Persuasion Short FIlm

 

 

Our Inspiration

Anne Elliot. Sally Hawkins. 2007.

Her cheeks are stained red. Tears trek down her face. Her eyes are wide and full of longing and heartbreak.

And she looks at us.

She’s in so much pain and yet, here she stares. Inviting. Welcoming. Begging us to step inside and experience the desperation that’s consuming her.

And in 2013.

A 15 year old black girl sits awake in the middle of the night. Her eyes are wide in shock. Her heart’s clenching in an unfamiliar way.

And she feels it.

Feels the pain. Feels the love. Feels the longing. And she falls in love.

And then Shondaland’s Still Star Crossed came out in 2017, and this feeling was reignited.

As a longtime fan of regency era period pieces, I had never experienced one with a diverse cast and a dark skin black woman as the lead. For the first time, I was seeing myself, truly seeing myself, in a space that I never pictured myself in, and it changed my life.

Our Story

Overcoming fear is something that is an integral part of Anne’s story in Persuasion. She is constantly overlooked or put down by naysayers, and it has hindered her from obtaining true happiness and confidence. Throughout the film, however, Anne finds friendship and a sense of belonging, and it helps her find her way back to her love. To me, that’s what this film is about. Yes, it’s a romance story, but it’s also a story about gaining confidence, finding true camaraderie, and really belonging in a space, even if it means standing out against the naysayers.

Our Impact

As I mentioned earlier, this would be a diverse film. Anne Elliot would be played by a dark skin black woman, and Captain Wentworth would be played by an Asian man. Black women, specifically dark skin black women, are almost always type casted as the best friend in romantic movies, and Asian men are always seen as awkward and nerdy. By casting Persuasion this way, dark skin black women and Asian men would not only be able to see themselves as the lead, but they would also be able to see themselves loving and being openly loved outside of the molds the genre has restricted them to.

This is the perfect time for this because there have been many diverse period pieces lately, ranging from The Personal History of David Copperfield to Bridgerton. These projects have reached critical acclaim and have won multiple awards, and it’s clear that viewers are desperate for more diverse period pieces.

Our Goal

Our goal is to secure funding from a production company to shoot the entire feature. In order to do that, however, we will be shooting a short scene from the script where the leads see each other for the first time after many years. We feel this is a pivotal scene, and the emotion displayed here is a good representation of the film. Afterwards, we will use this short to shop around to different production companies. Your funds will be going towards:

• Crew
• Cast
• Location
• Costumes
• Catering
• Covid PPE

Conclusion

Overall, my Persuasion adaptation will not just be a film about love, but it will also be about overcoming your fears and finding a sense of belonging. I want people to experience the same emotions I did all those years ago when I watched Sally Hawkins look into the screen and invite me into her world. I want people to be so overwhelmed with the feelings of want, love, and forgiveness that Jane Austen masterfully weaved into the words of her novel. But most importantly, I want people of color to be seen. To belong. And to be loved.


Crew: 

Writer/Director: Zoë Hodge
Producer/AD: Ava Chau
Set Design/Costume: Michelle Nash
Composer: Jen Cheng