‘Cindy’ is a coming-of-age horror-comedy about a young girl who experiences her first heartbreak.
The film follows Cindy, a not-so-normal teenager who, whilst grappling with the hormonal changes of puberty, finds that she has the unexpected ability to create a voodoo doll which she uses against her unfaithful boyfriend.
She decides to embrace this new-found occult power as she continues to fiercely torture any boy who does her wrong. However, she is forced to deal with the repercussions of her actions.
Images by @givisakissluv
How did 'Cindy' come to be?As cliche as this sounds, the initial concept for this film actually came from a reoccurring dream of mine that I’ve had since I was 12 years old.
From there I turned it into a script which I developed throughout last year with the rest of the team.
What has inspired you?I think much like many other artists, I am very inspired by my own experiences and feelings. Cindy is very close to my heart and is illustrative of my own pre-teen years and the angst I felt at that time. I was also heavily inspired by the photographer Doug Dubois and his collection of photographs in his book ‘My last Day at Seventeen’.
As well as the films ‘The Killing of a Sacred Deer’ (Dir. Yorgos Lanthimos), ‘The Strange Thing About the Johnsons’ (Dir. Ari Aster), and ‘Carrie’ (Dir. Brian De Palma).
Has your practice changed over time? My practice has definitely changed over time. I’ve always wanted to be an actor (and am still very interested in acting), however, like many other actors, I struggled to break into the industry or get very much work at all. I hated being at the mercy of other people to get work, so I decided to create my own work.
I began studying film and found a new love in writing and directing. I also found that my years training as an actor really helped my ability to direct, and vice versa, as I feel as though my acting has also improved by having more of an insight into what being on set feels like.
What do you hope the audience will gain from your films? I hope that people can relate to my work and see themselves in the characters that I write.
However, ultimately I always strive to make something that I would watch, as I’ve always been a strong believer that no matter what symbolism or meaning you try to put into your work, different people will see different things and find their own meaning.
What is next for you?I have three music videos that I have directed which are set to be released this month, and I am also in pre-production for another short film which we are shooting early next year!
COVID UPDATE We were originally hoping to screen ‘Cindy’ back in June, but due to the ongoing lockdowns and capacity restrictions, the screening was inevitably postponed. This was somewhat of a blessing for us though, as it gave us the opportunity to go back and refine the film even further. We are still hoping to hold a screening at LongPlay Bar as soon as we can, so keep checking for updates on our socials.
We most likely won't release the film online for a little while as we are hoping to submit to few festivals, but after that it will most likely become publicly available!