A house, 2022-02-02

Vulnerability and the art of realizing castles in the air

After tiring of the fashion world, director and still photographer Sofia Aedo Zahou found her way into film. She is now working on the dance film A Bath In My Mother’s Womb by visual artist and choreographer Mona Namér with music by Little Dragon. We sat down in our newly built members’ lobby at Filmhuset to talk about inspiration, vulnerability and the art of realizing castles in the air.

Hi Sofia, how are you?

– Hi there! It’s good, lots going on.

You are currently working on a new short film that has just premiered at the Gothenburg Film Festival, can you tell us more?

– It’s called A Bath in My Mothers Womb and it’s an experimental short film that explores the themes of birth, chaos and stillness through dance. Written and choreographed by the amazing Mona Namér and which we have directed together. With music by Little Dragon. The work itself can be said to be a love child of performing arts and film, which tells its story through choreography.

What inspires you and your aesthetic?

– What a difficult question to answer… hmm… I’m still exploring my aesthetic but something that often inspires me is the concept of identity. How it can both limit us as well as give us security. In general, I tend to think a lot about who we would be, and how we would behave, if it weren’t for the expectations society puts on us in relation to different identities.

Is that how you found the inspiration for your short film Mansa: An Ode to Self Exploration?

– Yes, it’s a lot about just that – identity and what happens when we find ourselves in a context not created for us. Feeling that the narrow space you’re given to be yourself isn’t enough or right at all.
Ever since the first time I heard Mansa’s song Mussulo, I could feel so strongly that it conveyed some kind of sense of loneliness – more specifically, the loneliness one can feel in a room surrounded by people. That feeling was the starting point that led us to what the movie would be about.

How did you get into movies, I know you have a past in fashion?

– Haha! Yes, that’s right. Ever since I was a teenager, I’ve wanted to do fashion, but I came to a breaking point where I wanted to do something else. So the first time I really explored film was during my time on Hyper Island. In one part of the program, we were allowed to do whatever we wanted as long as we came back after a month and had something to present (a film, a podcast, an app, etc.) So I chose to make a small film that consisted of a montage of different nature shots I shot in Los Angeles to a VO reciting a poem I liked. I fell in love with it so hard that I haven’t really stopped making movies since.

Did you know that directing was what you wanted to do?

– Yes! It was the very design of the story and the feeling that really stuck with me. But I felt at first that I really wanted to learn as much as I could about the different functions in film. That’s why I started interning at a small production company here in Stockholm. It gave me the opportunity to get more insight into the actual process and there I got to coordinate productions, cast and FAD. I even got a B-foot once. I probably won’t do that again, haha!

What are you like as a director?

– That’s a difficult question! It’s something I’m still exploring, but one thing I can say is that I find the process of filmmaking, especially production, so incredible. It’s such an amazing feeling to see a work being shaped by so many amazingly capable people in real time, right before my eyes. I shudder just thinking about it.

What’s next?

– A lot of fun around the release of A Bath In My Mother’s Womb, then I will start working on my first documentary film. I’ve previously stressed a lot about the whole thing with being repped by a production company and so on, but I’ve landed in the fact that it’s very important to me that things take their time and end up somewhere that really feels right.

Can you tell us more about how you work?

– I put a lot of emphasis on how I build my teams. I want to feel safe and at home on set and I will always do that when I am surrounded by people who I can reflect myself in. It helps me to dare to be vulnerable, empathetic and at the same time confident.
Something else I really carry with me is how important I think it is that what happens in front of the camera is reflected in the team behind the camera. Especially in the A features.

What is the biggest challenge of working in this industry?

– It’s challenging in many ways, but one thing I can think about quite a lot is the space for talent development. You always have a very limited amount of time to realize this castle in the air you built in your head. But at the same time, I want it to be a nurturing environment both on set and during other parts of the process. I feel that it can be quite easy to get stuck in what you are “good” at and have a bit more difficulty getting into what you want to develop in because there is so much at stake when working on a production.

Is there anything you would like to say to people who are about to enter the film industry?

– That things are actually closer than you think. You’re really only one step away from submitting your film to a film festival or contacting that person you want to work with. It’s been a barrier for me that I thought some of these things were a hundred steps away – they’re not.

Are there any film creators you think people should keep an eye on?

– Where to even start? There is so much talent out there right now but here are some stars I have had the privilege to work with: Sara Dehlin, Andrea Vasquez, Tiyam Pour Khabbaz, Ali Alsalem, Feven Kiflom, Hawa Sanneh, Mona Namér and Mika Aberra. But there are so many more!