Olalla... and more!

The contemporary Olalla

The date is approaching in which we shoot the final scenes for Olalla, those set in the 1880s. This weekend we leave for Potosí, and we return to La Paz on the 25th. We'll be traveling more than 10 hours to the rather far-away location.

And what a location it is, a huge colonial hacienda, with its own chapel, big yards, courtyards. Everything I wanted, and more, for this film. One downside is the lack of internet. As a cyborg, I will find that rather disconcerting. We have verified that our phones work there, however. So, it won't be quite as cut-off as when we shot Barbazul (Bluebeard) in Chivisivi.

A lot will happen in those days, many key scenes will be shot, leading up to the big, climactic scene in which my character is dragged out by an angry mob, chained to a cross, whipped, and burned alive. She is a vampire after all. In those times, the general population was not so forgiving of bloodlust...

Planning the FX for the big scene has been challenging, and crucial to making it work. I think the results will be fantastic.

We've been pre-producing this part of the film for quite some time, it's period 1880s, so more work involved in terms of costumes, props, and set design. I'm absolutely ready to get this film in the can.

Which leads me to my next film... which it looks like I'll be directing this year as well. Maybe even in July... called Debutante,  film based on the George Bernard Shaw play, Pygmalion. Of course my version, co-written by Jac Avila and myself, will be a bit more... racy (read: absolutely perverted), as well as being a dark comedy.

And there's Justine, which Jac Avila - my partner in crime, if making movies is a crime - will be directing, a labor of love based on the Marquis de Sade's very famous tale of woe, and innocence lost.

We're still securing locations for that film, but we have some great leads, and some excellent actors and crew already on board. I say Labor of Love, because it's a huge project, one that started as a bit more modest and has grown exponentially. Making a period piece is never easy, and this one is more ambitious than most. Carriages, and powdered wigs, anyone? While challenging, it's a worthwhile project, a story that has been told before in cinema, but never like this.

Last, but not least, I also directed a short, existential film this year, based on a story by Jack Hunter, called Ekeko. Here's the short description: "Is a folkloric doll responsible for the murder of a young woman by her husband?".

I shot it entirely on a GoPro, which was challenging, as well as the "found footage" style, which I had previously never used. But the shots turned out great, and the crazy physical effect I made is pretty awesome. I'm happy with it.

Right now, it's being considered for film festivals, and will be included in a film called Paranoia Tapes, and has a lot of other great filmmakers involved, including the creator of the PollyGrind film festival.

My good friend Ralphus pointed out to me that I might have more free time if I wasn't always working on 4 or 5 films at the same time. But what would be the fun in that? Also, I have no other life outside of making films, so I have no idea what I would do with all that free time, other than watch awesome K-pop music videos recommended to me by C. Dean Andersson.

That's all for now, I'll see you on the other side of Olalla!

An Inspired Review of Barbazul!

(Veronica) "portrays death throes with disturbingly believable authenticity"

Yesterday a very positive and insightful review was published in The Beverly Hills Outlook by editor Charles Lonberger. To say the least, it was well received by yours truly. The reviews says many complimentary things about the film and the acting of Veronica Paintoux, Mila, Joya, Jac Avila. Well, everyone in the cast. And this is what it says about me:

"The most interesting role, an otherwise minor part, of Jane, is assumed by director Hesketh, slyly referencing an inside joke by assigning the role to herself. It is a self-portrait of the Artist as masochist, handcuffed and whipped. In this role, as a fictional author of S&M novels, Hesketh wants to be hit “harder,” and ends up buried beneath, and thereby literally lower, than dirt. The assignment of this role to herself is transparent. Her interpretation of this very dark role is as girlish as it is disarmingly and deceptively casual. Most importantly, it voices the central dialectic of Hesketh's creative self: as filmmaker, she is very much in control, yet the fiction she imagines, as in a dream, celebrates control being forcibly taken from her, here in the form of her own death, which she eroticizes, due to the manner in which it is realized.

Extremely dark, ultimately introverted and intelligent entertainment, Barbazul is distributed by Vermeerworks."

