Creedmoria is Alicia Slimmer’s directorial debut about Candy Cahill and her dysfunctional family in 1980s Queens, NY. Slimmer is a part of the Film Fatales, a badass group of women in the film industry working on bridging the gap of female involvment in directing and producing movies. Initially funded on Indiegogo, this impressive project is now working the festival circuit with great success, already scoring Best Narrative Feature Film in the Comedy Genre for the Cinequest Film Festival back in March.
Candy (Stef Dawson of The Hunger Games) and Sean Cahill (Ryan Weldon) grow up injecting their own kind of fun into a home that strives with all its might to be “normal.” Dealing with a drug-addicted brother (James Kelley), a Reagan-era conservative mother (Rachel de Benedet), Sean’s coming out, and the hostile “normal” world outside, the two ally with each other to escape their constrictive environment.
I talked to Alicia and Stef about their experience with Creedmoria, this brave, feminist work that encourages everyone to accept their inner “freak.”
Have you worked with other female directors prior to Creedmoria, Stef?
S: Not in feature films, but working with on this film with Lee (Alicia), I mean, Lee is my spirit animal. The whole process was just so easy and fun. I think we had alike sensibilities, both being women, that just made this movie really the most fun I’ve had on any set and some of the most fun I’ve had in my life.
How has being a part of the Film Fatales benefited the process of Creedmoria?
A: They have helped and supported this movie in every way imaginable. I didn’t take the traditional roads to this film or this career, and every Fatale has really made this process accessible and possible. I know that if I post something on Facebook it’ll just spread like wildfire through that network. They really take the fear out of it all; I don’t feel as naïve. And, you know; now we’re talking about the festival circuits so they also have a lot of advice on which are worth it and which are not.
What kind of goals did you both have in mind getting into this project and did you succeed with them?
A: First of all, just making this movie successfully was a huge accomplishment – this was a long time in the making. The goal I guess also was to go to Sundance with Creedmoria, meet Harvey Weinstein and have him schmooze me and love the film – that didn’t happen. I just think I’ll be more successful just enjoying the ride rather than setting expectations for the movie.
S: For me, I was just so excited about playing a role like Candy, a girl who just is never broken down. She’s such a kick-ass character – I just fell in love with her. She also is never in it for the boy – it’s always for her brother and herself, and I think that’s a really great thing to see. That’s the kind of thing I want to put out in the world – the idea that if you’re true to yourself and stay focused on what you want, you will be successful.
A: I think it’s a kind of an amazing time to be a female director, you know, there is a shift happening, and once the pendulum swings I just hope there are a lot of women knocking on the door ready to come in and work.
S: The whole cast and crew and so many of the people I work with are just a huge inspiration. I think just the fact that a movie like Creedmoria is being put out there is a sign that more women are coming into the industry; there’s a change happening.
Is there anything else you’d like BUST readers to know about Creedmoria?
A: This was a labor of love – the cast and crew, we’re a big happy family. We just want the world to see this movie!
S: This was just such a wonderful experience and I hope that audiences fall in love with Candy and this movie like I did!
Creedmoria hits the East Coast with its premiere next week at the Brklyn Film Festival, which you can find tickets for here and you can check out the trailer below:
Images via Indiegogo and Eventbrite.
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