Greta Bellamacina is an actress, filmmaker, and poet. She was born in London and made her acting debut in “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” at the age of thirteen. She trained at The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.

“Hurt By Paradise” premiered at the 2019 Edinburgh International Film Festival on June 20.

W&H: Describe the film for us in your own words.

GB: The film is a downbeat London comedy that follows Celeste, a young poet and single mother. We see her comically unsuccessful attempts to get her first book published and find her father, as well as her co-dependent friendship with her babysitter Stella, a struggling actress who is captivated by an online love affair.

The film is a snapshot into the lives of these two women who both have big dreams, but discover solace in friendship. The film is very much an ode to female friendship.

W&H: What drew you to this story?

GB: I wanted to make something that felt very human. We are all powered by our dreams, but life is complicated and harder than what is often portrayed.

I also wanted to create a world that incorporated poetry inside of it without being a burden on the story. A big part of doing that was to have the poems as poetic monologues inside Celeste’s head. We wanted the audience to feel closer to Celeste through her poetic view of the mundane.

I also wanted to show motherhood as something which is a part of Celeste’s life but not the defining factor, especially as she is a single mother, which is often presented negatively in cinema.

W&H: What do you want people to think about when they are leaving the theater?

GB: That life is complicated, but you can get thought the unexpected heartache with the help of friendship and laughter. And that paradise is actually closer than you think, and it is also okay to have dreams because these are the things that make the world a freeing and exciting place.

W&H: What was the biggest challenge in making the film?

GB: It was quite challenging having to shoot everything in 26 days with not much of a budget. I think we shot at least two major scenes a day, which was hard because we were having to move around a lot and set up on location which took quite a lot of time. So when we were finally rolling, everyone had to give 100 percent to make up time.

W&H: How did you get your film funded? Share some insights into how you got the film made.

GB: We made our film for a very low budget. We were lucky enough to have a lot of the main cast attach themselves to the script early on because they were passionate about the story. This helped secure the budget and also helped show potential to the project. We also were able to use British film tax credits because we shot the film in Britain, which helped cover our final post production costs.

W&H: What inspired you to become a filmmaker?

GB: I think there is a definite poetry in film. I started acting in films quite young and have always been writing simultaneously. At secondary school I used to write plays for Hampstead Theatre and loved the process of developing the characters.

I’ve always felt most feel free when performing, and I think it comes out of this feeling that I’ve always been fascinated with the technical process of cinema and how I could evolve both as an actress and writer by learning its process. I think in that sense it has been a very organic journey.

W&H: What’s the best and worst advice you’ve received?

GB: The best advice: Always remember that there is no right way to make a film. It’s about finding the most effective way to tell the story.

I try not to remember bad advice.

W&H: What advice do you have for other female directors?

GB: I think you should write about what you know because you will be able to offer insight into a world which is totally unique — especially being female, we need more honest viewpoints.

Also, because film is so collaborative, I think you should try and experiment as much as you can with as many different people. Everyone’s approach is completely different, but it’s about finding a crew of people who understand where you are coming from and are open to exploring as many different ideas as possible.

W&H: Name your favorite woman-directed film and why?

GB: Sofia Coppola’s films. I revisit them continually and am always amazed how many times I can watch “Lost In Translation” and “The Virgin Suicides” and discover something new. She has this incredible ability to make you feel like you are observing the characters from a distance but also feel completely with them emotionally.

W&H: It’s been over a year since the reckoning in Hollywood and the global film industry began. What differences have you noticed since the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements launched?

GB: I think it is slowly changing, and women are starting to have more control in making decisions, which I think is really exciting. We cannot expect to have interesting, dynamic cinema unless there is an equal division between male and female filmmakers.

We had a majority female cast and decided we should also build a majority female crew — women in the camera department and in technical production roles as well as in front of the camera. I feel very lucky to have the support of these women in the film because the film ultimately is a love story to the friendship of women.