From humble beginnings sing-signing on Australian TV show ‘Play School’ in the early 90’s to helming a plethora of award winning shorts and the successful triple AFI nominated feature Preservation (2003), writer/director Sofya Gollan now serves up ‘Gimpsey’ in 2015 – a (currently crowdfunding) short drama that revolves around a young disabled woman dealing with a dissolving friendship & new romances.

In her early days, Sofya was determined to escape making ‘disability films’ because she had one (identifying as being deaf with a cochlear implant), but quickly came to realise that ‘you can’t get away from who you are when you tell a story’.

Gollan professes it was her disenchantment with the lack of disability-led films (specifically in the heads of department arena), that fired her up to get ‘Gimpsey’ on the go, as too often the case, people with a disability are frequently resigned to being a film’s focus.

Check out Sofya’s interview with Any Camera Will Do to learn more about ‘Gimpsey’, communicating as a director, the benefits of festivals & sustaining a career in the Australian film industry:

SOFYA GOLLAN’S TOP DIRECTING TIPS:

• Pre-planning is paramount. Know what you need to tell the actors before you’re on set.
• Provoke interaction. Get the actor to focus on the other person they’re in the scene with, or if they’re alone, get them to project forward into their character’s wants, so they have clear motivations.

In the realm of features, investors need assurance that you are capable. Sofya champions the notion that ‘if a short film does well on the festival circuit, then you can be sure that the people involved have a good shot at making a feature’, which is exactly what Sofya has set her sights on with the recently announced ‘Melt’ – a sensual, drama thriller centred around 3 young women & an ice sculptor…

What looks set to play out as an inspiring, provocative piece from a talented cast & crew, ‘Gimpsey’ is sure to stir some mindsets & hit the festival circuit with gusto!

‘Gimpsey’ is aiming to shoot late 2015.

MORE INFO!

For the ‘Gimpsey’ pozible page go here.
For the ‘Gimpsey’ facebook page go here.
For Sofya’s IMDB filmography, go here.