Story by Brad Balfour
Production: Work
Writer/Director/Lead actor: Aoife Williamson
What’s an actor to do during a pandemic?
Is there no better motivation than sitting around an apartment as antcy as can be, frozen in one’s tracks, with no stage to head to, no workshop to study for, and no live audience to view you doing your work? Yeah, so adaptation is the word of the day; many are finding virtual audiences, small sessions to offer and lots of TikTok and Youtube performances to give.
But West Cork-born Aoife Williamson decided it was time to get her long considered short film “Work” made — whether there was money in hand or not.
“I wrote it last November but I had had the idea for probably a year before I actually put pen to paper. Then I went away for three days for my 30th birthday with the aim to come away with the first draft, and I did.”
She then decided to shoot her comedy-drama this October and make a Kickstarter campaign to finance it. And since she has some good friends in the Irish creative community, IEUSA wanted to give her a boost in her efforts.
The film follows Lilith, a musician who has to create a song in one day to take advantage of an opportunity which could sky-rocket her career. Of course this also happens to be a very busy day in her regular job as a sex worker named Eve.
Woven into the story is the mythical character Lilith, the true first woman before Eve. Lilith was made, like Adam, from the earth. Though they were created of the same stuff, she wanted to be treated as an equal, but he didn’t agree, so she got labelled as a demon and was nearly left out of the history of creation.
There are many reasons why people choose to, or are forced to do sex work. This story is of someone who chooses it freely. Lilith is a woman in her power. She lives as a normal 20-something artist in NYC. The mission is to portray that , For many people, sex work is just work.
As Williamson noted, “This myth is the perfect lens from which to view anti-feminism. It reminds us that this tale is as old as time, that women have been fighting these same battles for millennia; fighting for equality.
“De-stigmatizing sex work is a moral and human rights obligation. We attempt to address it in this film with humor and with heart. Lilith could be your sister, your barista, or a musician friend. She is a normal girl; more than that, she is powerful and courageous, and she deserves every ounce of your respect.”
To create this project, director Williamson turned to her producer Marie O’Connell; both grew up together, and though they went off in different directions after school they ultimately came to be living in the same New York City neighborhood. With Cinematographer Yessica Curiel Montoya, co-producer Paridhi Rana, they formed the core team of immigrant women (they hail from Ireland, Mexico, and Nepal) who are getting this short done.
“I moved to the States seven years ago to study acting.” Williamson explained. “I had been acting since I was 15. I left school and studied in an acting school in Kinsale, from the age of 15 to 17 Then I traveled for two years, came home, moved to Dublin to follow it further, and then eventually to New York for more studies.
“We had planned to make the film this year and it would be very easy to give up on that plan with everything that is happening. But we have a small cast, a skeleton crew and there are clear guidelines we can follow to film safely.
“Social distancing on set is, of course, going to be a challenge and I have to make sure that everyone adheres to the guidelines and wears appropriate PPE but we’re all pretty used to it by now. Much of our team have started working on sets again amid this pandemic and it seems we have to just figure out a new way of working.”
Where do you want this to lead?
“Wow, big question. I really just want to get this story out there and have it screened at film festivals. I already have started mapping out an idea for a series. I guess that would be the dream.”
For more information or support reach out to Aoife Williamson:
Donate to Kickstarter: http://kck.st/2EEGGX4
Website for new short: www.workshortfilm.com