L’Atelier – Cinefondation: Anna Ist
Dutch filmmaker Rosanne Pel tells SEE NL about her intriguing new project that deals with familial discord, bullying and manipulation
As with many important films, real events inspired the writing and development of Rosanne Pel’s Anna Ist. In the film Anna, a smart and passionate teacher in her mid-30’s is rendered distraught while on a holiday with her mother and sister. Why? Because they force her to go on a diet as her body shape does not conform to an ideal held dear within their bourgeois family set-up. In a desperate attempt to connect with her family, Anna is forced to push back against her mother’s inflexibility, in turn exposing her not so maternal vulnerabilities. Only then can Anna gain acceptance and recognition, but on her own terms.
Anna Ist by Rosanne Pel
Director Pel’s ambitions for her film are unambiguous. “I hope to create a compelling world, where it is possible for an audience to experience complex emotions alongside poetry and hope.”
In essence, the actions of the mother and sister are a symptom of a wider malaise, Pel suggests. “You are really looking at a family which has already a tradition of abuse or of certain violence. But, as she adds in her notes for the film, “however dramatic and painful these events were, the emphasis in Anna Ist does not lie on what has happened, but rather… on the lives of the central characters after this event.”
“People often are not capable of change, as is the case with Anna’s mother,” she adds. “But still, sometimes we can be surprised…”
Pel further emphasises to SEE NL the underlying essence of the film: “We see a person completely oppressed and abused by people. Is this really what I want to show? What do we gain out of this kind of story? So then I decided, I will ellipse the whole event and I will show what is actually the impact of it and how this family really functions. And also show how, slowly, they are falling apart. I think the most important part of the storytelling is actually seeing the consequences of an action much later on.”
The film, produced by Floor Onrust of Family Affair Films, who also produced Pel’s debut film Light as Feathers* in 2018, is German, Dutch and English-language (Pel herself works out of Hamburg). What is more, the title has a double meaning. “If you speak it out, it means ‘being Anna.’ But one the other hand it can mean ‘Anna eats’ which is of course a little provocative, but [poignant] because in the end she is taking autonomy of her own body.”
The 50-day shoot will commence Summer 2023 with five 10-day shooting periods allotted over the subsequent seasons. “I work a little bit different from the norm because we are also casting non-actors and as well as really established actors. We will also take more time to improvise and work with a small crew.” German debutant Jil Kramer is already cast in the role of Anna.
Pel describes herself as “really tough” but “madly insecure” during pre-production up until the point of shooting when a sense of surety descends. She also makes a point of surrounding herself with the ablest of personnel.
When she made Light as Feathers, she assembled a small crew of four high quality creatives who worked together in the Polish countryside for a number of months. Pel is keen to go equally minimalist with Anna ist. “I like this way of working, that in the end you do not have this incredibly strict hierarchy. I like that everyone feels also responsibility for what we are doing and has a valuable input into the film.”
Anna Ist is produced by Family Affair Films. It is supported by the Netherlands Film Fund. You can read the full Dutch screening schedule here. This interview is written by Nick Cunningham.
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*Film is supported by the Netherlands Film Fund