NUA Film lecturer receives nomination at Norwich Film Festival

BA Film and Moving Image Production lecturer Ryan Andrews has directed a new short film Hiraeth which has been nominated for Best East Anglia Short Film at Norwich Film Festival 2021.

Hiraeth is a heart-breaking film that explores one woman’s grief at the edge of the solar system. Amber Jones, a British astronaut on the first manned mission to Europa. She’s a controversial choice with a checkered background. 

Andrew speaks to us about his process of creating the film…

How did you settle on Hiraeth as a title for the film?

Stephen Laughton the screenwriter actually came up with the name. It’s a Welsh word meaning “longing for a home that never was or will never be again”. It’s a beautifully poetic word and sums up how Amber (our protagonist) connects with her own past.

How did you come to start thinking about Hiraeth?

I had written a short film about obsession and handed it to Hiraeth’s extremely talented writer Stephen Laughton. I was after feedback. Stephen, a long time collaborator with myself, broke the news to me that my script was terrible. But he understood what I was trying to say and had a story he was longing to write. It so happened to have cross over themes. It was a science-fiction piece based on the loss of his childhood friend Jenny. On first reading a script dealing with grief and domestic violence, but also a multi-layered script that explores guilt, memory, consciousness and obsession.

It was beautifully poetic and the protagonist, though having a very different journey to me, had ended up in a very similar emotional state I had once been in. They too were trying to right a wrong through an obsessive goal that would have devastating consequences.

Why did you decide on space as the setting?

Space was a natural setting for us as a team. Stephen was on a writing placement in the American Museum of Natural History. He had won a prestigious award and was working with the astrology and NASA population departments, so we had an opportunity to have first-hand expert advice. Also, space is full of classic metaphors that would enrich our storytelling.

Hiraeth has been selected for Norwich Film Festival. What does this mean to you?

Norwich Film Festival is a BAFTA and BIFF qualifying festival with tremendous support from some of the UK’s most prominent actors and filmmakers. To be selected for such a prestigious festival is an honour. The film was shot in Norwich and a lot of our crew is Norwich based. We had a solid crew of both professionals, assistants and juniors, a lot of who are students or graduates here at Norwich University of the Arts.

What would you like people to take away from the film?

The film is a tragedy. Ambers future is inevitable because of her inability to move on from the past. The real message I would like the audience to take away is not to dwell or fixate on the past. Especially one that can never be fixed. Move forward towards a brighter future. Create new paths. Allow yourself to be happy.

Hiraeth screens at Norwich film Festival on Sunday the 14th of November at the Forum from 2pm until 3.45pm.