BUA (‘Victory’) Written & Directed by Sonya Gildea

Shane: Tell us about your film?

Sonya: A twelve-year-old girl rides her horse fearlessly, and at speed, across the wide open countryside, as she leaves behind a single and disturbing moment of human darkness between her and her grandfather. An unspoken and remarkable language emerges between this young girl and her horse, who feels what she feels, and sees what she does, as together they ride toward freedom.  

Synopsis:

(The 35mm short film ‘’BUA’ (‘Victory’), a Blindside Production, Written & Directed by Sonya Gildea and Produced by Kirsten Sheridan, made in Association with The Irish Film Board and TG4 under the Oscailt 10 Awards and post-produced in Association with Windmill Lane and Ardmore Sound, features a unique performance by young newcomer, JEMMA HARRIS, and a courageous and sensitive performance by Irish veteran actor, MICK LALLY. Bua premiered at the Cork International Film Festival, was awarded a ‘Special Commendation’ for Courageous Directing at the Belfast International Film Festival 2008, and previously won the international screenwriting awards - the ‘Best Short Screenplay, Columbine Award’, Moondance International Film Festival, USA. And, the ‘Best Short Screenplay, Bronze Award’, International Screenwriter’s Awards, USA.)

How did you come up with the idea for the film?

The film relies on a wholly cinematic language to tell this young girl's story. The images emerged out of a wordless narrative to begin with, and form the centre piece in a trilogy of short films, ‘Godless’, that aimed to wordlessly underscore three questions raised in relation to children at a deciding moment in their lives.

Was this a school project?

NO.

How did you find your cast? 

We worked with Maureen Hughes, a great casting director, Georgina Stafford and Thyrza Ging and we all went out and did a nationwide search. We were looking for a young girl, with an extraordinary talent and range to play the sensitive scenes, she needed to be an accomplished and natural horse-rider, and she needed to have the ability to learn and speak Irish in a specific dialect and added to all that, I believed we needed the girl to actually be an young horse-whisperer in real life, with a genuine gift with animals. And to make life really difficult, it was important to me that she had never acted before. Remarkably, after many months of intensive searching, we found Jemma (Harris) at the last minute. She had each and every one of those qualities. An extraordinary girl.

Irish veteran actor, Mick Lally, was the only person we wanted to play the grandfather. Mick saw something in the script, understood it, and what it was trying to achieve, and came to the project whole heartedly with such generosity and sensitivity.

How long did the film take?  (From conception to final edit)

Though the script was financed a while after it was originally written, the whole thing spanned a year more or less, with a dedicated and intensive sound design lasting four weeks at Ardmore Sound, and an picture edit lasting the same at Windmill Lane. We were very lucky, we had remarkable people willing the pour a disproportionate level of dedication in to a short film. 

What was the most difficult part of the shoot for you?

Committing to a non-linear narrative at the script stage in order to tell the story viscerally, and somehow fighting tooth and nail to hold on to that the hard way in the edit.   

Tell us about the films festival experience so far?

The film has played to a wide range of audiences, and on the occasions that we have been there, the strongest thing has been how personal the response is to this girl’s story. Perhaps it’s the way it is told, in that it raises a difficult question rather than answering it. In a way, having made it, its difficult to watch it with an audience, you actually feel it in the room,  that shift inward. It’s a strange thing. 

What are you most looking forward to at the festival?

Though not a premiere, there’s something about the Seattle Festival that we both like the feeling of, its hard to say exactly what that is, maybe just the way they take on their films, stand behind them, and the audience’s expectation because of that.

What has been your most interesting Q&A so far?  What was your favorite question?  How was the dialogue afterwards?

Though we haven’t had official Q&A sessions with the film, what has happened at a few screenings is that people don’t want to talk about it immediately, they come back with thoughts and questions later by email or in conversation, often very personal, very honest feelings the film has stirred up for them. But straight off out of the film, people seem to want to hold onto that emotional privacy, whatever they felt, before having to put words on it.

 What films or filmmakers inspire you?

There are many, but if forced to chose just one, I’d have to say Ken Loach.

What made you decide to become a filmmaker?

Though not alone on this, ‘’Kes’’ by Ken Loach.

What is next for you? 

Debut Feature film as writer/Director with, ‘’Faith’’ currently in development with Blindside Films. And also, a number of other feature film projects with my creative partner, Kirsten Sheridan of Blindside Films.

What is next for the film?

We are in discussion on a theatrical release at the moment, it will continue to play international festivals and once it has completed the festival circuit, will broadcast on Irish National television. Network Ireland have also taken the film for international distribution.

If asked to give one piece of advice to a new filmmaker making their first short film… What would it be?

Mean your script.