Writer, Director Gemma Rose Carfi
(she/her)
Producer Rachel Chen
(she/her)
Photos by Camille Chapman
Ostrich is a short film about Helena, a mother, whose eyes are opened to the entrenched sexism within her family when she discovers a horrible truth about her son.
Hi guys! Tell me a bit about yourself and the team!R: Hi Demure Mag! My name is Rachel, and I am the producer for the upcoming short film Ostrich (written and directed by my friend Gemma Carfi who I think is in this article with me, hello Gem!), I am an emerging Australian producer and I hope to one-day be in the production team for a feature film that has at least 1 trailer for their talent – bit of an odd dream, but when I am checking in on actors in their trailer my dream will have been fulfilled and new dreams will take its place!
The short film was shot by cinematographer Gregory Kazantcev, production designed by Esther Myles, edited by Camille Chapman and Blair Stellato and sound designed by Julian Pitrone. Together, most of us have spent 2 years in developing and producing this incredible short film and we cannot wait to have it shared with the world.
G: I’m Gemma and I’m the writer and Director of Ostrich. We had such an incredible group of very talented people that worked to bring the story to life, I think we had up to 27 people on our crew at one stage, and it really couldn’t have been done without each and every one of them, not to mention the incredible cast of actors! We’ve been working on the film for almost two years now, and through that time there’s been six very dedicated Head of Departments’ who took the project from script stage all the way to finished film, so it’s been such an incredible journey.
The premise of the film is great, and extremely relevant. What inspired the plot line? Personal experiences with sexism, or just something you wanted to explore?R: Gem can definitely speak to the influences and inspirations which prompted her to write Ostrich. But I do agree, the premise of the film is indeed relevant, and it puts the spotlight on mothers and this idea of martial-rape which we don’t often find in our news cycles – only mentions of domestic violence as an umbrella term.
G: Some aspects of the film definitely came from my own personal experiences growing up in a family with pretty traditional gender roles, and also going to a private school that was very much a boys club.
I think what particularly frustrates me is how we as a society deal with rape. It’s talked about as this thing that happens late at night in dark alleys and parks, and while that’s definitely true, it’s also at high school parties and in the home and at school.
I think that a reactionary attitude is too little too late. If you want non-cis male identifying people to be safe, all misogynistic culture needs to be dismantled, including traditional gender roles, and that really starts at home. I suppose I was also trying to explore what forms of disrespect are considered socially acceptable. Where do we draw the line?
Do you think films should generally have important meaning?
R: Yes and no. From the point of view of a filmmaker who have seen a few odd films here and there, I don’t think films should be created with the intent of changing the world, however I do think films, when created, do have important meaning to the filmmaker creating it – sometimes, indeed, the filmmaker might lose sense of what their film is about, speaking from personal experience this can often happen when you’re worried about casting the right talent, or finding the perfect location but the heart and essence of the film is always there, sometimes you might just forget momentarily, when things become stressful.
G: I think it’s great when they do, and I think that all films are about something, whether it’s love or acceptance or what have you. But I’m also a big believer in not yucking other people’s yum. I think there’s a tendency to dismiss “entertainment” films, particularly films for young girls, as useless or trashy. But honestly, sometimes there’s nothing I want more than to sit down and re watch the twilight series for the fortieth time with my friends. Anyone that knows me can tell you that I love Disney films. I also love Marvel films and European art cinema or whatever I feel like watching in the moment.
Which characters resonate most with you?R: I think from an age point of view, the character of Noah definitely resonates the most with me. I remember hearing all about the awful things that happened (mostly at private schools in the news) but in the school yard (I went to a public school), you also hear of it happening to people you know. Things like sex tapes and sexual assault – I think the character of Noah represents the good and the bad side to the people involved in such situations.
G: I think real characters. Characters that are fallible, that are sometimes unlikeable, but that get there in the end. I’m a sucker for an underdog.
What's your favourite part of the process? Writing, filming, editing?R: Honestly, finishing. But filming is always a fun part to the development of a film, I love being in the location and seeing all the behind the scenes work that goes into making a scene look cinematic.
G: I really love writing, I think it’s such an exciting process and I love building a story. But I also LOVE being on set. It’s honestly probably my favourite place to be, whether I’m working as a Director or a runner, I love the energy and enthusiasm that everyone has towards creating something.
Advice for other young (existing or wannabe) directors?
R: Have a good team around you, it’s never a one person show in filmmaking. And also it’s a lot more fun when you can share all your successes, failures and embarrassing moments with your team.
G: Just get out there and do it. Your first five films will probably be terrible and make you cringe so hard and that’s totally fine because I guarantee every time you’ll learn something and improve. I really think that in this industry you have to make your own work, and the best way to do that is just start.
Where can we view Ostrich?R: Ostrich is wrapping up its post production this year. It will be doing its festival circuit in 2022 and 2023. Hopefully you can catch it at a local film festival near you!
