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It’s an all-or-nothing dynamic when a contemporary relationship ends. A strong bond, yet disconnecting. The unspoken personal truths told until the end. Stay (Ver Her) is a love story about sharing, taking, losing, wanting and not wanting one another.
By Despina Afentouli
See the 21 minute short film Stay (Ver Her) from the Faroe Islands on Friday September 24 @ 9:15 PM at Cinema Village (22 East 12th Street) as part of New York City’s 10th Annual Winter Film Awards International Film Festival. Tickets now on sale!
Journalist Despina Afentouli discusses short film “Stay (Ver Her)” with director Maria Winther Olsen.
Despina Afentouli: In your film Stay, the two main characters seem to experience contradicting feelings and emotional highs and lows. What made you decide to direct a film about an “emotional rollercoaster” situation?
Maria Winther Olsen: I wanted to tell a story about how two people can be seemingly great together, but nonetheless bad for one another. With personalities coming together in short glorious highlights, but too often clashing frustratingly, in the long run.
DA: As the story develops, the roles of each partner change; the weaker becomes stronger when the personal truth of each person is spoken. How challenging was it directing a film about intense emotions?
MWO: Overall, the experience was great, seeing as Mike and Búi are both so talented and professional to work with. It is no secret, however, that the final climactic scene was very tough to get right. We had to take several time-outs because I did not feel we were fully connected to the scene and certainly, it can be a difficult balancing act, when needing to nudge my actors right up to the edge, in order to extract the emotions I had envisioned. Thankfully, I feel that we got there in the end, so, it was a cathartic experience for all of us, I think.
DA: What film techniques did you choose to connect with your audience? How would you like the film’s audience to engage with Stay?
MWO: I think most notably, we originally planned on shooting somewhat statically with a tripod. Already on the first day, however, we flipped the switch on our original plan and went with a purely hand-held visual style, which I felt made the viewing experience rawer and more authentic.
DA: It has been noticed that “perfect” romantic relationships are often represented on films, reflecting unrealistic expectations in real life. Or that complicated situations are romanticized as love-worthy. According to your opinion, what is love?
MWO: This is a such a simple yet complicated question to answer. Love is warm and comfy, yet can be obviously both heartbreaking and painful. In the end, however, it is one of the most beautiful things that ties human beings together.
DA: Stay is shot in the Faroese language and focuses on the expression of strong emotions, but doesn’t make any effort to showcase the beauty of the Faroe Islands. How difficult is it to promote culture through film at international level?
MWO: Typically Faroese filmmakers, myself included, use our beautiful nature as a focal point in our stories. This time, however, I chose to insist on the emotional connection of to people as the center point of the story.
DA: Budget is often considered as a key factor in production, although script and talent still make a difference. How did you produce “Stay”? How important is it to promote independent filmmaking?
MWO: On this project, it was important for me that the crew, which consisted of only full-time professionals, were paid a fair albeit certainly not extravagant wage. As a result, we were something of a skeleton crew with the behind-the-scenes people having to perform more than one function. It can be very hard to make ends meet in a project like this, but without a doubt it is necessary to keep making independent movies. Both as a part of feeding the talent hierarchy, but also to maintain that film can be an artform without an established commercial end goal.
DA: According to a 2020 study by the Center for the Study of Women in Television & Film at San Diego State University, “the percentages of women directing top grossing films increased, reaching recent historic highs, while the overall percentages of women working in key behind-the-scenes roles remained relatively stable”. Please share your personal experience, as a young woman director.
MWO: I have always been aware that I have overwhelmingly been surrounded by men throughout my career. In a sense, I am probably just used to it. It has been most evident, when I have been an assistant director to a male director with almost the entire crew being men. In my own projects it has always been a natural process to have both male, female and trans-persons on the crew without necessarily trying to fill a quota. But the talent is so obviously out there to be found in all walks of life.
DA: Why did you want to participate in Winter Film Awards?
MWO: Certainly the focus on female representation, as well as the spirit of a volunteer-based non-profit organisation shining through.
Despina Afentouli
Dr. Despina Afentouli (www.afentouli.com) is a journalist, sociologist and postdoc researcher with professional work experience in media, academic institutions and public sector worldwide. Dr. Afentouli holds a PhD in Sociology, a Master’s degree in International Journalism, and a Bachelor’s degree in International and European Studies and Translating/Interpreting (German-English). Dr. Afentouli has participated as a speaker, co-ordinator and organizer of educational seminars and cultural events.
About Winter Film Awards
New York City’s 10th Annual Winter Film Awards International Film Festival runs September 23-October 2 2021. Check out a jam-packed lineup of 91 fantastic films in all genres from 28 countries, including shorts, features, Animation, Drama, Comedy, Thriller, Horror, Documentary and Music Video. Hollywood might ignore women and people of color, but Winter Film Awards celebrates everyone!
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 and the NY State Council on the Arts.
