Behind the Film: Alma - Worcester Film Festival

Introduction:

’Alma’ is a 15-minute contemporary drama set in a quiet rural village, following Alma as she wrestles with guilt and fear while trying to open herself up to love again following the death of her wife. Our film explores themes of grief, love, loneliness and courage through the often overlooked perspective of a queer, elderly woman. At its heart, it is a story about the enduring possibility of love at any age.

Inspiration:

Our writer had previously explored themes of loneliness in older age and wanted to delve deeper into this subject. Slowly, the story took shape through the collaboration of our entire team, drawing on personal experiences with grandparents and our shared interest in femininity and queer themes. Researching media about elderly lesbians, we quickly realised that these stories are not only rarely represented on screen, but also follow the same tropes every time – insecurity in their identity, bitterness and death. We were determined to subvert this narrative by creating a warm and positive love story, one that elderly women could see themselves in and young queer audiences could look to with hope for the future.

The Process:

We spent over six days filming in the stunning countryside around Hampshire, and we couldn’t have asked for better conditions. The weather was on our side throughout, which
made everything much easier. We were also incredibly fortunate to work with such a lovely and professional cast and crew, whose dedication and teamwork ensured the process ran smoothly from start to finish. Our crew was organised, tight-knit, and efficient, so we didn’t face too many challenges along the way. The biggest disruption we encountered was a security alarm going off in a building next to ours mid shoot. It took a bit of time to sort out, but thankfully, it didn’t set us back too much, and in the end, everyone welcomed an unplanned break! One of the funnier aspects of the shoot was sharing the cottage location with a group of mischievous chickens who weren’t shy about pecking at the crew!

What it means to be a Finalist:

It is incredibly rewarding to be named a finalist and to have our hard work recognised. We are honoured that our meaningful film is being shown to audiences, and we hope it continues to resonate with viewers. It means so much to know that our story is having a positive impact, and we are absolutely ecstatic to share it with everyone.