With Stephen Coombs
How did this film come together?
Originally written as a short 5 page script as part of the 2023 Nickel Scriptwriting Challenge, this film is based on an original concept I had for a play that focused on the importance of self-care among primary caregivers and aimed to provide commentary on the negative consequences of neglecting self-care and the heightened expectations that are often associated with those anchored in a deeply rooted island setting while, at the same time, touching on themes of codependence.
Did anything unexpected happen as you were making this film?
Yes, when we had planned for the original shoot date in December, one of key crew members fell ill the day before the shoot and we decided to push out the shoot date. We felt it was important to allow our key crew member to rest and recover as they were integral to the project and given that the main message of this film highlights the importance of self-care. This decision subsequently resulted in a scheduling conflict that saw us having to recast a principal role and us pushing the shoot date out almost 2 months. Looking back I wouldn't change my decision as I felt it was the right call in the moment. To speak to the dedication and support of our rock-solid crew, we managed to retain 95% of our key cast and crew and fortunately had most of our planning done in advance by the time the new shoot date rolled around. We also had planned an extra pickup date for external winter storm/weather shots. This winter, the weather was tricky to schedule and forecast the conditions we wanted but eventually our chance to shoot winter finally arrive in April as it often does in Newfoundland.
What's the best filmmaking advice you've ever received?
Apart from learning that filmmaking requires great patience, the best filmmaking advice I have received to date would be from my First Time Film mentor Brad Gover who often says that when it comes to filmmaking, ‘It takes a Village’. It is a team effort where you really need to recognize the importance of leaning into the expertise of your key creatives and most importantly providing a respectful, professional and fun working environment.
Is there anything else you'd like to add?
It feels great to come full circle and have Kneaded make its World-Premiere at the Nickel, the place this film was born 2 years ago. Fittingly, it is wonderful that it is debuting here during the 25th anniversary of the festival as this has been a place to see so many independent films and unique opportunities being born out its mandate to promote and highlight independent filmmaking. Kneaded was written because of the Nickel and as a result, inspired me to take the 2023 NIFCO Intro to Film classes after initially having to park my first adventure into filmmaking when the Intro to Film courses were cancelled due to Covid in 2020 and my subsequent chemotherapy journey. The 2023 NIFCO courses resulted in us creating and making my first film, World's Greatest Dad with my classmates which went on to play at several festivals including the Nickel. As such, I decided to take my Script for Kneaded and develop it under NIFCO's First Time Filmmaker's program and here we are! Full Circle.
Elling Lien
