Bridey Elliott is is an actress, writer, and director. She starred in the SXSW Grand Jury Prize winner “Fort Tilden.” Her other acting credits include “Battle of the Sexes” and “Mosaic.” Her directorial debut, the short comedy “Affections,” premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, and went on to win the Special Jury Prize at the Independent Film Festival of Boston.
“Clara’s Ghost” will premiere at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival on January 19.
W&H: Describe the film for us in your own words.
BE: The film is a portrait of a family over one drunken night in their home in Connecticut where a spirit is beckoning Clara, the matriarch of the family, to step out of the shadow of her self-obsessed family members.
W&H: What drew you to this story?
BE: Well, it’s a very personal story. I wrote it about my family and they play themselves in some sense. I was inspired by the tone of “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolfe” and the setting of “Let’s Scare Jessica to Death,” the result being a family comedy/drama with a supernatural element.
I like to think of this movie as an experiment and a time capsule. I’ve worked with each member of my family creatively, but never with all of us in one project, and nothing so personal.
W&H: What do you want people to think about when they are leaving the theater?
BE: I want people to think about their families and the role they play in them. Family dynamics can become so visceral, especially after time away from your home. I think we all regress to these roles during family gatherings and holidays unless we make a conscious choice not to. The roles we play become a sort of trap that we have to free ourselves from or else it slips in to every aspect of our lives.
W&H: What was the biggest challenge in making the film?
BE: The biggest challenge was simply time. We had a lot of movie to make in three weeks, and a very short turnaround for the Sundance deadline. I wish we had more time to make it slow and steady, for my mother’s sake specifically. It was her first lead acting role, and I didn’t want her nerves to be affected by the frenzy of the shoot, but it all worked out.
There was a wonderful energy on set among the crew and I think that came out of being inside a home.
W&H: How did you get your film funded? Share some insights into how you got the film made.
BE: We raised seed funding through Kickstarter, and from word of mouth. Through producers working on the movie, we got private investors to chip in.
We were still in need of $100K for post, but once the Sundance announcement was made the money came fast, which seemed unreal.
W&H: What does it mean for you to have your film play at Sundance?
BE: I’m so honored to be among such incredible filmmakers and the fact that people will see my movie is thrilling to me no matter what.
Sundance accepted my first short film in 2016 and it’s one of the only institutions I feel very supported by, and I’m so indebted to them.
W&H: What’s the best and worst advice you’ve received?
BE: I have no idea what the best advice I’ve received is.
The worst advice I ever received was when I was 25. I had a meeting with a producer at the Soho House, and he suggested I start telling people I was 22.
W&H: What advice do you have for other female directors?
BE: My advice is to put all the frustration, rejection, joy, pain, and injustice into your work because it is completely unique and when you make something original, you create space for more originality.
W&H: Name your favorite woman-directed film and why.
BE: That is an extremely hard question. “Clueless” by Amy Heckerling was biblically powerful for me as a kid. There are so many classic moments burned in my brain that I’m reminded of its genius almost daily.
I also love “American Psycho” by Mary Harron. What a powerful film for a woman to make about, in my opinion, the brutality and insanity of male culture.