You can read the whole review at this link right here!

Me, celebrating my loss of control.

Fantastic Review of Le Marquis de la Croix in the Beverly Hills Outlook!

Mila Joya and Jac Avila in Le Marquis de la Croix

"(Le Marquis de la Croix)... is a master class in film direction, courtesy of Hesketh herself.". Nice! Right?

You can read the full review by clicking right here!

I'm very pleased with this review, it really could not be better. A big thank you to Charles Lonberger for this. Quite frankly, he understands my films 100%.

Haven't gotten your copy of the movie yet? You can find the DVD Here, or the Download Here!

A fabulous review of Barbazul will be coming out in the same publication very soon, I can't wait to share the link!

A Review by C. Dean Andersson of Sirwinakuy

You can read the review published on IMDB right here! I've syndicated it below for your viewing pleasure with a few photos. This made my month! Maybe my entire year!

In a previous review I was compared to Lars von Trier and Susanne Biers, now Alfred Hitchcock and Truffault. Very nice.

You can download Sirwiñakuy here or buy the DVD with its pretty cover here!

Is Amy Hesketh the next Hitchcock? Truffaut? Bigelow? No! Better than that!, 8 November 2012

Author: C Dean Andersson

I'm on the left...

Amy Hesketh and Alfred Hitchcock have the same initials. Coincidence? Yes, of course, and yet… The great French Director, François Truffaut, was a great admirer of Hitchcock, and there is a bit of Truffaut in Hesketh's work as well, but… her Sirwiñakuy is a beautiful film that neither Hitchcock nor Truffaut (nor even Kathryn Bigelow) could have made, because it is pure Hesketh. 

I kept asking myself as I watched it, how could this be her first film as a director? It seemed to be the work of a seasoned veteran. It took mundane scenes that should have bored me and somehow made me want to watch and find out where it was going next, because it was obviously, from the first, oddly turned, just enough, to keep me off balance and unsure of what was going to happen next.

Dracula (1931)

 A car ride begins to remind me, for no obvious reason, of Jonathan Harker's ride to Castle Dracula, leaving a known world for the possibly dangerous unknown. 

The journey to the unkown

A walk up a simple staircase turns into, without any obvious visual signals or threatening musical hints, the walk up the determinedly sinister stairs in the Psycho house where Norman Bates might wait at the top… or is Norman the man walking up the stairs, or even the woman with him? Or none of the above? See what I mean? It kept me guessing, and in the end, all of the trite stereotypes I'd imagined were blown away by what really happened. 

So, while I don't want to give anything specific away by describing particulars, I will say that if you like suspense mixed with unusual, non-sentimental romance, featuring expert performances by Jac Avila and Veronica Paintoux (and Chuqui the Cat), and a plot that should keep you guessing up to the very last moment, give Amy Hesketh's Sirwiñakuy a look, and then follow it with Hesketh's subsequent work. I can guarantee with almost 100 percent certainty that she will not ever pull her punches on you, won't leave you feeling cheated. And in the best showbiz tradition, I suspect her films, now and in the future, are always going to leave you wanting more!

A scene from Sirwiñakuy

The release of Le Marquis de la Croix

So the day is fast approaching for the release of Le Marguis de la Croix. But... you ask... when will that be?  October 31st. Yes, Halloween, one calender year to the date of the release of Maleficarum!

And since everyone has been so patient, I have a trailer for you. It's on youtube, so we had to conform to their strict policies. No worries,  there will be an uncensored trailer up on VermeerWorks very soon!

Barbazul Debuts in Bolivian Cinemas October 11th

Pachamama Films prepares the debut of Barbazul, a new Bolivian film, for the 11th of October.

Barbazul is Amy Hesketh’s second film, the American filmmaker residing in Bolivia, director of the controversial film Sirwiñakuy. This new production made in Bolivia debuts October 11th in the Multicinein La Paz and the Cine Centers of La Paz, Santa Cruz and Cochabamba.

