but with a never ending epilogue ....

it was the natural thing to do for me. I studied Drama and later Screenwriting. I wrote and acted for First Team, a film foundation run by Assumpta Serna, a really prestigious and amazing Actress/Director/Producer in Spain; and Scott Cleverdon, a fantastic Scottish Actor/Screenwriter/Director. They encouraged me to direct because they truly believe that actors are authors.

FG: Where do you draw inspiration for your characters?

CC: Life itself. One of the greatest screenwriters of Spain, Rafael Azcona, said that he did not like film genres since in real life there are no genres, So, inspiration comes to me every day from the simple things and also from the incredible things that happen. As Mark Twain said, “The only difference between reality and fiction is that fiction needs to be credible.”

FG: Has it generated any interest for further development?

CC: Many people asked us to develop it into a feature film but I think that would not be

a really good idea. For me, it would feel like trying to make a novel out of a poem. Also, Olga and I have other separate and independent projects, so I think, at least for now, Love Crisis will remain a short film.

FG: What are those future projects?

CC: I am going to make another short film this summer: a drama, with hints of humour. I will co-direct it with Nacho Prieto, a brilliant Spanish TV and film director. Later, I might shoot another one in the UK with another talented director, Amanda S Thompson. I’d love if that happened since it would be a great challenge for me, shooting in another country, in another language.

What’s more, I have several TV, Theatre and Film projects as an actor coming up while I keep on finishing my first directorial debut, I am still writing my first feature film and I’m pretty excited about it!

cold warriorWE SPOKE TO EMILY GREENWOOD ABOUT HER FILM

Emily Greenwood creates what she would call ‘intelligent mainstream’, making films that capture her audience in the most original way. Her latest film, screened at June’s Reel Women event, encapsulates that motive completely.

Her striking and challenging short film COLD WARRIOR is set in Romania in 1980, at the height of sporting competition and government tension. Ana (Eloise Littell) is a young gymnast who starts to doubt her dream of becoming a world class champion when she grows suspicious of her coach Teodor (Laurence Mitchell), and his involvement with a government doping plan. He is prepared to compromise Ana’s health and happiness for her to win: in order to take back her freedom, she must be defiant. We follow Ana as she begins to realise what she must do and who she must become.

It’s hard to believe that abortion doping - inducing pregnancy to trigger performance-boosting hormones, and then aborting the baby - really happens. “I couldn’t believe that a person could turn to such extremes to get an advantage in sport,” says Emily. “But after looking further into the politics behind sport, especially during the Cold War era, it became more believable. I started to realise how important gymnasts were to their country. They were ‘worker gymnasts’. Their job description: to win Gold for the country. They were living a sports revolution and those girls were on the front line winning Gold for their country!”

Emily was inspired by true stories from the Russian press. The stories were hard to find, and very shocking. An unnamed former Soviet coach said that girls who didn’t have boyfriends were forced to sleep with their coaches until they got pregnant. There was also an Olympic sports shooter who explained that she was persuaded by a national chief physician that pregnancy would ensure a “150% guarantee of victory”.

“... she begins to realise what she must do and who she must become ....”

“I literally immersed myself in anything and everything to do with abortion doping. I read everything from gymnasts’ and coach biographies, to books about eastern European politics, sports doping and the relationship between sport and politics. Researching abortion doping specifically was really hard, but the Wellington Films producers sacrificed a huge amount of time trying to locate people who might have been associated with the topic.”

Like every good independent film, difficulties were encountered; especially when you’re setting it in a different country and over 30 years ago. “During script development, one major decision for me was choosing where to set the film. East Germany would have been an obvious choice, but after reading a lot about Ceausescu’s regime, Romania felt right. Shooting in Nottingham was challenging, however we did manage to find some incredibly authentic looking buildings, thanks to Wellington’s exhaustive location scouting!

Achieving the grandeur of the final competition scene was possibly the biggest challenge. We had a small shooting space and a bus full of extras to represent a full Olympic stadium and we had far too little time. What we ended up with, particularly the final shots, was a far cry from what I had visualised, but considering what we had at our disposal, we pulled it off very well. I know how little was actually there on the day, but I don’t think that comes across on screen. That scene is a good example of how we all pulled together to make the impossible, possible! To say more would give too much away but it must be said that this is a poised juxtaposition of delicate and tenacious storytelling.This dark tale also adopts a wonderful vintage colouring in its cinematography complimented beautifully by the musical score.

