Haliburton’s Kate Campbell is at the French Riviera Film Festival this week for the world, and European, premiere of Mom, a film she both directed and sings in.
It’s not Campbell’s first trip to Cannes for this particular festival. Boundless netted her a best director gong in 2020 and People Watching appeared last year.
Campbell said she would be attending the Cannes film market as well. “They have an international village and there are people from countries all over the world to do business.” She acknowledged it’s a beautiful place to work as the film village is on the beach.
Speaking of Mom, she said it is Leslie Hoppenrath’s story of her journey with two miscarriages and balancing that grief with love and the relationships she has with her step kids.
Campbell said it was a “really beautiful script.” She met Hoppenrath more than a year ago. She read her book “and I was just so moved by it. I said I want to make this, and so we did.”
Campbell said she thinks the short film will be well received. When she chooses a project, “the gauge is if I’m lit up by it. And if I am moved by it.” She said she was also called to tell the story.
A musician, she said the theme music was a huge factor. She used a violin piece that had been playing in her head even before she took the project on. She also sings.
“The writer said, ‘what really brought me strength and hope through my process was Ron Sexsmith’s Gold in Them Hills’.” Campbell said it is beautiful, giving the song a female voice, and it provides a “lovely” ending to the film. She said it is not her typical jazz style, but simple, pared back, and it was, “really lovely to be able to do that.”
She said the lead character is Piercey Dalton. They flew her up from L.A. because there was no one else Campbell wanted to play the role. “I felt very confident in her hands. That was just a very good decision.”
Campbell said it was an interesting experience because it was the first time she had worked with children.
The Haliburton native said the topic of miscarriage is one she does not feel is talked about enough. “It just sort of opens the conversation around it… when we have relatives and family who pass away, it’s a celebration of life and people want to be there for support. I find it’s weird territory with miscarriage because there is such loss and it’s in private and secret.”
She said it was important to Hoppenrath to get that message across. “People not feeling so alone and opening the conversation around it is really important.” Having it come out the weekend after Mother’s Day felt like serendipity.
As for the rest of the week – aside from the premiere – Campbell said she is working on meetings around Boundless, meetings for other projects she is either directing or producing, and gatherings with production companies, musicians, composers, and production designers. “It’s really an interesting mecca to do business at.
“Then we have the beautiful festival showcasing the work and they have an opening and closing ceremony. So, there are a lot of reasons for me to go.”
Campbell said it is a celebratory time for her.
“It’s so much work to get everything done. From the beginning, to working on it, the editing and sound design process. You are telling the story again, and again, and again.
“When you take something on as a director, at this Indie level, you’re with it, preproduction, through production, and well into post, and into festivals. I’m feeling very proud and glad to be sending it off into the world where we can celebrate it. That feels really good.”
Campbell has now directed six films and looks forward to doing her first fulllength. She noted Boundless is moving into development, and hinted she is working on a project with Dini Petty, “which I am very excited about.”