Barbazul is based on the classic fairytale  ”La barbe bleue” (Bluebeard, 1697) by Charles Perrault, author of Cinderella, which tells the story of a wealthy and feared aristocrat with a blue beard who has the bad habit of killing his wives. In the original story the sinister aristocrat, with many wives already under his belt and whose fates are a mystery, convinces a neighbor to give Bluebeard his youngest daughter’s hand in marriage. The bearded villain takes his new young and terrified wife to his castle, gives her the keys to all of the rooms and the liberty to open each one, with the exception of one room.

Read the whole article at Pachamama Films...

Barbazul (Bluebeard) Trailer 1

I haven't been posting lately as I've had a lot of not so pleasant family issues to deal with. Good news is, I think I'm coming to the end of it, just in time to release some movies and shoot another one!

In celebration, here's the first trailer (YouTube friendly) for my movie Barbazul!

Vampires

As I've been finishing up the script for my next movie, Olalla, I've been thinking a lot about vampires. Mostly since my next movie involves vampires and we just wrapped on another movie about vampires, Dead But Dreaming, and we'll be shooting the second movie in that series soon as well.

The poster of the movie that ruined my 6th year

That will make my movie the third this year. So, what's with all the interest in vampires? For me it started pretty young. When I was about 6 years old my father showed me the movie Fright Night. I'm sure he thought it was appropriate for someone my age, being rated PG. It wasn't, it scared the living daylights out of me and I wore a scarf to bed for a year after that, even in the summer, thinking that vampires were going to come and kill me in the night.  Children tend to think that the world centers around them, don't they?

After the year was up and the vampires didn't come to kill me, I gave up wearing the scarf to bed and began thinking about the origin of the vampire myth. It was just around this time, I was 7 and in second grade, that I was learning about research papers and researching. So, I went to my school library and found several books about vampires. I read them all. In the midst of this, I began to understand the origins of the vampire in media.

She gives you that weird feeling

In my school library were a series of books about monster movies (Universal Studios) from the 30s-60s. The idea of the vampire in film began to take hold of me as a concept. My research broadened to the local library where I read more books and understood the vampire myth and where it came from. I thought about how amazing it would be to make a movie about vampires. It became a lifelong dream. Nay, obsession.

So, you must be thinking that I'm making a movie about the same kind of vampires as Jac's Dead But Dreaming. Nope. Dead But Dreaming's vamps are more classic, infectious vampires, bites, exchange of blood, and a little magical realism later, you've got a legion of the undead. Romantic vampires, with hopes and dreams, and vengeance, internal struggles. Good stuff, but not the same as my vampires.

In my research, I think I got to Robert Louis Stevenson when I was about 9 or 10 years old, I came across R.L.S.'s Olalla. It's the story considered to be the introduction of the concept of genetic vampirism, on which my movie is partly based. A soldier goes to a villa to convalesce, only to fall in love with the daughter of the decadent family who resides there. The family has a craving for blood. It's a strange story. At that time porphyria and related diseases were little understood, thus resulting in the idea that a "vampiric" disease could, or did, exist.

Olalla

My vampires are a family, a rather large family, who has learned to survive through the ages by keeping a low profile. They crave blood, they have to drink it, but it's not considered good form to kill thy neighbors, so they do it discretely. Some of them never even leave the house. And they tend to live longer than other humans.

My character* is named Olalla. She goes back to her family's home after a few years of attempting to escape them and her affliction; the prodigal daughter returns after having done something very, very bad.

For me, Olalla, inflicted with inherited vampirism, has a struggle that is literally superhuman. It separates her from the rest of humanity, it makes her a monster. At the same time, she has no desire to be like the rest of her family. Riddled by incest, they keep the line going, they do not mix their tainted genes with normal human beings. And there are other branches of the family as well. 

In an attempt to "educate" Olalla, so that she does not have to be "put down", her uncle Victor returns to the house to be her "teacher". What ensues is severe corporeal punishment, incest, nudity, bondage, all of the good nasty stuff that should be in a movie of this sort. You know what I mean. While I'm including a bit of camp, and it has its humorous moments like all of my films, it's a disturbing story.

