Sundance 2022: Nicole Stafford
Nicole Stafford tells us about her short film, The Hork, an animated tale of gods and demons that takes place in another dimension, as well as talking us through working solo and being inspired by Titane director Julia Ducournau.
Tell us a bit about your journey as a filmmaker so far – what motivated you to start making films?
I’ve always enjoyed drawing since I was a kid so I did the classic move of going to school for it as an adult. I studied animation at CalArts in California and Les Gobelins in France and took my first jobs in short films in Europe before moving back to the States to work in freelance animation.
What inspired you to make this short film?
This film was a bit of a repository for anxious feelings spanning 4.5 years. I was reading this biography on the esteemed Frances Perkins, the first female labor secretary of the United States under Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and simultaneously watching 2019 turn into all that we know 2020 to be. She was the brains behind The New Deal, Social Security, and even pushed for Universal Healthcare in the 1930s, all while being, essentially, a single mother and the most powerful and highest-paid woman ever before in US history. She is such a progressive icon yet her legacy gets absorbed by FDR and she is really forgotten by history. I created the film over the course of Trump’s presidency and made this as a sort of alternate universe where powerful femme egos could go to live and thrive even if they are forgotten on Earth. When greedy demons come to take their power, the god always wins, and, in fact, grows stronger each time.
What was the most exciting part of the whole filmmaking process for you?
I suppose the coolest part was making the entire thing by myself. Besides the music, everything was made entirely by me and it was great to have full control over every single frame and visual decision.
Did you encounter any new challenges from making this film that you had not faced before?
I don’t recommend drawing braids frame by frame at 24 frames per second. It is not the smartest decision I’ve ever made. But I think it ended up looking pretty great despite the difficulty.
What does it mean to you for your film to be a part of the 2022 Sundance Festival?
Since I made the film entirely alone, the film mainly existed in my head. I hadn’t really bounced it off too many people over the years, so I really had no idea how it would be received. I kind of applied as a joke, fully believing it would not get in, and was completely gobsmacked when it did. I guess it just goes to show that you are not necessarily a very good judge of the value of your own work. It’s been a hugely gratifying experience for something so personal to be appreciated in this way and given such a big platform. I am really grateful.
Is there a current filmmaker out there whose style of work particularly excites you?
Hands down, Julia Ducournau. I saw Raw at Sundance in 2017 and was floored. Titane killed me dead. Nobody is making films quite like this woman. She is such a powerful storyteller. I can only hope to make something half as confident, beautiful, and macabre.
Knowing what you know now, what advice would you give to your younger self at the very beginning of their creative journey?
Perhaps to put less pressure on your projects. They need not be so serious or ambitious to be the favorite thing you’ve made or to be appreciated by an audience. The important thing is to have them be at least fun enough to actually finish.
And finally, what sort of project would you like to undertake next?
I am working on a script-based idea this time. It is a sort of near-future sci-fi story exploring the eradication of human visual identifiers that indicate race, gender, and disability. Not sure exactly where it will go or what the scope will be, but I’m having fun exploring the universe.
