I suppose that I should write about when I first saw Martyr, but I have to start from the beginning...It was 2005 and I was traveling around South America with a friend, I acted in the National Geographic documentary Outbreak: Curse of the Black Tifus, in a small role and met Jac Avila. He seemed like a nice guy, interesting, we didn't get to talk that much, as I said, I had a small role, and he was the producer.
About a week after we wrapped with the documentary, Jac was screening his movie Martyr, (then called "The Death of Saint Eulalia"), in a festival in Oruro, Bolivia. My friend convinced me that I had to go, so we took a bus, found a hotel, and went to the screening of Martyr, and it changed my life forever.
I was extremely impressed with the production values, the acting, the lights and cinematography. This movie was obviously a labor of love from all parts of the production. And the subject matter, the images, it was like watching a painting come to life and unfold in front of my very eyes. You're going to think I'm sentimental, but I cried a few times during the movie.
The story touched my deeply, the struggle of a woman, Camille, to do something only for herself, something that means a great deal to her, her jealous boyfriend, Julien, who can't see past his own stupidity and how amazing Camille really is.
I saw this movie at a point in my life when I was going through some changes, I wanted to get more into film and less into photography. I wanted to find a more effective way to share my ideas with the world, to develop the script I'd been writing for a few years. Like Camille, I had a story to tell, to act out, and I desperately needed to do it or I would suffocate my very soul. Ok, ok, a little dramatic, but this really meant (and stills means) a lot to me.
After the movie I went to a party where Jac and a few other people from Pachamama Films were having a few drinks. Somehow I just couldn't bring myself to speak to Jac about his movie.
But I knew I wanted to work with Pachmama Films. And that I wanted Jac to produce the movie I had rattling around for years. The rest is history.
