Homing, written and directed by Hansel Rodrigues and Lizzie Atherton, asks a question of its family: is the man in their garden in need of help or is he a threat? And, as the filmmakers put it, "More importantly, what do they do now?" Amit Shah and Laura Aikman play the Father and Mother, Adi Gimziunas plays the Son, and Nima Taleghani plays the Stranger. The film's producers include J. A. Bayona.
Rodrigues and Atherton write that they feel they have grown up in "an age of permanent crisis," and that they were interested in what happens when one of those crises lands on your doorstep. They point to the small boats crisis, which they say has become so politicised that "it's easy to lose sight of the human beings at the centre of it." HollyShorts London is the film's London premiere, with a screening in Leicester Square.
Key Takeaways
- In the edit, the filmmakers decided to begin the story about a third of the way through the original script.
- The opening shot was found in the edit. It was producer J. A. Bayona's idea to fuse a drone shot of a vertical horizon with a separate aerial shot of the houses and introduce a rotation.
- Rather than following one clear protagonist, they wanted the audience's sympathies to shift between different characters.
Below, Rodrigues and Atherton answer our questions in writing.
Interview
What drew you to make this film, and why this story, why now?
We feel like we've grown up in an age of permanent crisis. From Brexit to Covid, the war in Ukraine and the cost-of-living crisis, there's this constant sense of instability playing out in the background of our everyday lives. For some people that feels overwhelming, while for others it's little more than background noise.
We were interested in what happens when one of those crises suddenly lands on your doorstep. The small boats crisis has become so politicised, with people reduced to statistics and divisive headlines, that it's easy to lose sight of the human beings at the centre of it.
With Homing, we wanted to strip away that noise and turn a huge political issue into a tangible human encounter. To explore what it means to find a home, what it means to protect one, and how we might actually behave when our personal and political beliefs are put to the test.
“With Homing, we wanted to strip away that noise and turn a huge political issue into a tangible human encounter.”
What surprised you most about the filmmaking process creatively or logistically, including any moment on set or in post that changed how you saw the story?
The opening shot was actually a happy accident we discovered in the edit. We knew we wanted to open on a vertical horizon, so we shot that with a drone, alongside a separate aerial shot of the houses.
It was our producer J. A. Bayona's idea to fuse the two shots together and introduce the rotation, creating this incredibly cinematic opening that has become one of the most memorable moments of the film for a lot of people. Sometimes the best ideas are the ones you never planned for!
What was the hardest creative decision you made while making the film?
We ended up cutting a huge amount of the film and essentially decided in the edit to begin the story about a third of the way through the original script. It was difficult to let go of all that writing and work, but ultimately it made for a much tighter, more compelling film.
What's interesting is that none of those earlier scenes were really wasted. We realised that so much of that groundwork was already baked into the film through the performances, production design and atmosphere.
What moment in the film feels most like you, or like something only you could have made?
I think it has to be the ending. It came together quite late in the process, but it feels distinctly us. Without giving too much away, we hope it captures a sense of nuanced empathy, where tragedy and hope can coexist.
“Without giving too much away, we hope it captures a sense of nuanced empathy, where tragedy and hope can coexist.”
How does your film fit within, or push the boundaries of, its genre or form?
We always set out to make a film that didn't simply preach to the converted. To do that, we felt it was important to explore multiple characters' perspectives with sensitivity and empathy, even when their actions might be difficult to agree with.
That became one of the central creative challenges of the film. Rather than following one clear protagonist, we wanted the audience's sympathies to shift between different characters. We've had lots of conversations with audiences about who the protagonist actually is, which has been really interesting.
What does it mean to have your film selected for HollyShorts London?
We're absolutely delighted that HollyShorts London will be the home of our London premiere. Having the film screen in Leicester Square, at such an iconic venue for London cinema, feels really special.
London is home for us, so getting to share the film here with friends, collaborators and the wider industry means a lot. We've also heard great things about so many of the shorts in the programme throughout our festival run, so we're really excited to see those films and be part of that company.
Where do you see this film going next?
We're heading to Short Up in Rouen next, followed by a festival in Turkey and a few more screenings across Europe. It's been amazing seeing the film connect with audiences in different countries, and we're excited to keep sharing it.
Alongside that, we're working on another short called Coven, which we're shooting in February, and developing our debut feature, Neanderthals, with BAFTA-winning actor Adeel Akhtar attached and BAFTA-winning producer Scott O'Donnell on board.
Asked to finish the sentence "At the core of all my work is a desire to," the filmmakers wrote: "Entertain audiences while telling nuanced, surprising stories about what it means to live in the UK today."
Main Cast & Crew
- Writers & Directors: Hansel Rodrigues, Lizzie Atherton
- Father: Amit Shah
- Mother: Laura Aikman
- Stranger: Nima Taleghani
- Son: Adi Gimziunas
- Producers: J. A. Bayona, Sergi Casamitjana, Jen Gelin
- Executive Producers: Cristina Bosch, Ignacio Prieto, Carlos Bayona
- Director of Photography: Rik Burnell
- Editor: Raúl Kingtai
- Production Designer: Kit Falck
- Costume Designer: Savannah Blum
- Composer: Harris Grant Forster
- Colourist: Gareth Thomas
- Sound Designer: Guillem Giró Olivella
- Supervising Sound Editor: Oriol Tarragó
- Drone Operators: Adrián Cabello, Zach Levi Rodgers
- Casting: Coralie Rose, Road Casting
- Acting Coach: Ben Perkins
- Makeup Artist: Beverly Pond-Jones
- First Assistant Director: James Hill
- Location Scouts: Paul Davies, Good Vibe Locations
- Supported by: CUPRA, ESCAC, Películas La Trini
- International Distribution: Agencia Freak
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