Interview: Scream Queen FilmFest Tokyo Spotlights Rebekah Fieschi

Scream Queen FilmFest Tokyo interviewed Mauvaises Têtes director Rebekah Fieschi to promote the upcoming screening in Singapore.

Scream Queens FilmFest Tokyo: What inspired you to become a film director?
Rebekah Fieschi: As far back as I remember I always loved movies and spent my time imagining fantasy worlds and stories, but at the age of 11, after seeing Tim Burton's Edward Scissorhands, I realized I could make my dreams as vivid and tangible to others by working in film.

SQFFT: What are 5 of your all time favourite genre films?
RF: Edward Scissorhands; Pan's Labyrinth; Rosemary's Baby; Frankenstein (1931); Psycho.

SQFFT: Do you have any filmmakers/artists who have influenced your work? If so, who and how?
RF: Roman Polanski who excels at creating a powerful identification with his main characters, he taught me that the film director’s role isn’t simply to orchestrate the production and give the actors directions but also to manipulate the audience’s feelings and expectations. Guillermo Del Toro for pushing the fairy tale limitations, making reality and fantasy intertwined and inseparable, and by doing so grasping the attention of an audience that isn’t generally interested in the fantasy/horror genre. Tim Burton for his extraordinary sense of visual style, always powerfully orchestrated with music and sound effects in order to completely immerse the audience. I also love the works of Edward Gorey, Gustave Doré, Salvador Dali, Arthur Rackham, Robert and Shana ParkeHarrison, etc. who create a world and tell a story with a single image.

SQFFT: Tell us a little bit about your film. What can people expect from your film?
RF: Mauvaises Têtes (Bad Heads) is a film in the tradition of classic Hollywood horror films, it is in black and white as color would have been fatal to it's special tone. It is a Frankenstein-like tale of a misfit who can no longer stand being alone.

SQFFT: Any message to the genre fans who are eager to watch your film and to fellow female filmmakers?
RF: I know there is an audience out there that is craving more diversity within the genre. I'm working at creating stories with rich, vibrant worlds and relatable characters that doesn’t tackle the genre in a methodic, redundant way. As a female filmmaker I think it is important to write powerful female roles without falling into the trap of turning our leads into strong women clichés. I see too many strong female characters that lack sensitivity, any good character needs vulnerabilities so they have an opportunity to grow.