Director Zara Woolf joins us on Close-Up Culture to talk about her short film, Wild Angel. It follows the coming-of-age journey of bisexual teen “Angel”, as she navigates the first steps in pursuit of her dream career.
Hi Zara, welcome back to Close-Up Culture. What have you been up to since we last spoke?
Hi James, thank you so much for having me again.
Just after we last spoke, I started a BA in filmmaking at the Met Film school, I’ve been studying there since, whilst establishing my production company “Woolf Productions”. For the past year I have been working on my latest short “Wild Angel”.
What inspired you to make your latest short film, Wild Angel?
I’ve been passionate about telling coming-of-age stories and wanted to create another ode to female empowerment and self-love, whilst touching on relationships and dating.
I’ve been really inspired by the characters and cinematography in HBO show Euphoria. The bold use of colour and cinematography whilst placing lifelike characters at the forefront of the story.
Wild Angel felt like an incredibly authentic take on relationships in the modern age. Can you tell us more about what you wanted to explore?
I wanted to explore modern love and the lack of commitment associated with it… but from a female perspective.
In most mainstream motion pictures, I see teen girls and young women depicted either, as the sexy love interest that never gets rejected, or the “ugly”, “nerd” girl who never gets male attention. These polar opposites are so far removed from representing the average dating experience for most young women. It was a priority for me to create a storyline and characters that were authentic in portraying the female experience of modern love, and therefore relatable to the young women watching the film.
What do you hope audiences, particularly young girls, take away from the film?
To pursue anything, they are passionate about with tenacity and pride. Along the way it is okay to take risks, to move off impulse and live in the moment(within reason, of course!). It is okay to experiment with your sexuality. Prioritise pleasing yourself first.
I hope young girls take away that rejection does not define you. It leads to growth and self-development.
I understand you’re in pre-production for your next short. What can you reveal about that?
My next short with Woolf Productions is a comedy coming of age. I will be exploring my Jewish roots and generational differences regarding sexuality.
Do you have any other projects or ambitions to share with us?
I’m aiming high with Wild Angel, lots of festivals, networking, and hopefully new opportunities though these experiences. I have become extremely passionate about casting recently too, and aim to work in this arena when I graduate, whilst continuing to grow Woolf Productions.
Listen to Anna’s interview with Zara