If you’ve created short-form films as part of DVMISSION, who says you can’t make a feature film? It might be easier said than done, but it’s not impossible! It takes practise and study and that’s exactly how the crew behind the reimagining of Sheridan La Fanu’s 19th century gothic novella Carmilla got to where they are they are now.
Executive Produced by Tilly Films, a long-time supporter of DVMISSION and a 2020 sponsor, Carmilla is the solo directorial debut of writer-director Emily Harris. Billed as a romantic horror the film is set in 8th century England. Carmilla tells the story of Lara who lives with her father and her strict governess, Miss Fontaine, in total isolation. Struggling to find an outlet for her curiosity and burgeoning sexuality, when a carriage crash nearby brings a young woman, Carmilla, into the family home to recuperate, Lara is enchanted. The pair strike up a passionate relationship, which strikes fear in the heart of Miss Fontaine, and a complex triangulate emerges between the three women.
Carmilla is set for release on 3rd April 2020, check out the trailer below.
Bird Fight Films’ Lizzie Brown produced Carmilla alongside Emily Precious, and the film features a soundtrack Radiohead drummer Phillip Selway. Following on from her first feature, Beyond (2014) which was shot on a micro-budget of just £100.000, Lizzie produced Love is Blind (2015) with the support of Film London. An official selection at Cannes Film Festival in 2015 it went on to screen at festivals all over the world. While before joining Bird Flight Films Emily Precious was Head of Production/Associate Producer Fred Films taking a raft of features through production including executive producing three seasons of Dark Matter for SyFy and Netflix.
With any luck, we can get a screening arranged for Portsmouth in the coming months. In the meantime, there is a great little article from Sight and Sound in response to the theme of Carmilla. A short history of lesbian vampires on screen follows the excellent review in this month’s Sight and Sound so we are really looking forward to seeing the film. Currently, it looks set to wow audiences at this year’s BFI Flare.
