46 WINTER 2019 MOVIEMAKER.COM
DIRTY GOD
(World Cinema Dramatic
Competition)Who: Sacha Polak, co-writer and director
Logline: A powerful film about mother-
hood, courage, and self-acceptance set in
contemporary London.The first spark of an idea for this movie
came when: some years ago I attended a
music festival, and among the partygoers
there was a woman whose face was severely
burnt. I looked at her and flinched; my first
reaction was to look away. The burnt face
twitched and just looking at it hurt. I thought
of how terrible it must be to live with such
scars, and the fact you can’t possibly hide
them. Your face is your identity. It’s the first
portal of communication. The idea to make
a feature film about a young burnt woman
who has to deal with her life planted itself in
my head. She struggles with everything with
which most young women struggle, only to
her something horrible has happened.
The most interesting, weirdest or most
difficult location we shot at was: the club
in Marrakesh. We were kicked out of the
first club we were supposed to shoot in be-
cause of its crazy owner. This cost us a day
of shooting with 300 extras and we had to
ask our crew to stay another day in Morocco
and work a seventh day. The next day, our
crane collapsed. Our camera assistant saved
the camera, but hurt his foot in doing so.
That day, our producer went to 20 mosques
and gave money to 40 poor people in order
to bring us some luck.When I heard we got into Sundance:
I was at my cabin in the woods. It was very
early in the morning and I had just come
back with my children from the washing areaSELAH AND THE SPADES
(NEXT)
Who: Tayarisha Poe, writer-director
Logline: Five factions run the underground
life of the prestigious Haldwell boarding
school, and at the head of the most powerful
faction of them all—The Spades—sits
Selah Summers. By turns charming and
callous, she chooses whom to keep close
and whom to cut loose, walking the fine line
between being feared and loved.
The first spark of an idea for this movie
came when: I was working a job in the
media center of my alma mater and I
started to wonder what life would be like
for a black girl who did exactly what she
wanted at all times with no concerns for the
consequences.
An audience watching my film probably
won’t know that: our entire approach to the
look of the film is heavily influenced by when
Rihanna says, “Didn’t they tell you that I was
a savage?” in her song “Needed Me,” from her
incomparable album ANTI.
The most interesting, weirdest, or most
difficult location we shot at was: The
Academy at Penguin Hall near Salem, MA,
where we shot almost everything in the film.
It was simultaneously odd, beautiful, eerie,
and magical. It used to be a convent, then it
was an ad agency, and now it’s a school for
badass girls.
The biggest lesson I learned making this
movie was: bug spray is fake. It doesn’t
work.
When I heard we got into Sundance I:
tried to call my parents but it was so cold
out that my phone died.
TAYARISHA POE, WRITER-DIRECTOR OF
SELAH AND THE SPADESI AM MOTHER
(Premieres)
Who: Grant Sputore, director
Logline: In the wake of humanity’s
extinction, a teenage girl is raised by a robot
designed to repopulate the earth—but their
unique bond is threatened when a stranger
arrives with alarming news.An audience watching my film probably
won’t know that: the robot was achieved
99 percent practically, as a suit built by the
geniuses at Weta Workshop. Bonus factoid:
The person wearing the suit was the same
guy who actually built it, so he had no one
else to blame when it turned out so heavy.
Something that was an influence or
reference on this film was: the “practical
magic” of films like The Terminator, Alien,
Predator, and RoboCop. I grew up on that,
so I always knew I wanted to make our
Mother robot for real and capture her in-
camera. In a world where VFX have become
so ubiquitous, I felt a practical approach
was the way to truly wow an audience.The biggest lesson I learned making this
movie was: endurance is crucial. Every
knock back we had ended up being a win
once we persevered, reframed the problem,
and came up with a creative solution.
I would love to meet Robert Redford
in Park City. It’s the quintessential
Sundance experience.I’m most excited about seeing
MEMORY - The Origins of Alien this year.
Fittingly.(^) STAR HILARY SWANK CHANNELS HER INNER RIPLEY IN DIRECTOR GRANT SPUTORE’S ALIEN-INSPIRED
I AM MOTHER
when I saw my producer Marleen Slot stand-
ing in front of the cabin holding a bottle of
champagne with a huge smile on her face.
BOTTOM: PHOTOGRAPH BY IAN ROUTLEDGE / ALL IMAGES COURTESY OF SUNDANCE INSTITUTE