OVERTURNED, 2min, USA
Directed by Oliver Schaffer
A look into the ramifications of overturning Roe V Wade for women across the United States of America.

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

I made it for a project in my Feminist Media Production class at Emerson College (one of my favorite classes I've ever taken). This was the first film I made for the class and the prompt was essentially to highlight the such as sexual assault, the wage gap, abuse, cat calling and more. I decided to make mine about abortion rights.

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?

This film only took about 2-3 weeks. I spent a little less than a week getting everything set up (the props and special effects). Then filming only took one afternoon and editing took about a week. It was a gorilla crew, so just me, the actress and the help from a friend at one point. There was no call sheet or story board. I did the directing, cinematography, production design, sfx and editing. Sometimes the work you do on the fly ends up being the best. It gives you the freedom to come up with new ideas on the spot and try things out that you otherwise may not have been able too. I took about a day finding all the news castings to add for audio. The actress wore a necklace that is the Egyptian Symbol for life, which I think was a nice touch. You'd only get it if you know, but if you do it makes the film that much more powerful.

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

Powerful, bloody.

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?

Making the abortion look realistic. Obviously, the actress isn't actually stick a hanger into her womb in order to induce an abortion. There was a lot of playing around with angles to try and make things work. The actress did a great job. A lot of it was just in her facial expression. The clean up was pretty rough too. I'm pretty sure the bathroom is still stained pink.

5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?

I was super excited to see all the feedback! One guy mentioned how there might be anti-choice individuals in the audience and how they may have reacted. Pro-choice people already know the horrors of things like this, it's the to anti-choice people that really need to see the film. Everyone was so kind with their feeeback and it made my day.

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?

I was in 10th grade and took my fist film class and I only took it because the photography class was harder to get into. I am so glad I did, with my love for film starting there and only growing. I never took that photography class and summer before 12th grade I was lucky enough to get into the NYU high school summer film program which cemented my decision to want to have a career in the entertainment industry.

7. What film have you seen the most in your life?

Spider-Man Into The Spider Verse has to be my favorite movie of all time. The writing, the acting, and the animation all combine to make a perfect film. I could talk about this film for hours.

8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career?

I haven't been able to go to many festivals in which my film is being screened due to transportation and accessibility issues. If I'm in New York, I can't fly to Ohio to see my film, ya know? And then I miss out on connecting with other filmmakers, which is why I really love the online centric film festivals. You can meet people on zoom or in group chats who are just as passionate about the entertainment industry as you are.

9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?

It's been a great process! I know that part of getting into film festivals is also marketing. I feel like I know very little about the marketing aspect.

10. What is your favorite meal?

Breakfast all the way. There's sweat, savory, I love it all.

11. What is next for you? A new film?

I just moved to LA! I'm hoping to make a short about transgender rights soon, but in the mean time I'm enjoying writing. I have a tv pilot and feature in the works!