PRODUCED BY: Jessica Wynn
DIRECTOR: Nick Meunier
WRITTEN BY: Lonnie Nadler
STARRING: Tristan Risk
RUNNING LENGTH: 21 M 20 S
In a quiet and reserved corner of the world lives Helena, an expecting mother who has isolated herself from society and the living. She practices the art of “vulture culture” - the joy of finding beauty in death by creating art pieces out of deceased animals. As her child enters her life, she finds herself overwhelmed by the sudden burst of life and struggles to balance her familiarity with death and her responsibility to care for the living.
This project was funded by Kickstarter.
PRESS
FESTIVALS
AWARDS
Vancouver Badass Film Festival (2018)
Nominated for Best Local Short Film
Nominated for Best Art Direction
OFFICIAL SELECTION
2018
Vancouver Badass Film Festival
ADDITIONAL MATERIAL
DIRECTOR STATEMENT
The Mother of Beauty is such a special film to me. It is poetic yet simple, beautiful yet devastating, and completely unlike any other short film I have made.
This film came about after I saw Amanda West’s work. She introduced me to vulture culture -- the act of repurposing dead animals and creating art from their remains. This art was so striking to me as I had never seen anything like it before. I instantly knew I wanted to make a film centred around this world. Shortly after she introduced me to this bizarre world, she became pregnant. I could not stop thinking of the duality surrounding life and death in her artwork and everyday life.
I sat on the idea for a while until pitching it on a whim to Lonnie Nadler, the eventual writer and co-producer. We were spitballing film ideas when I mentioned this to him. His instant response was, “I think we have to make it.” And so The Mother of Beauty was conceived.
From that point on, things fell together quickly. We went from pitching the idea to filming about six months later. We ran a successful Kickstarter campaign, sourced trusted friends to create our crew, and even got Tristan Risk (my dream casting) to play Helena. Amanda even drove all the way out from Alberta to be on set and allowed her baby daughter, Wynter, to co-star in the film.
This short wanted to be made; we were lucky enough to be chosen as its bastard parents. It’s weird to have it completed -- releasing it feels like I am showing off a part of myself. That being said, I don’t think I have ever been more proud or confident in a piece of work.
I hope you enjoy the short!
