AN INTERVIEW WITH EWA BIELSKA, DIRECTOR, WRITER & PRODUCER OF “HER CALL”

Multi-Award Winner – Édition Juillet 2021
. Best Director Indie Short
. Best Producer
. Best Acting Debut
. Best First Time Filmmaker Short
(Honorable Mention)

Hello Ewa Bielska, you wore multiple hats to bring HER CALL to light. Why did you decide to take on so much for a first film?

The main reason is that film is my passion, and I am a hard worker. Coming out with this story and being in charge as producer, director, actress, and the cast, gave me more expertise and knowledge. The second main reason was budget. I knew that I could efficiently multitask, so I could achieve good quality film with a tiny budget. Also, Covid restrictions limited the number of people allowed on set, so I came up with a solution to replace 4 or 5 people.

Mala is a complex character. Through her story, we are confronted with many layers of “the feminine” as a concept. How did you build this character?

Yes, Mala is a conflicted character. I wrote this character based on my personal experiences, childhood, and people who crossed my path. I always was passionate about human behaviors, psyche, and tats personalities came to life.

Along the same line: You have a co-Author. What can you tell us about the experience of co-writing?

Yes, Patrick Wimp helped with developing my story and easily converting my European language to American slang. Patrick is wise and open-minded, so we smoothly and quickly created a full feature film script.

How can you describe the experience of “directing yourself”? How did that impact your Actor’s Direction with the rest of your cast?

Haha, that’s the tough one! Yes, it is not easy to be a director and actress, but everything is possible! I think that the impact was primarily positive. My D.P. was amazing, we discussed multiple times what I needed to achieve, and were soon able to pull it off. We got so much blast shooting this film, and I love being in front of the camera or behind it equally.

As a businesswoman, what is your take on what seems to be a never ending multiplication of Indie Production companies? What are the outcomes and challenges in terms of distribution? In which way can it impact the way audiences choose the films they want to see?

As a businesswoman, this gives much more room for the film to succeed and opens up the road for distribution. Shooting Indie always brings the challenge of budget and how many people you can afford to bring a great movie to life.

What are your company’s core values that will determine how you pick the films you produce?

I focus on films with character-driven stories. The time, dedication, and quality standards we invested to make “Her Call” are the standards for future films we will produce.

What is the industry like in Chicago? Does it have its own identity and rules? Do you feel it’s different from L.A., New York, or Atlanta (which seems to be the latest hub)? How so?

I love Chicago for the organic approach to film. It’s a pretty small community, where everyone helps everyone. Atlanta is a movie Mecca right now, with lots of T.V. series, etc., going on. I would say L.A., is going through a bit of tough time, but it’s coming to life again.

ITV 2023