*Yes, I gave the lead female role to myself. I really didn't want to do a casting for an actor who (might) do what I'll willingly do in a movie. I'm less trouble to work with ;)

Reasons

The very beginning of the film

With the release of Sirwiñakuy, I've been getting a lot more messages, emails, reviews, and commentaries. It's pretty amazing that people have taken so much to my first film. Something that not many people expect from their opera prima.

The beautiful response that I've had to this film is almost overwhelming, but it's made me think about why I make films. And since lately I've been feeling like I need a break from work, (you know, like, a vacation) I feel the need to revisit and coalesce the reasons that I make films.
 When I first released Sirwiñakuy in theaters in Bolivia the response was mixed, critics divided, some openly hostile, others supportive. The audience as well was divided, but didn't stop watching, word spread that it was a film that needed to be seen, and so it stayed on the big screen for 5 months.

Luis takes Anouk's wrist

Going with Sirwiñakuy to CineKink 2012 was a wonderful experience, and the response was touching. One woman told me that I expressed something with my film that she had never had the words to say. Others simply told me how much they liked and, how great the movie is.

And there were comments in magazines as well. Good stuff.

Now, with the release on DVD and download, that beautiful response has been coming in from all corners of the Earth. I'm amazed by how easily word of mouth spreads over the internet.

A Danish couple sent me some messages and the wife, a prominent Danish D/s blogger wrote a great review that can be read here in English and read here in Danish.

Things get interesting...

The messages read as follows:

Audiences are divided about whether this is rape or love-making

"On the odd click I found 'Sirwiñakuy' last night and decided to purchase and download it. My purpose was for my wife and I to take it in - in bed - as a pleasant conclusion to a 17 hour drive from Austria to Denmark. I feared I might fall asleep at some time during the 111 minutes. That never happened.

Here's a quote from the sparing conversation we had while totally enjoying your movie:

Her: This is an A movie. Not a B!
Me: I agree. It's an A+. .... I never said it was a B, I just said it was low budget.
Her: ... fantastic ....

We were particularly taken by the intricate expressivity of Veronica Paintoux, particularly the facial expressions, signaling the struggle of temptation, urge and reservation.

It takes an excellent director, a great actress and a good eye behind the camera to bring this out in such detail. Come to think of it, another director who has that ability is our own (ie. Danish) Susanne Bier, who recently returned from Hollywood with an Oscar. The movie also reminded us of Lars von Trier's work with dogma movies.
As I said: We were completely taken by the story, the acting, the directing ... and we will definitely watch your movie anew and find new facets on every occasion - just as we have with the classic 'Story of O'."

They went on to say in a second message:

A breach of boundaries?

"Your work is a sovereign example of someone having the guts to do what is right and true for them. Carl Th. Dreyer was criticized to death as Lars von Trier has been all along. I'm quite certain it escapes even Susanne Bier why she's currently (commercially) one floor above you in the tower of film.
In our opinion you're poised to become - you are - big. I think we most certainly 'got it' and the sensations you stirred with your work still linger with us. What more can anyone ask than to make a difference to someone. To give something to somebody. Not anybody but those appreciative and grateful somebodies. Eg. us."

A detail...

I would have to be made of stone for these words not to touch me. Touched, was I indeed. The second message made me tear up a little. It didn't hurt that they compared me to Lars von Trier, Susanne Bier, and Carl Dreyer. That's something that would put a smile on any young filmmaker's face.

To have someone say to me, "your movie touched (insert other positive verbs here) me", or "you said something with this film that meant something to me on a personal level", means so much to me. That I might have impacted another person, even one, in a positive way, that I gave something wonderful to another. That is a big reason why I make films.

Anouk admires Luis' ancestral home

Sirwiñakuy, being my first film, has a lot of "me" in it in terms of art. The soft light, the characters, the way the story plays out. Not every film has so much of one's self in it. This movie was something kicking around in my head and on paper for more than 10 years. It was a part of me. A part of me remains in the movie and will always be there.

