WXFF 2020: Kylie Eaton
Filmmaker Kylie Eaton talks to us about her award-winning short film Dispel, which frames the topic of addiction in a refreshing light.
Tell us about yourself and the work you do.
I’m a writer and director originally from central Illinois and currently based in Los Angeles, who loves sci-fi, fantasy, and all things other-worldly. My directorial work started in the world of music videos, and two years ago, I made the transition to narrative. Since then, I’ve had three short films on the festival circuit, and my feature-length screenplay, KINETIC, placed as a finalist in the 2019 Screencraft Sci-Fi and Fantastic competition. My work has premiered on Directors Notes, Film Shortage, and the Million Youth Media channel on YouTube, as well as the boyish media platform. I am proudly an Executive Board Member of the Alliance of Women Directors.
What is the proudest moment of your career so far?
Winning the Mary Shelley Award at Other Worlds 2019 for DISPEL. The award celebrates the best film that furthers the involvement and representation of women in genre filmmaking.
What themes do you want to explore in your future work?
I want to continue to explore the themes of mother and daughter relationships and inter-generational trauma. I’d like to take a more in-depth look at forgiveness and our connection to our roots.
What three things do you always have on your bedside table?
Water, phone, and journal (for when I wake up with an idea and have to get it out)
What are you working on at the moment/next?
I’m really focused on writing right now, as it’s the safest thing to be doing at the moment. I’m focusing on finding the right script to develop into my first feature-length project.
Tell us three things you're grateful for?
My family and friends, my cats, and my espresso machine ;)
Gina Torres is phenomenal as Celeste - how did she get involved in the project?
Thank you! I actually wrote the role of Celeste with Gina in mind - she’s an actress I’ve admired for years, and she was my dream casting. I was lucky that the casting directors I worked with - Treadwell/Kelly - had a relationship with one of her reps and they were able to get her the script, as well as the concept art we created for Celeste (with artist Karla Ortiz). Gina called me and said she was touched by the mother/daughter story, loved the concept art, and would be delighted to play our superhero!
The landscape of Sci-Fi has a tendency to exclude women from its narrative, was this something you were thinking about when writing and then when assembling your crew members?
Absolutely. Sci-fi, fantasy, and genre work, in general, tends to either exclude women or tell women’s stories from a male perspective. But that wasn’t what I was thinking about when I was writing. I think that my storytelling naturally focuses on the experiences in my own life, and therefore is female-centric. However, when casting, I was absolutely thinking about representation and wanted to show a young Black girl in a hopeful sci-fi film.
Why do you think fantastical settings work so well to depict universal, and often troubling, stories?
I believe that stories about things like mental health and addiction can be tough to look at head-on - often times these subjects hit too close to home, or are too mature for some kids to totally grasp in an age-appropriate way. When seen through a fantastical lens, you can build layers into the narrative. In DISPEL, a young viewer could understand perhaps just that there is a monster. A litter older and they may understand that the monster is the mother’s ’sickness.’ And a bit older than that may understand the full analogy of the mother’s addiction seen as a monster invading her body. No matter what can be understood, each of those three narratives has a full arc. Even for adults, looking at a real-life issue, such as addiction, in a fantastic setting can open the viewer up, remove their preconceptions or biases, and let them see that story in a new light.
What piece of media served as your fantastic escape as a child?
There are so many film worlds that I loved - Star Wars, Star Trek, Indiana Jones, Back to the Future, Gremlins, Goonies… but if I had to pick an absolute favorite, I would say E.T.
You can watch Kylie’s film, Dispel, at Women X Festival - Ticket’s available here!
