How Much Of Who You Are Is What You Look Like?

Independent short film The Flip Side boasts an entire female crew and explores the concept of revenge through use of doppelgängers. The film has just opened up a crowd-funding campaign so I spoke to Director, Producer and Actress Rosalie Carn about the campaign, the film itself and gender equality in the film industry.

So where did the journey to directing start for Rosalie? "From a very young age I loved to invent and tell stories. When I was acting on stage in Paris I loved to stay during the rehearsal of the other scenes...to observe the director with the actors and I learnt a lot about the process of actors directing," she said. "For me I always compared making a movie with ‘building sand castles as the tide is coming’. It’s a team effort and I like to be part of the creative process of each step."

Having been a part of the industry for over 10 years Rosalie's latest project was inspired by some of the rivalry she witness between women working in the film industry and combining it with a preexisting idea she had for a scene with two doppelgängers. "It was really important for me that the two women were not twins, but strangers-doppelgangers. That way it would be fate," Rosalie explained. Within the story are key themes of identity and revenge. "When we first broke down the script with the team we all were excited to explore the theme of a woman’s vengeance as well as working hand in hand with an all-woman team!" Rosalie said. "I think there’s more to it than the story of the film, there’s the story of the women behind the film, in that regard I think it’s a very important story to tell nowadays."

A big part of The Flip Side is its all female crew, which adds to the telling of this story in a poignant way. I asked Rosalie what the motivation was to aim for 100% women behind the camera. "Last year, I made a short film with 80% of men in the team. So I decided This time I want a balance with as many women as men," she explained. "So I went to meetings, screenings and film festivals to pitch my project and try to find these women collaborators. During these film meetups, the concept of working with women really caught their eye. When I said I was looking for a female team they said yes before they even read the script. The girls told me later that they saw a real opportunity to make their voices heard. So, I thought this is such a great idea, let's have an entire cast & crew of women! To speak about female's revenge I had to surround myself mainly with women, it became obvious!"

Gender equality in the industry is something that Rosalie is a clear advocate for and her film aims to tell a female oriented story that avoids all of those gender stereotypes. However given that the concept of The Flip Side stemmed from her witnessing female rivalries in the industry I asked if women can be doing more to support other women? "In the past ten years there’s been a real powerful movement driven by some strong women from all kinds of industries. There is still a lot to do. To change the ‘mentalities’. Having the support of women is comforting." Rosalie said, "We need to teach young generations that nothing is gender determined and it’s not because you’re a woman that you should not try/ and expect the same opportunities."

I also was curious about her take from the other side; whether men were really doing enough to support and encourage women within the film industry. "There was a time when men felt threatened. This is not the case anymore but it seems most of them don’t feel concerned. They silently accept. Some of them think it’s normal to have gender equality but they won’t take action." she explained, "Nevertheless, in our case for the campaign we were happily surprised by the support and comments we recieved from several men! It proves that there are people out there ready to support the women movement. It’s rather encouraging."

The Flip Side launched its crowdfunding campaign on September 21st on Crowdfunder. The ultimate goal is £15,000 and the campaign will end on the 19th October. Choosing crowdfunding for her film Rosalie said seemed like the most natural option. "When crowdfunding you have the opportunity to contribute to the women’s movement as well as supporting your film. We have the example of a young actress who said our all-women team was a real inspiration for her and the younger generation. We hope it can have a good social impact." Check out the presentation video for the film below.

Finally, I asked Rosalie if she had any advice for aspiring female filmmakers out there who may be wondering how to get started or are close to starting their own crowd-funding campaigns. "Don’t be afraid. Most of the things that used to paralyse me, I managed to overcome." she said, "Trust in your abilities. And as much as possible try to see ‘the big picture, I mean in the long run rather than making ‘impulsive decisions. There’s a key element that makes the whole difference is the people you know. Not because they are famous and can open doors. But try to surround yourself with genuine passionate and reliable people who will make you grow and even sometimes show you the way."

You can donate to The Flip Side crowdfunding campaign by clicking HERE

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