Local film wins international award
Founders of The Edit Room, Tami and Dylan Marriott, heard last week that their film had competed against 475 entries from around the world to win an award that is a first for South Africa.
A DISEASE has broken out and put the world on lockdown. A girl struggles with her loneliness in isolation and has to deal with the consequences of her decisions.
This is the captivating and remarkably relatable synopsis of locally made film, Alone, which portrays a powerful message that resonates with all experiencing the isolation of the Covid-19 lockdown.
The film has scooped the Best Short Film award at the Enfoque International Film Festival. Founders of The Edit Room, Tami and Dylan Marriott, heard last week that their film had competed against 475 entries from around the world to win an award that is a first for South Africa.
“We were very excited when we got the mail informing us of this award. We had gained a lot of positive feedback locally and it was a huge honour to have it recognised on an international level. I feel the film will relate to everyone at the moment. It is a story about people in lockdown being isolated and the mental health repercussions. The film put emphasis on connecting and reaching out to those who are alone in these times,” said colourist and film producer Dylan, who is also a past Yellowwood Park Primary School learner.
According to writer and director of Alone, Tami, the award winning film was something of a surprise even for the film makers.
“It was never intended to be what it became. We filmed the bulk of it over a year ago as a passion project to bulk up our individual portfolios. The original script was written about a girl who was trapped indoors and could not go outside because of a zombie apocalypse that had destroyed mankind. As busy lives go, after filming it, we never got around to editing or recording the voice over. So, it sat on a hard drive gathering dust and guilt because it had not been completed. Then, Covid-19 hit us and we started conceptualising a story to support those who are alone and taking emotional strain. It was only when I started writing this script that it clicked! Everything about our zombie film worked into our current message and with a few adaptions, we could make it a powerful story.”
The logistics of rewriting and recording the new voice over while adhering to stringent social distancing regulations proved a challenge, Tami admits.
“It was a group effort through and through. When it was filmed, lockdown wasn’t a problem. When it came to editing, it was. One of our editors is in Pretoria, our voice over artist in Cape Town, our sound designer is on the South Coast and our graphics artist is on the North Coast! We used We-Transfer to send each other edits and files and had Skype calls for direction. Through the internet, we managed to pool our resources to pull it off,” she explains.
Feedback was astounding after the film was launched across all social media platforms on 28 April. As a result, the film makers decided to post the film on Film Freeway which is a tool for film-makers to get their work submitted into festivals.
“I noticed there was a call for Covid-19 related films and saw the opportunity to spread our message further than just Durban. International film festivals allow you to reach a global audience which is so important, especially in times like this where it can feel like countries are so isolated from each other,” Tami adds.
The Marriotts believe this award will open the door to a global market, albeit one that will be impacted by Covid-19. “It is an interesting time for the film industry. It will need to keep down costs and work with small teams. Luckily this has always been us and we are very well practiced at making beautiful work with micro crews.”
The film can be watched on The Edit Rooms website: www.editroom.co.za and can be found on all our social media platforms facebook.com/editroomdurban
Film credits
Written and directed by Tami Marriott
Starring: Emma Devine
Director of photography: Lelanie Du Preez
Lighting by: Devin Carter
Editors: Lelanie Du Preez and Dylan Marriott
Colourist: Dylan Marriott
Sound design: Nux Schwartz
Voice artist: Savannah Schutzler
GFX: Andrew Sutherland
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