5 Questions with Malú Anavitarte
1) Can you talk briefly about your background, and how you first got interested in filmmaking?
I think I’ve always loved films. I grew up in Cuba watching American movies with my grandma. I remember that, every time after we watched something, I found myself wandering in the garden, imagining possible new endings to that story. But as a young girl that lacked confidence, I didn’t consider filmmaking a viable path.
It was not until I studied Literature in University a few years ago that I realized how much in love I was with storytelling; that passion pushed me to keep trying to pursue a career as a director.
More recently I’ve met an amazing no film school community here in Miami, where I felt finally that I fit in. I wouldn’t be able to accomplish anything without them.
2) What’s the backstory here - what was the initial idea and how did it evolve from there?
More than a year ago I started trying to become zero waste. This is obviously very difficult nowadays, so I always ended up with some plastic at home anyway. That made me feel so guilty. So I held onto all that extra plastic so it didn’t end up in the sea. Before I realized it my house was full of garbage. I always wanted to make an environmental short, I wanted to talk about whales and other sea animals being killed by our waste. So when I found myself surrounded by all that plastic, the idea of transferring this conflict to a human being just came naturally. The image of a woman throwing up a plastic bag helped me build the story.
It always was more of a character based story, and my own anxiety was a great inspiration. But then Sonia Royal, the actress, got so involved and put so much of herself into it that the mood of the film was even more beautiful than anything I could imagine.
3) What was the biggest challenge in making this film? And generally what part of the creative process do you enjoy the most?
In this particular project the biggest challenge was editing, which it’s also the part of the creative process that I enjoy the most. It was challenging for me because I had to detach myself from a few scenes that were not working in the movie, as it often goes in filmmaking. I was in love with a lot of footage that I ultimately couldn’t use, in particular a climatic scene where Sonia was completely wrapped in plastic, with fishing nets over her and even more plastic around the house. It was the hardest scene to film because it was 5:00 AM, we didn’t had a dolly, Sonia could barely breath and all of the crew members were tired. So it made me very sad to remove that from the movie.
But editing is always my favorite part, it leaves so much space to get creative and re-tell the story. And even if it’s harsh to get rid of a couple of scenes, it always makes it better. In this case, it somehow made the film more silent, simpler and more shocking.
4) What’s a film you’ve seen recently, new or old, that you really loved and why?
I had the chance to watch In a Whisper (2019), by Heidi Hassan and Patricia Pérez Fernández (both Cuban filmmakers), at the Miami Film Festival before it shut down last month.
It’s a beautifully made documentary, that blurs the line between fiction and reality, build with a video correspondence that the two friends interchange over 18 years.
5) What’s next for you?
I’m working on a documentary about my family.
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IG: @maliinche