We are thrilled to be partnering with Still Voices Short Film Festival to bring you a series of podcasts. This episode features Ariane Louis-Seize, Reza Riahi and Hazel McKibbin talking to Roisin Kearney ahead of their films screening at this year’s festival.
Shooting Star (Ariane Louis-Seize)
The Depths (Ariane Louis-Seize)
Looking for solace while staying in her late mother’s cottage, a young woman instead finds her old scuba gear — a fateful discovery that leads to more watery revelations, in this spellbinding and visually ravishing drama.
Navozande, the Musician (Reza Riahi)
At the time of the attack of the Mongols, a young musician and the love of his life are separated from each other. Fifty years later, the musician is summoned to perform at the castle of the Mongols where his beloved is being held.
Doublespeak (Hazel McKibbin)
Emma grapples with the aftermath of reporting sexual harassment in the workplace.
Meet the Filmmakers
Ariane Louis-Seize
Ariane Louis-Seize is a Canadian film director and screenwriter. She is most
noted for her short films Wild Skin (La Peau sauvage), which was a Canadian
Screen Award nominee for Best Live Action Short Drama at the 5th Canadian
Screen Awards, a Prix Iris nominee for Best Short Film at the 19th Quebec
Cinema Awards and has travelled in more than 50 festivals and won
numerous awards. She directed Little Waves (Les petites vagues), which was
named to the Toronto International Film Festival’s annual Canada’s Top Ten
list in 2018.
Her short film The Depths (Les profondeurs) premiered at the 2019 Toronto
International Film Festival. It was subsequently screened at the Cinéfest
Sudbury International Film Festival, where it won the Audience Choice Award
for Best Short Film. In addition to devoting herself to writing her first feature
film, Ariane finished her short film Shooting Star (Comme une comète) in
2020.
Reza Riahi
Born in Tehran in 1988, after studying Fine Arts in Iran where he actively collaborated on several cartoon magazines and series, Reza Riahi left his country for France where he perfected his skills at EESI in Angoulême completing his training at the Ecole de la Poudrière in Bourg-Les-Valences.
He is the author and director of several award-winning animated shorts: including his graduation film Entre chien et loup (Between a Dog and a Wolve) which received a warm welcome in France and internationally. Broadcast on ARTE in 2014, the short film was selected in many festivals in Annecy, Paris, Brussels, Morocco, Hungary… Reza was the artistic director on Nora Twomey’s film The Breadwinner, nominated for countless awards including The Oscars, Golden Globes and Annie Awards in 2018 and winning both the coveted Audience and Jury Prizes in Annecy.
Reza was awarded Best Feature Film Character and Background Design for The Breadwinner at the European Animation Awards (Emil Awards) in Lille in 2018.
His latest short film Navozande,The Musician (2020) premiered at TIFF 2020 in Toronto launching the films’ festival career. Since then the film has been selected in festivals around the world including SXSW, Anima, IFTS ( Stuttgart ), Aspen Shortfest, PalmSprings ( Special mention of the Jury ) and Sonoma to name few and it won the best animation short at Tribeca film festival .ARTE, a co producer, recently broadcast the film. Navozande, The Musician continues his journey around the world!
Music and poetry are a great source of inspiration for Reza’s unique universe mixing humor and melancholy. The subject of injustice runs deep throughout his work.
Parallel to his activity in animation, Reza Riahi collaborates on various painting and illustration projects.
Hazel McKibbin
Hazel McKibbin is a British-American writer and director based between North London and Brooklyn.
Hazel is a BAFTA Newcomer and is currently working on her thesis at Columbia University where she is pursuing an MFA in Screenwriting and Directing.
She finds herself drawn towards realism, often through a feminist lens, and the idea that compelling stories can be created from ordinary relationships and interactions.
Her directorial debut Doublespeak is featured on Short of the Week, is a Vimeo Staff Pick Best of the Month: July 2020 and had its festival premiere at the Sundance 2021 Film Festival.
Roisin Kearney
Roisin Kearney is a multi-award winning writer/director/producer in
film, TV and theatre. After a successful 10 years working nationally and
internationally, she took time out with her three children. She returned to
film in 2014 and has worked on a number of shorts including The Family
Way, No Dogs, The Ferry, Run, and Paddy. She is associate producer on
children’s show Gamer Mode for RTE, and writer for Smashing Times theatre
and film company. She is currently in development on a number of writing projects and post-production on a recently completed director debut for RTE.
Still Voices Short Film Festival runs 4-7 November. See the full programme here.
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