A PRAYER FOR MY FATHER, 10min., USA
Directed by Sarah London
Decades after she and her late father found an unspeakable horror in the woods, Lola receives a package of his ashes, and along with it the ghost of their shared trauma.

https://instagram.com/aprayerformyfather

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?
My childhood was a horror story.

Generational trauma had a chokehold on my family while growing up. Drugs, alcohol, mental illness, bank robbing, depression, narcissism... we had it all.

I grew up in a cat piss stained trailer, where every night was about survival. Survival from a paranoid schizophrenic mother, played to the backdrop of the lower class Northern California countryside. When there wasn't food in the kitchen, I was thankful for the plentiful fruit orchards near my home... peaches, cherries and walnuts filled my stomach while my mother lay drunkenly passed out in the bathtub.

My only escape was my father. His weekend visitation rights were the only days I looked forward to. We'd trek the rolling hills and forests of upper San Francisco, filling up on diner food as we drove. He'd sit by the campfire, his marijuana smoke molding with the camp smoke as I eagerly listened to his Bigfoot stories.

But as much as I loved my father, he had a dark side, too. But his trauma was internal, sad and quiet. It was creeping and subtle.

I take an unusual amount of pride in the generational trauma he passed onto me. And this film is an homage to him and his struggles.

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
Two years! Self funding a film means things happen in chunks as you save money.

3. How would you describe your film in two words!?
Generational trauma.

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
Money! HA. That aside, everything went beautifully. The cast and crew consisted mainly of my friends. When your friends are used to your art, they're fully onboard with exactly what you're looking for and how to get that vision up and running. We also shot the first half in a public park in Sherman Oaks with a 2 ton grip truck in the parking lot. So you could say the guerilla aspect of the film was very real and stress-inducing, but we made it happen.

5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?
Very moving. I was really pleased that everyone caught onto the story. As a filmmaker, we're always worried that an audience isn't going to understand a story. You try and do everything you can to prevent that (I added subtitles because I was paranoid that some of the dialogue was too fast and unclear). The audience reactions lifted that worry!

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?
I moved to LA with a script in hand about my real life bank robbing grandfather. It was a feature script I had been working on since I was 20. So probably late teens.

7. What film have you seen the most in your life?
According to my mom: The Brave Little Toaster
According to my dad: ET
According to me: The Fifth Element

I really wanted to give a swanky auteur answer, but those are my truths. But movies that influence my filmmaking: Tree of Life and The VVitch.

8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career?
This is a great question. I've been experiencing a lot of scammy film festivals lately and yours is definitely the top three best I've experienced yet. The audience reaction video was fantastic. It made me feel like an actual audience was watching my film. I realize not all festivals are capable of doing an in-person theatrical release for the public, especially after the pandemic. I suppose if I had to add something: I've found that when festivals share my film / film poster / excerpts / events regarding my film on Instagram, it really helps for me to share those posts to reach my film friends.

9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?
FilmFreeway is great. I wish the platform would weed out the scammier festivals but I realize that's difficult to do. But other than that, it's great!

10. What is your favorite meal?
McDonald's french fries.

11. What is next for you? A new film?
I'm trying to find someone to assist in helping me write this script about my bank robbing grandfather! If you know anyone, send them my way!