Winter Film Awards’ Emma Morgan sat down with filmmaker Nicole Albarelli to talk about her feature film To Dream, which will have its North American premiere at the 6th Annual Winter Film Awards Independent Film Festival. The Festival runs Feb 23-Mar 4 2017 with jam-packed days of screenings, discussion panels, networking events and after-parties. The event offers something for everyone, highlighting the dynamic range of storytelling the independent filmmaking community has to offer. Among the 88 films selected is a diverse mix of documentaries, shorts, features, animation, music videos and horror films from all over the world!
A passion for film and a love for this story are what allowed filmmaker Nicole Albarelli and her team to produce her first feature film, To Dream. To Dream pulls viewers into its harsh, bleak London setting and immerses them in the lives of best friends, Luke and Tommy. These two young men have plans to move to the United States, but the reality of their lives drags this dream away from them. Here, Albarelli brings us into her world and describes her filmmaking process, what inspired this project, and what she hopes viewers will take away from this film.
Q: This is your first full-length film, right? What was it like making a feature film?
Yes, To Dream is my debut feature. The filmmaking process is always a rollercoaster of emotions for me. It’s a bit like falling in love. I experience the same stages of emotions and in pretty much the same order. Falling Hard: finding my idea, and not letting anything come between me and it! The Chase To Secure My Conquest: finding the money, my crew, the actors, the location, etc. The Courting: all the fun and games and LOTS and LOTS of stress that come with shooting the film. The Honeymoon Period: when you can finally relax in the edit suite and see it all come together. The What The Fuck Am I Doing Stage: when you begin to question everything because you’ve seen it so many times you’ve lost all objectivity. The Amicable Breakup: when you realize you’ve done all you can do and now you must let it go. Let other people see it. And now The Ideal Ending: feeling proud of what I’ve made, what it taught me, and being ready to fall in love again.
Q: How did your budget impact the filmmaking process?
Our restrictive budget made the filmmaking process a challenge to say the least. We basically blew our entire tiny budget on production, leaving zero money for post-production. All post production – edit, sound, color, music – was done for free by an exceptional team of industry professionals that did it purely for the love of the project.
Q: What inspired this project? What drew you to tell this story?
By the time I was 25, I had already lost a handful of close, male friends to drug addiction and suicide. I knew that I wanted to make a film exploring the struggles men face to maintain a tough exterior when dealing with pain, even at the risk of self-destruction. Just after we began making To Dream, I lost yet another dear friend. You’ll see in the end credits of the film that I dedicated the film to him.
Q: What significance does the title of this film – To Dream – have in your life?
It actually all started with the title. I was sitting in a West London coffee shop one morning recovering from a big night out. On my table was a flyer of some sort advertising a book club or something. To be honest, I was too hung over to even turn the flyer over to investigate. I remember thinking, To Dream, what a great film title, so I took a picture of the flyer with my phone and began fleshing out a story over the following few months.
Q: Without spoiling the film for those who have yet to see it, why did you end the film the way you did?
Ooh, it’s tricky to say much without spoiling it. But I wanted an ending that would challenge people’s ability to empathize with the enemy.
Q: What do you want viewers to take away from your film?
I love being intoxicated by a good film! I love walking out of a cinema and feeling like a different person, even if it’s only on a small superficial level. If I can give people that experience, I’m happy.
Emma Morgan
Emma Morgan is a recent graduate from the University of Rochester with a bachelor’s degree in Film and Media Studies and Psychology. She is currently pursuing a career in film production and programming in New York City.
ABOUT WINTER FILM AWARDS INDIE FILM FESTIVAL
Winter Film Awards Is New York City. Like the city itself, we showcase the eclectic diversity and excitement of the independent arts world. Winter Film Awards is proudly one of the Top 10 Best Reviewed Festivals on FilmFreeway.
The rapidly growing Winter Film Awards Indie Film Festival, now in its sixth year, is a dynamic and exciting event in the heart of the City. Winter Film Awards showcases films from emerging filmmakers from around the world in all genres with a special emphasis on highlighting the work of women and minority filmmakers. The Festival runs February 23-March 4 2017 in New York City.
Among the 88 Official Selections to be screened at Cinema Village in the heart of Greenwich Village (22 East 12th Street, New York, NY 10003), is a diverse mixture of 11 Animated films, 8 Documentaries, 11 Feature narratives, 10 Horror films, 12 Music Videos, 24 Narrative shorts and 7 Web series, including 12 student films and 33 first-time filmmakers. Filmmakers come from 30 countries; 42% of the films were created by women, 45% were created by people of color. Visit www.WinterFilmAwards.com for schedules, tickets and details!
ABOUT WINTER FILM AWARDS
Winter Film Awards is an all-volunteer, minority- and women-owned registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization founded in 2011 in New York City by a group of filmmakers and enthusiasts. The program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.
