Toronto After Dark 2016 Profile: Ashlea Wessel
“I think female characters need to be represented as actual humans (ghasp), warts and all. That’s important to me.”
Film: Ink
Written, directed, and edited by local Torontonian and award-winning photographer Ashlea Wessel, Ink puts the spotlight on a traumatized woman who seeks penance and personal transformation through tattooing after surviving a devastating pregnancy. One night, drenched in booze and ink, her deepest fears threaten to consume her.
Ink had its World Premiere at the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival in Portland, Oregon. It’s screening at Toronto After Dark will be its second screening and its Canadian Premiere!
You can see Ink at this year’s Toronto After Dark, screening in front of Let Her Out at 9:30pm on October 14th. GET YOUR TICKETS HERE.
TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOURSELF AND HOW YOU GOT INVOLVED WITH FILMMAKING.
Ashlea Wessel: I’ve always wanted to make films, even when I was young, but I never thought that I could because I just thought that it was reserved for a different type of person or because, for numerous reasons, I believed I couldn’t. I guess recently I realized that that was bullshit and that all I had to do was suck it up, make connections, and work my ass off. Everyone says that the first thing you do when you want to make a film is “just make a film” and it’s so true. The first one’s rarely perfect but you don’t learn until you actually do it. It also helps that I was lucky enough to have people in the industry around me to give me advice and I had lots of support from friends and family.
TELL US A BIT ABOUT INK. WHERE DID THE IDEA COME FROM?
AW: Ink started out as a visual that I had discussed with a friend to possibly use in a music video that never happened. The more I thought about it the more it evolved and the character grew and became more multidimensional and the story was born in reverse almost: from the last scene backwards.
WHAT WAS THE INSPIRATION BEHIND KEEPING THE FILM CONTAINED TO A SINGLE ROOM?
AW: To me, the bathroom seems to be the only place that you can’t run away from your thoughts. Everywhere else there is distraction on so many levels but once you get into the bathroom, your thoughts catch up to you, whether good or bad (I do lots of my thinking in the shower). This character has taken that to a whole new level and holed herself up in there — created this space where she psychologically and physically punishes herself. It’s essentially her own private torture chamber and, depending on how you see it, could be representative of the inside of her own head.
DO YOU FEEL THAT YOUR EXPERIENCE AS A PHOTOGRAPHER INFLUENCES YOUR DIRECTING STYLE? WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON TELLING A STORY THROUGH A STILL IMAGE VERSUS TELLING A STORY THROUGH MOVING PICTURES?
AW: I’m sure it has, absolutely. I’ve learned a lot from working as a photographer in terms of being on set and directing actors. I’m certainly a very visually driven person and thus, I’m not overly concerned with exposition or lots of dialogue (probably obvious, since Ink is dialogue-free). It’s important to me that the story is told in a visually interesting way and I’m not sure if that comes from working as a photographer or if I’m drawn to the image arts because that’s just what I’m about.
In terms of still vs. moving image storytelling, it’s an interesting challenge to move from one to another. In a way, telling a story with a still image is actually much harder. I’ve always felt limited in that I can’t create the same narrative working in still frames as I can through motion and by moving from one moment to another. Alternatively, there’s significantly less to worry about when shooting a still image and I do feel like I have a lot more control over the final product. I’m a bit of a control freak so it’s stressful to relinquish some of that when working in motion.
TELL US ABOUT WHY YOU ARE A FEMINIST AND WHY IT’S IMPORTANT TO YOUR FILMMAKING.
AW: I’m a feminist because I believe the intellectual and creative capabilities of women and men are equal, and they’re still not treated as such. I’m a feminist because there’s still a power disparity between the sexes everywhere in the world that needs to be addressed, and because little girls are still growing up being subconsciously told that their bodies are more important than their minds. I could really go on forever.
Feminism is important in my filmmaking in that I want to make sure that I represent my female characters as more than just clichés: they’re not just pretty things to look at, they’re not just supporting characters or love interests with one-dimensional personalities as you see so often in films, and they’re not the “strong female character” either. I think female characters need to be represented as actual humans (ghasp), warts and all. That’s important to me.
IF A MOVIE ABOUT YOUR LIFE WERE CREATED, WHO WOULD STAR AS YOU AND WHAT GENRE WOULD IT BE?
AW: I think Kate McKinnon would play me in all of my clumsy glory. It would be a dark comedy/horror movie about a woman who is driven mad by some kind of possessed technology while trying to get a project out on time. There will be a bloody standoff, but she will prevail.
WHO ARE YOUR FAVOURITE WOMEN WORKING IN THE FILM INDUSTRY?
AW: Wow, I’m going to answer this and then obsess over my answer for the next week because it’s next to impossible to complete this list succinctly.
- Karyn Kusama (Director) — I loved Jennifer’s Body and The Invitation. She’s great at campy, bloody dark comedy and ultra tense, slow burn thrillers? How can one not be impressed?
- Floria Sigismondi (Director) — I have a soft spot for her because I absolutely loved her music videos and photography when I was in high school and it’s fun to see her make the transition into film and television. I think I feel a bit of a kinship in that we both started in stills.
- Tilda Swinton — She has this ability to play so many different characters with a depth and style that few other actors have. She’s vocal about gender representation in the media and LGBTQ issues. I’m pretty crazy about her in general.
- Tina Fey — She’s a bit outside of my stylistic wheelhouse, but Tina Fey is just one of my favourite people. She writes, acts, produces, she’s hilarious and outspoken and intelligent. She’s done so much for women in the industry (and in general). This list couldn’t be complete without her.
IF YOU COULD HOLD ANY GUINNESS WORLD RECORD, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
AW: Dream Guinness World Record: Most puppies snuggled at once. Realistic Guinness World Record: Most swear words uttered in a single day.
WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON NEXT?
AW: I actually have a few projects coming up right now, including two shorts that I’m working on getting moving. One is co-written by a very talented female writer friend of mine and both feature engaging female characters. I also have a bit of a different project in the works as well that I’m very excited about but it’s a bit hush-hush right now so I can’t say more than that!
RECOMMEND ONE #MUFFAPPROVED FILM FOR OUR BLOG READERS:
AW: Again, so hard to pick just one. Since it’s that time of year, I’ll stick with the horror genre and go with American Mary. It’s written, directed, and produced by Jen and Sylvia Soska and stars Katharine Isabelle (who also stars in the #MUFFApproved Ginger Snaps). The protagonist, Mary, who I would also describe as an antiheroine is a very complex, fucked-up, fascinating female lead. It’s gory, stylish, and Canadian to boot.
