Maria Sødahl has written and directed several television dramas, documentaries and short films. Her first feature film, “Limbo,” was nominated for ten of Norway’s Amanda Awards, winning five, and received the award for Best Director at the Montreal World Film Festival.
“Hope” will premiere at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival on September 7.
W&H: Describe the film for us in your own words.
MS: “Hope” is as an unusual and unsentimental love story. A couple who has been together for many years is suddenly forced to hunt for the woman’s survival from a terminal cancer diagnosis, and in the process, get to know each other again. It’s not a matter of whether she’ll survive or not, but what that overhanging threat does to their ability to love and be loved.
W&H: What drew you to this story?
MS: I lived this story. Nine years ago, when I received a terminal cancer diagnosis, the idea of movie-making vanished in a second. Five years later, still alive but frail after the challenging medical experience, I was offered the opportunity to direct an international feature. To do a major production was, at the time, absurd and way too premature, but it awakened my urge to tell stories again. Against my own will, I ended up writing my most autobiographical project ever. There was no way around it. It took me two years to develop a script that I could present, and nine years will have passed between my first and second movie.
W&H: What do you want people to think about when they are leaving the theater?
MS: I’ve reflected on how we experience stories both with our heart, intellect, and body and I believe this movie will be experienced primarily by the gut, that it should be a physical experience to watch the film.
The story’s uncertainty and emotional turbulence leaves little room for rest. As a result, the audience will not be left in peace, but hopefully be given a wake-up call. It offers a golden opportunity to reflect on choices they make in their own lives. Especially after the film is over.
W&H: What was the biggest challenge in making the film?
MS: By exploring a personal experience, I examine a couple’s long life together through one brief Christmas week. What can happen to love when, in the middle of your life, you get told you have three months left to live. In my process of writing, very raw and naked scenes inevitably occurred, situations that were difficult to stay indifferent towards. Material which fascinated and kept my curiosity going kept insisting on being part of the process.
The major challenge has been keeping the balance between sharing material that is so private that I hardly dared to reveal it to myself and creating a story that is personal as opposed to private. I believe it is ideal to let people into a world where they can identify with actions and emotions that aren’t always flattering without becoming ashamed.
W&H: How did you get your film funded? Share some insights into how you got the film made.
MS: European films, and especially Scandinavian, are partially funded by government incentives and financing programs. This film has financing from many sources in Scandinavia, as well as Eurimages [the Council of Europe fund for the co-production, distribution, exhibition and digitisation of European cinematographic works], but ultimately, you need private investors and producers to believe in your project as well.
W&H: What inspired you to become a filmmaker?
MS: My personal, geographical and cultural background didn’t expose me to filmmaking. At the age of 20, studying literature in Mexico City, I accidentally met a documentary film team. Experiencing their work was a revelation. It’s hard to tell what it “did to me” precisely, but I was definitely drawn to this medium and its ability to communicate utilizing nearly all the arts. It’s a craft that made for endless ways to develop a distinct voice. A craft where you are challenged both practically, artistically, and intellectually.
I couldn’t believe something so attractive could be a profession.
W&H: What’s the best and worst advice you’ve received?
MS: The best advice has been to work from “your inside and out” as the only way to reach something unique. Or, as Oscar Wilde said, “Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” That said, this is advice I got a little too late in life.
The worst advice was not to have children as a female director. It is a piece of advice I didn’t follow. Family life certainly limits your career at certain stages, but without it, I wouldn’t be able to understand and tell about the rich and complex female experience.
W&H: What advice do you have for other female directors?
MS: Be fearless and try to show ultimate courage in telling your own stories, both artistically and thematically. And always connect and surround yourself with people who want the best for you.
W&H: Name your favorite woman-directed film and why.
MS: “The Piano” by Jane Campion is a classic and unforgettable movie which will always rank the highest. It was my very first experience of a movie with a strong female gaze. It marked the very first time I could actually feel there was a difference.
Campion inspires with her unconventional and powerful look at sexuality and sensuality, her surreal imagery, and strong sense of human peculiarities. More than this specific film, I find her persona iconic as a role model.
W&H: What differences have you noticed in the industry since the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements launched?
MS: Although these movements are global, Norway is such a different world from the Hollywood industry and the U.S. Despite this, I experience the most significant difference in the younger generation. With a “soft quotation” of woman in the governmental film support system, women seem to act bolder and are more in charge of their own future. I’m really excited about how much the mentality has changed, seeing woman directors getting more experience within all genres — and budgets — of filmmaking.
