A rapidly-rising name in the Canadian indie scene, multifaceted Gianna Isabella has worked in a variety of capacities with numerous productions both mainstream and indie across Canada. Now, with the upcoming release of the film
The Curse of Audrey Earnshaw about to happen, I talk with her about her start in the industry, working on various projects and how she handled producing the film.
Me: Hello and thank you for taking the time to do this. First off, were you always into genre films growing up? What films specifically got you into watching horror movies?
Gianna Isabella: I got into watching genre films at a pretty young age. Growing up a child of the 90’s, the first films that really got me into watching horror movies were Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer. It was a lot of fun to get my older siblings to rent those titles for me and friends growing up.
Me: When you entered the university for your studies, was there any kind of push towards a specific style or format?
GI: While I was at University I was really a sponge and wanted to explore all different styles and formats. I had a lot of fun experimenting with form and started with more experimental art films before evolving into a narrative. When I started in narrative, I leaned more towards drama and comedy before really finding a home in genre films.
Me: Having worked on various aspects of film production, do you have any particular preference for working on any?
GI: I definitely find myself drawn to the more creative aspects of film production, in the roles of writer, director or producer. I enjoy the writing process a lot as I find it very creatively fulfilling to be in a room alone with just the words on the page. As a director, I enjoy being collaborative and bringing all the creative elements of the film together. Working with actors is especially enjoyable for me, seeing the characters come to life. As a producer, I find it’s a different type of creative but nonetheless you are solving multiple problems a day and that is often very challenging but can also be quite rewarding when the problems are solved.
Me: With plenty of short films early in your career, what tools and skills do you acquire working on those that transferred to future film projects?
GI: I would say there were many tools and skills acquired from working on short films including time management, problem-solving, collaboration and visual pre-planning. The best part about working on short films is that you really dive in at the deep end and you gain the skills by simply doing. A lot of the time you don’t have much of a choice but to learn and when you make mistakes you learn the quick and the hard way and can use those lessons for any future work.
Me: When working on a new project, do you prefer to be involved from the beginning or work later on once it's been started?
GI: I prefer to be involved right from the beginning so as to be more involved creatively and to help shape the project. I enjoy the development phase of projects as the journey is a process itself and you get to learn a lot more if you are involved early on.
Me: That brings us to your latest project, the upcoming effort "The Curse of Audrey Earnshaw." What can you tell us about the film?
GI: The film is about a mother and daughter that are suspected of witchcraft by their devout rural community. It’s a folk horror film I had the pleasure of producing from the very early stages all the way through to the release. It’s influenced by genre films of the 70’s including Rosemary’s Baby, Don’t Look Now and Straw Dogs.
Me: How did you come to be involved with the film? What specifically drew you to wanting to help produce it?
GI: I became involved in the film after Tommy (the Director) brought me the screenplay. We had been friends for a number of years prior, which was part of the draw to help produce it. I loved the material and was excited to be involved in the project.
Me: What did you want to accomplish with the film to set it apart from the other genre films coming out recently?
GI: I was attracted to the fact that the film was a period piece with Irish characters and that it drew its inspirations from earlier genre films as I am a big fan of films from the 1970’s. Those aspects coupled with the unique story is what I felt would set it apart.
Me: How much involvement did you have with the rest of the production team bringing it to life? What was the early life to the film like?
GI: I had a lot of involvement with the production team as we put the team together and had a good number of production meetings during pre-production which led to the film being brought to life. The early life of the film was interesting because it was initially meant to shoot in Ireland but due to some unforeseen circumstances - mainly losing a key bit of our funding - we had to change our plans and shoot the film in Canada. We were definitely kept on our toes early on but we went with the flow and overcame the challenges we faced and are very happy with the final result.
Me: With the film about to be released following its festival run, what is the expected plan to get people to see it?
GI: Epic Pictures Group is releasing the film, which we are very excited about and they have been involved heavily in the marketing and promotion of the film. It will be in select theatres in the US on October 2nd and in Canada on October 9th. It will also. be available on VOD platforms.
Me: Lastly, what else are you working on that you'd like to share with our readers? Thank you again for your time!
GI: I’m currently working on a couple of screenplays that I’m writing with some friends, one is a possession movie and the other is a dark comedy, both of which I’m planning on directing.
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