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Title: Sweet Redemption
Runtime: 5 min
Country: USA
Director: Vivian Nappier
Placement: Honorable Mention
Competition: June, 2016
Synopsis: Amina, a passionate, vicious killer is about to be executed. She is given 5 minutes to say her final words. Amina uses this opportunity to pass on an important message, not just to the audience at large, but to her lover turned betrayal, Robert.
OR: What was the inspiration for your film?
VN: A monologue competition, December 2015. The competition was to write a short film, consisting of a one page monologue script with a beginning, middle and end. Although I didn’t win but I found it challenging and different from what I was used to when it comes to writing. I’m a fan of horror movies, dark and somewhat twisted films. I didn’t want to make something generic and most of my shorts are tits and bits of the feature I am working on. Sweet Redemption is a brief introduction to one of the character.
OR: When did you conceive the idea for your film and how long did it take before it was realized?
VN: Honestly, the idea was created and written at night, within a duration of 3 hours. I abandoned it at first and then came back to it months later during a directing class. I figured I add a little twist to the ending, for the character of Robert. The instructor was not a big fan of my script as he thought it would be impossible to find the right actors but I was determined to prove him otherwise.
OR: What was the most challenging aspect of working in a short film format?
VN: For me, I was trained to always have an arc. Some shorts are made with a single scene, others experimental. I love following a certain pattern which consist of a beginning, middle and end… this tends to lead to unnecessary difficulties most of the times.
OR: What was the most challenging aspect of your production?
VN: In regards to Sweet Redemption, I was really nervous on how to make the character of Robert have an impact without having any dialogue in the movie. That was the most challenging part.
OR: Do you have any advice for first-time filmmakers?
VN: Mistakes are inevitable. It’s okay to make them. Learn from it, dust yourself up and keep working. Stay busy and if the going gets tough, it means you are almost there.