A dark comedy about death anxiety that follows Mara as she grapples with the belief that she has killed everybody she's gotten close to.

Interview with Writer/Director/Producer Charlotte Hamblin

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

Thank you! Well, I've been working as a screenwriter for about five years now and I'd never directed. I had this idea for the short Everybody Dies... Sometimes, which is semi-autobiographical. And when I put pen to paper I just knew how it should be shot and didn't want to hand it over! So much of it is about childhood and imagination, I grew up obsessed with Roald Dahl novels and adaptations, so I wanted to give it that slightly absurdist feel and tone. I just knew how it had to be. So I went for it!

This film is about someone dealing with chronic death anxiety which I suffered with as a child. I've never really seen that talked about on the screen before, so I really wanted to share this weird and wacky story of mine, but with heaps of humour!

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?

Yes, it's about death, but it's funny I promise! I think the story is unique. It's about death and grapples with the big questions in life, but I think it's suffused with joy and hope. There's something for everyone in it. It's also a short film in and of its own. It's not a proof of concept. It's its own story. I really hope you enjoy it!

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

Gosh, there are so many of them in there. The title says it all. 'Everybody Dies'. The character of the therapist literally says: 'There are two things in life we can all be certain of, we're born and we die'. I think everyone universally can understand grief and loss. Or, if they haven't yet, they will.

As I said before, this is such a personal story for me. I lost a lot of people in quick succession when I was younger, I believed I was somehow responsible for their deaths. Deep I know! But I assure you I'm a very happy individual now! But the film seems to have really resonated with people, I think people get it. And post-pandemic even more so. Suddenly death was all around us, we all thought something might get us at any minute. It was almost a relief for me to know other people understood that fear.

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?

Oh, it's really changed. Less is more! The script I started with still has the same structure as the film does now. I think instinctively I knew what I wanted but wasn't quite getting there. At first, I had a million and one messages going on. But someone said to me 'What do you want it to say?' and then I went for it. Also, because it's so personal I had to throw things out I wanted, but they weren't serving the story. Gutting but got to be done!

I was also just blown away by how the music (composed by the legend Carla Patullo) just elevated the film. My main note to her was 'give it magic', she did that and more.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

Oh, it's been really amazing. We've won quite a few awards in the UK so far on our festival journey including Best British Short at the British Short Film Awards and Best Editor (Caitlin Spiller) and won four awards at KINO London Film Festival including the Audience Prize and best comic performance our wonder lead Tanya Reynolds. We also got nominated for Best Uk Short at Raindance.

Honestly, I've been so blown away. I didn't expect anything like this for my debut short. And now we're at Tribeca, it's totally nuts!

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

Oh totally surprised me. As I said it's my first short so I've been totally blown away by the reaction. I in no way expected this. To be honest, I'm surprised how much people have gotten from it. How many chords it's struck for people.

Has it challenged my point of view? I don't think so. It only makes me want to push my ideas and my work further going forward. I love pushing those boundaries! Ask my friends and family!!

What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?

Just to spread the word about the film hopefully connect with more filmmakers doing the same thing. I think people spend a lot of time in this industry trying to get in with the 'big dogs', but for me, it's finding your contemporaries, your peers and when you find them hold on for dear life and make all your mistakes and successes together! I think that's what's great about platforms like this. You're visible to your generation of filmmakers. That's when the magic happens!

Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?

Oh anyone who would like to!! I know after our festival run we'll be looking for a platform to finally release the film to the public and of course, anyone who wants to write the film up would be amazing! Please be nice...!

What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?

Gosh. I hope people laugh. And maybe leave the cinema with a bit of hope and are less afraid of death... I mean if you can manage that can you let me know how you did it?!!

What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?

Should we fear death?

I think that's the main question. My other questions are too dark!!

Would you like to add anything else?

Just that, I appreciate platforms like yours for amplifying filmmakers, particularly female/non-binary/trans filmmakers. We've got a lot of shit to say and it's just amazing to be supported like this by you guys... oh and everybody try not to die... that would be great!

What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?

Well, I'm currently adapting a novel for Paramount Plus UK and working on a TV series with Olivia Colman and her company, South of the River Pictures. Carla Patullo (Composer) is working across projects with Disney. Caitlin Spiller (Editor) is working on a project for Toni Collette. Simon Plunkett (DOP) is working towards his first feature whilst killing it on the fashion scene and Leo Darby our producer has just announced a film with Nick Cage. They're all amazing, hire them if you can!

Interview: June 2023

We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela

Everybody Dies... Sometimes

A dark comedy about death anxiety that follows Mara as she grapples with the belief that she has killed everybody she's gotten close to.

Length: 9:00

Director: Charlotte Hamblin

Producer: Charlotte Hamblin and Tea Shop Productions

Writer: Charlotte Hamblin

About the writer, director and producer:

CHARLOTTE HAMBLIN has directed two short films. Her debut short film Everybody Dies Sometimes (written and directed) has found great success on its festival journey. It will have its international premiere at Tribeca 2023 as part of the official selection and had its world premiere at Raindance 2022, where it was nominated for Best UK Short. EDS was nominated for 5 awards at the British Short Film Awards and walked away with Best British Short and Best Editor. Charlotte won Best Comedy Director at the London Directors Awards. EBS was officially selected for KINO festival and was nominated for the most awards in the festival’s history. Charlotte won Best First Time Film Maker and the film won the Audience Prize and Tanya Reynolds won Best Performance in a Comedy. Charlotte’s second short Not A Mourning Person written by Toto Bruin has just started its festival journey and has been selected for Aesthetica 2023. Charlotte is also a queer writer who has written on Series 2 of Hanna (Amazon Prime/NBC Universal). Charlotte is currently adapting Lisa Jewell’s The Family Upstairs for Paramount Plus/Pure Fiction. She is also creating the comedy-drama series The Commandments for South of the River Pictures, Olivia Colman's company. Charlotte has two feature films in development, a queer Christmas Rom Com for JAX Media and a comedy-drama The Faults the Had for Federation Stories. Charlotte is also co-creating a thriller drama with Keeley Hawes for Buddy Club Productions.

Key cast: Tanya Reynolds (Mara), Mathew Horne (Therapist), Sparrow Michell (Young Mara)

Looking for: distributors, buyers

Twitter: @foxesprods

Instagram: @foxesproductions

Hashtags used: #EverybodyDiesSometimes

Made in association with: Tea Shop Productions

Where can I watch it next and in the coming month?

Tribeca Festival: Sunday June 11th 5.45pm