Greenwood doesn’t hide the truth, rather she has choreographed a haunting, almost ethereal and tender dance in 19 minutes. It has plenty of bite that unlike a lot of recent shorts, dares to tell a story in a very honest and brutal way, but it does not lose any artistic tendencies. However, when delivering something to a public domain, there will always be things that when creating you wish you had done differently; If Emily were to go back and do it all over again, would she change anything? “Considering the schedule and budget, I genuinely think we did the best we could,” she says. “Perhaps I would have looked into the possibility of shooting in Romania in original language, I don’t think our budget would have allowed it though. The language was always going to be a difficult decision and I think original language versus accents will always divide people.”

So far COLD WARRIOR has picked up six official selections from film festivals worldwide and stands as a fantastic example of what happens when women are in the director’s chair. This is an audacious film that stands out far from the crowd and Emily Greenwood is certainly one to watch. - Faye Gentile

TAXISTOP (directed by Marie Enthoven) is a Belgian odd-couple comedy extended to a whole minivan of people who need to make the long journey to Geneva.

It centres on Antoine, a divorcee and doting father who has to give an important presentation on team building; though he is a meek man and lacks the leadership charisma needed for the role. Thwarted by a rail strike and an unhelpful ex -wife who refuses to drive him (she is coincidentally going to Geneva on the same day, with their young daughter), he signs up in desparation for Taxistop, a lift sharing scheme.

One would hope this co operative endeavour would be of benefit to everyone, but the four passengers and driver have such different expectations and attitudes that it quickly turns to distrust and disagreement, and reaches levels of farcical dysfunction and savagery that no amount of team building keywords can remedy.

While things get worse, they keep passing Antoine’s wife’s car, his daughter waving happily from the window. The journey is a well paced descent into problem and disaster, the sniping between passengers well observed and incongrous in the colourful and shambolic van “Flower”. Antoine soon takes another journey, which leads away from work and towards more happy times with his daughter...

TAXI STOP

... levels of farcical dysfunction and savagery that no amount of team building keywords can remedy ...

Bridget Bradshaw reviews

The wacky yet wonderful MY STUFFED GRANNY is a whimsical animation in which little Sofia tells the story of her Grandmother’s insatiable appetite, which often results in a scarcity of sustenance for herself and her father on the meagre offerings of Granny’s pension. It is no tale of woe, however, relying as it does on the ever-hopeful eyes of a child and sauntering into fairytale twists at every turn. The animation is charming, funny and astutely attentive to detail without being precious – reminiscent of the genius creations of Jan Švankmajer but infused with child-like optimism and spring-like growth. - Hannah Clarkson

sneak preview: coming in july

Our cover artist this month is Nic Farrell.

Nic is an award-winning freelance illustrator living in Cambridge.

She specialises in lettering and all things hand drawn, and has worked for a range of clients including schuh, vo5, cooperative bank and Deloitte.

Her work is influenced by badly painted signs, Americana, music and popular culture. She also happens to be a woman who likes being paid the same as men.

©TAKE ONE

©HACKED OFF FILMS

REEL WOMEN 2015

MEND AND MAKE DO, Bexie Bush’s animated short, screened at June’s Reel Women event. It tells the heartfelt story of a love life lived without regret. The film presents elderly narrator Lyn’s life in an amusing, sentimental and touching fashion, constantly reminding the viewer that everyone was young once. Behind every face and wrinkle there is a life lived, and a thousand more stories to tell. Life should be lived, as youth is fleeting but deep emotions, love and happiness are eternal in the memory.

Lyn’s words also tell us something else. She talks of making a dress out of a curtain, of using gravy browning on her legs to fake stockings and of a first kiss -- “but at least

“Whatever comes in life, I will accept and enjoy it”.

MEND AND MAKE DO

he didn’t put his tongue down me throat”! This all serves to remind us that Lyn is not so different from the girls of today. Perhaps more innocent, but nonetheless concerned with the same universal things -- impressing a boy and looking her best. It serves as a wonderful testament to the continuity of life and our connection to the past - this despite her exclamation that there is “no embarrassment today” regarding sex.

The director Bexie Bush mixes-in stop frame animation with great effect, enhancing Lyn’s words and reinforcing a moving story well. The shadow play between her and her husband is neatly told and heartfelt, a shadow the perfect allegory for her husband. The teapot as a train is extremely funny, as is the door in Vince’s face. Best of all, however, are the final words from Lyn: “Whatever comes (in life), I will accept and enjoy it”. A mantra for us all, perhaps …

Daisy Kitchin reviews