The Screenwriting Masters (MAS) at The London Film School is not solely for the out-and-out writer. Many have ambitions of directing, or are directors who hope to better understand the art of storytelling to add to their skillset. MAS alumna Karen Anstee is one such person who since graduating, has gone on to write and direct her own short film. RACHEL is a drama that explores the complex relationships between religion, family and love, and asks whether funerals are for the living or the dead. From beyond death, a young Rachel fights to have her last wishes fulfilled against the will of her obstinate father. In a world where couples increasingly come from different cultural backgrounds, the traditional rites of passage that once brought families and communities together may now bring bitter conflict, and Rachel’s boyfriend fights her Jewish father to defend her wishes. "Whoever gets their way, it's a tragedy for the other. It's often like that in real life and I wanted to tell the story to provoke discussion about a difficult subject."
While issues close to Anstee’s heart were being played out in front of the camera, the same was happening behind the scenes. It was important for Anstee that 50% of her team were female and the company that did the post-production, The Farm Group, is also run by women. "50% of the population and 50% of film students are women, and yet in the film industry that representation dwindles to nearer 10%, so I didn't want to be part of that problem. But it's more than that. I think women bring different skills and approaches to the process of filmmaking - maybe they can't lift as much heavy equipment but they are empathetic, multitask brilliantly and they don't eat as much."
The result of their combined effort has led to recognition on the festival circuit. After being shortlisted for the 2016 UK Jewish Film Festival’s Pears Fund, RACHEL won Best Foreign Film 2016 at (SNOB) New England Indie Fest in the USA, while being Officially Selected for the 2016 Ouchy Film Awards in Switzerland, where the film was nominated for Best Director, Photography and Editing. “To get selected for a festival early on and then win the Best Foreign Film award was a massive boost. It was so wonderful to meet other film makers from around the world, to watch the reactions of the audiences and to take part in Q&As - really nice to discover that I had succeeded in inspiring the kind of thoughts and conversations I had aimed to with the story.” In 2017, RACHEL will be screened at the Death and the Maiden Conference in Winchester, which takes place between 21st and 24th July.
Once Rachel’s run is complete, Anstee hopes tackle a bigger challenge. "I'm aiming for my next project to be my first feature. Rachel was a very sad film, and took its toll emotionally, so whatever I work on next will be more upbeat. I'd love to make the romantic comedy I wrote when I was at LFS but I have several feature scripts written and ready to go, so it'll be a case of working out which one is most viable in terms of budget."
Written by Ben Corbett
Photo Credit: Tania Freimuth