I wanted the movie to be right. I wanted to wait for the moment when I could understand the characters, when I had the maturity to make this movie. The story needed to be told carefully, about this delicate, violent relationship. And so they tell me I did.

So... Soul-crushing criticism? Check! Bouncing back with the even better (and better written) complimentary criticism? Double check!

(You might want to have a snack handy while viewing)

I've since gone on to make 2 more films, very different each in their own way. And I don't believe in going back and re-editing. Every film is a new adventure, a new opportunity to learn.

This subject of putting my "self" into my movies has come up more lately because I'm finishing the script of what I hope will be my fourth film. It's about a family of vampires. I play a member of the family. Can a film director make a movie about a family without going over their own family issues? Is there a reason they're vampires? *cough* We shall see. This one is dark, most will find it darker than the last three films.

But even in a dark film, there is an opportunity to give of the light, a thing that shines for someone. Even tears or anger can be a gift sometimes...

You can get Sirwiñakuy on DVD right here and on download right here!

CineKink 2012 - Sirwiñakuy

The other night, amid some stress about the new production, I was asking Jac about whether or not we'd heard back from CineKink, when I answered my own question by looking at the inbox. Just then the doorbell rang and Jac went downstairs to see who it was, I checked the email, scrolled down the list of selections and saw Sirwiñakuy in the "S" section. When Jac came back upstairs, I had a big grin on my face.

It's really nice to have my first film be selected for CineKink NYC, not only because it's my first film and my first festival, but because of what CineKink represents. CineKink is one of the only festivals of its kind, and the largest, featuring films that range from Hollywood and beyond. They receive mountains of submissions, so to be selected by them is an honor, especially with my first film.

After the festival in NYC, CineKink goes on tour with the films, all over the USA. So, many will have the chance to see Sirwiñakuy in the theater as many already did in Bolivia. Speaking of which, there has been a large number of people clambering for a second round of Sirwiñakuy in theaters here in Bolivia, which we intend to answer with "Si!" and put it again in the theaters.

Overall the response to my first film is one that not many people have experienced, being attacked by critics, loved and hated, respectively, by the audience,  and selected by an international film festival. It's had an impact.

In addition, I feel that attending the festival (I'll be there the 10th-12th) is a great opportunity to mingle with like-minded filmmakers and an audience that are open to the types of films celebrated by CineKink. It's a rare opportunity.

We shall see how the audience in NYC greets my film on Saturday, February 11th, 2012, at the Anthology Film Archives, 32 Second Avenue (@ 2nd Street). I hope to see you there!

My opera prima

My first film was released to 5 cinemas in 3 cities in Bolivia. As an independent filmmaker, I see this as a great opportunity that most filmmakers, especially first-timers do not have.

The premier was a big success and I had the chance to talk to many people who saw the film. What they had to say was very interesting. Some liked the film, others were very uncomfortable, some were disturbed.

A woman from the press who saw the movie told me how wonderful it was that a woman had made the first Bolivian erotic film about sadomasochism that was not exploitative or vulgar and that was controversial and daring.

Another woman said that she liked the film, but would prefer to be on the other end of the whip (wielding it).

Yet another woman said that she was deeply disturbed and needed time to think about it and see the film again. (We've since talked about it in person and become friends.)

I also talked to a couple who are friends of mine and they liked the film a lot, that it made them feel uncomfortable, but not in a way that made them want to get up and leave, rather that it made them want to see more and find out what happens. They used the word "ominous".

So far I have received 5 reviews of the movie, some claim that I'm promoting domestic violence, that I'm a misogynist, and that I inhabit the last circle of hell. On Bolivian television I've been called brave. One cinefile wrote a long poetic piece about the film in which he clearly understands what I'm trying to convey with the movie.



Title: Sirwiñakuy
Country: Bolivia
Company: Pachamama Films
Cast: Veronica Paintoux, Jac Avila, Erik Antoine, Beto Lopez L., Alfredo Lopez C., Chuqui the cat.
Screenplay: Amy Hesketh
Directed by: Amy Hesketh
Produced by: Jac Avila, Amy Hesketh, Roberto Lopez L.