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Est. Reading Time: 4 Minutes

MARK (M) Tell us a little about yourself - when did you become interested in film and filmmaking?

SIMI (S) Film has always been a passion of mine but for most of my life, it was as a viewer. I never thought of myself as someone who would make films. The idea never really crossed my mind. It wasn’t until I took a module on screenwriting at university that I realised it was something I was both capable of and deeply excited about. Following university, I started reflecting on the kind of career I wanted. It dawned on me that in order to make the films I’m most interested in without losing creative control, I would have to direct them myself.

On Themes

M Your film portrays such an honest insight into the mind of a young artist which I think is really refreshing. I think it can be interpreted in many ways, to me it’s almost like a love-letter to cinema, life and your new home. So I’m curious to know about how you came to explore the themes of the film?    

S When I started working on Home Movie, I knew it would be about the disparity between life and film. I wanted to unpack what makes something cinematic so that was always at the forefront of my mind while making this short. How I chose to express those ideas changed as I worked on it. I had initially pictured something polished and clean however when assessing the tools and resources available to me, it made more sense to let the organic, ordinary parts of my life into the film like the noisy street outside. In the end, I think that further exemplified the themes I was discussing.

On Process & Discovery

M How did it feel to be essentially in front of and behind the camera at the same time? Did it teach you anything new about filmmaking? 

S Being in front of and behind the camera was quite exhausting. It was such a relief when I shot the last scene. I already had an appreciation for the work a crew does on a production but having to do so much alone reaffirmed that. It also gave me a newfound respect for content creators like YouTubers that make aesthetic videos and filmmakers on TikTok like Madelaine Turner.

M In making and finishing the film, what did you discover and learn that you might adopt or further explore in future projects?

S I think making Home Movie was a playful way of learning more about framing and composition. So much of the film relies on thinking of interesting ways to examine normal spaces so I had to get a little creative. It was a fun challenge and in fact, helped me get into the mind of a filmmaker I really like, Kogonada. His film Columbus (2017) is about modernist architecture and the film does a wonderful job at finding exciting angles and vantage points to shoot from, even in domestic settings.  In some ways, I was channeling part of that spirit in Home Movie.

On Inspiration

M What are some of the films and who are some of the filmmakers that inspire you, and why?

S A filmmaker I continually go back to is Mike Mills. There’s something about the simple yet nostalgic way he examines time and the way things change that has always stayed with me since I watched his film Beginners (2010) and then again in 2Oth Century Women (2016). Like a lot of film fans, I’m obsessed with Wes Anderson and the storybook, playful aesthetic that he has managed to cultivate around his films. I would love to figure out a visual language that is as strong as his style.

On The Future

M What are you planning to make next?

S Well, I run a film company that launched this year called ‘Thursday Afternoon’ and I’m working through the production slate. At the moment, I am in pre-production on a new project – it’s a surreal, art film about a girl who believes she’s on fire. Filming starts at the end of August and I’m looking forward to seeing that slowly come together. My goal is to premiere it in Summer 2022.

Mark’s Final Thoughts

• So happy to see Simi mention Kogonada as an influence - I really liked Columbus too and I’m super excited to see his next film After Yang.

• Also interesting to hear Simi mention her realisation about directing, coupling that focus with her love for Wes Anderson and the compositions within Home Movie, I feel like she’s developing quite a considered and deliberate visual style which is really exciting.

• Her next film sounds interesting so I’ll keep in touch with Simi to see how it’s coming along, and I’ll get her thoughts on After Yang when we’ve both seen it (remember I live in Australia so it can take forever for indie films to get released here in theatres).

  Tags Documentary Experimental Live-action Narration

The founder of Hommage, Mark Shaba published this interview on 14.09.2021. Mark is a filmmaker from Victoria, Australia. He respectfully acknowledges the past and present traditional owners of the land on which he creates, promotes and screens art, the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nation who are the custodians.