5 Questions with Victoria Rivera ("Night Swim")
1) What have you been up to since we last spoke in October of last year for "Verde"?
Since we last spoke I've continued writing and directing shorts and am now dipping my toes into commercial directing, which has proved to be a fun way to keep exercising the directing muscle as I develop my first feature Malpelo. With this script I was selected as a 2020 Film Independent Screenwriting Fellow & directing Fellow, and together with my producer Camila Zavala, we participated in Fi's Fast Track and IFP's Project Forum earlier this Fall.
2) What was the initial idea for this project and how did it evolve from there?
I wanted to explore a moment in life when our moral compass isn’t totally formed, and we’re trying to navigate group dynamics, without having a real grasp on who we are as individuals. Neda Jebelli, who co-wrote the script with me, spoke about her experiences growing up between Tehran and Missouri -a stark contrast to my upbringing in Bogota, Colombia- but the one place we seemed to coincide on, were the *multiple* thoughtless decisions we made as teenagers, with little to no regard towards real-life consequences, be it for ourselves or those around us. In retrospect, moments like these, especially when they concern a moral dilemma that affects someone else, might seem like they let you walk out unscathed at the time, but are likely to haunt for a long time after.
3) What was the biggest challenge in making this film? And the easiest part?
The film was entirely shot on location in Coney Island and Rockaway in Brooklyn, over the course of three nights. We had a lot of hurdles to jump through managing crowds, locations and extreme weather (an electric storm during our pool overnight) so it was key to go on instinct and lose any shots / scenes that weren’t imperative to the story we were telling.
The easiest *and best* part for me was getting to work with our amazing cast who had great chemistry together and were game for everything. Three night shoots back to back is no easy feet! I also loved working with my producer Camila Zavala who was involved in the film since its conception, and our DP, Allison Anderson, who was perfectly attuned to the visual language of the film -a subjective, volatile camera that moved freely and was never still.
4) What’s a film you’ve seen recently, new or old, that you really loved and why?
The last film I watched was Alice Rohrwacher's Corpo Celeste. Her work never ceases to amaze me. I love the observational quality it has, with very little traditional plot but so rich with detail and life. It's observational, patient and curious, which serves the story perfectly, of a young girl questioning her identity and becoming her own.
5) What’s next for you?
As I develop my feature film Malpelo, Neda Jebelli and I have partnered up to write a feature film based on Night Swim, which we hope to have by Summer 2021. It explores similar characters and themes in a different setting, jumping off from the disappearance of one of the friends. I miss co-writing, being on set and creative in-person collaborations in general, so my hope is that that is what is next for all of us!
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victoria-rivera.com | IG: https://www.instagram.com/victoriariiivera/