Nils Taylor, Nicole Marie Johnson, and Laura Small Discuss QUARRIES

When a group of women go on a hiking trip to learn more about themselves as individuals, they soon realize they have bigger problems to deal with: they are being HUNTED like animals. This is the world that Nils Taylor, Nicole Marie Johnson, and Laura Small created in their first feature film, Quarries - a horror film that taps into fear of the unknown and of the outdoors. What started out as a peaceful, self-reflective hiking expedition has suddenly become a survival mission for these women. They must work together to survive the outdoors and the killers that lurk within.

In this interview, Taylor, Johnson, and Small speak with Winter Film Awards' Emma Morgan about working together on this project and about their inspirations for this horror feature film. See 'Quarries' on Sunday February 26 and Thursday March 1 as part of Winter Film Awards 6th Annual Indie Film Festival.

Q: What made you all decide to work together on this project? What was it like working as a team?
We wanted to develop a project that would allow us to assemble a team of talented individuals that we enjoy working with, and know we can trust to fully invest their time and energy into the project. We have been talking with Laura (our Executive Producer) for several years about collaborating on a project and, given where each of us are professionally, and Laura's excitement for the script, it became clear that this was the right project for us to come together on. Having known each other (Laura, Nicole, and Nils) for almost 20 years, it was very refreshing to work with a group who is familiar with each other, their work and communication style and to be able to trust the team at all levels which fostered an environment of creativity and dedication that ultimately made this movie into the high caliber film that it is.

Q: What made you decide to produce a horror film?
As first-time feature filmmakers, the horror genre appealed to us as it is a very visual genre, which is something that we know is a strength of ours. We also understood that the horror demographic is an effective genre in which to establish ourselves as a filmmaking team. Working in horror allowed us to be creative both with the script, but also the way in which we told the story, which we recognized as being different than other projects, where there can be a studio dictating the style or format of the movie. In addition, working within a limited budget ultimately forced us to make a movie that relied on emotion and feeling, rather than sticking to a predetermined script. Working under these restrictions revealed just how talented the team is.

Q: From where did you pull inspiration for Quarries?
All three of us grew up in Western Massachusetts, characterized by very rural areas, and the outdoors and woods were an influential factor in our upbringing, as it served as a major source of entertainment and excitement. As a child running around in the woods, your imagination is always active. By coupling our experiences with some real-world incidents of people being hunted, and other devious acts, we were able to speak to what happens when human beings indulge their inner-most selves in the wild. Throughout the process, we would ask our characters certain questions to help bring out their natural instincts and fears. For example, what does nature bring out in you? Strength, weakness, kindness, cruelty? This film possesses many similar features as are found in other films that people often associate with nature, such as Deliverance, The Descent, Walkabout, The Grey, Picnic at Hanging Rock, and Wolf Creek. In addition, we looked at modern filmmaking teams, paying close attention to their collaborative dynamic, like Borderline Films and Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij's collaborations.

Q: Can you talk a little bit about the role female comradery plays in the film?
The script did not start out having a predominantly female cast and storyline. In one of the brainstorming sessions, we explored the issues and from there, the script completely opened up. Something about these women who have experienced hardship, addiction and abuse, yet come together and embark on a journey where they're all out there to learn more about themselves, through each other. We found that removing some of the male characters allowed us to focus on the central characters and relationships that went beyond the typical draws to a film: sex and nudity. It was exciting to create intimate relationships that we didn't have to explain with sex. The most satisfying thing to come from this change to focusing on the female characters, was that we were able to focus on giving strength to the female characters that otherwise would traditionally be assigned to male characters. And, at the same time, forcing the men to be victimized opens up an entire new realm of possibilities that are almost never seen in other films.

Q: Without giving too much away, what about this film do you each think is the scariest part?
During a scene in the middle of the film, the women have finally encountered the hunters and are scrambling to get away. In their panicked state, and in an effort to escape, an accidental death occurs, with nobody being murdered or sacrificed. This freak accident, where there is no real blame, shows how nature can intervene and cause problems for anyone, even our protagonists. This theme is echoed in the mantra stated from the beginning of the film: "The jungle is neutral." On another level, these women are out of their comfort zone in the rural outdoors and the unknown elements create an overreaching feeling of uncertainty. As humans use their five senses to inform themselves about their surroundings, by eliminating one of these senses at any given time (sight), the characters are forced to rely on their other senses, which are likely heightened, contributing to the sense of disorientation and anxiety.

By Emma Morgan. Emma Morgan is a recent graduate from the University of Rochester with a bachelor's degree in Film and Media Studies and Psychology. She is currently pursuing a career in film production and programming in New York City.

ABOUT WINTER FILM AWARDS INDIE FILM FESTIVAL

Winter Film Awards Is New York City. Like the city itself, we showcase the eclectic diversity and excitement of the independent arts world. Winter Film Awards is proudly one of the Top 10 Best Reviewed Festivals on FilmFreeway.

The rapidly growing Winter Film Awards Indie Film Festival, now in its sixth year, is a dynamic and exciting event in the heart of the City. Winter Film Awards showcases films from emerging filmmakers from around the world in all genres with a special emphasis on highlighting the work of women and minority filmmakers. The Festival runs February 23-March 4 2017 in New York City.

Among the 88 Official Selections to be screened at Cinema Village in the heart of Greenwich Village (22 East 12th Street, New York, NY 10003), is a diverse mixture of 11 Animated films, 8 Documentaries, 11 Feature narratives, 10 Horror films, 12 Music Videos, 24 Narrative shorts and 7 Web series, including 12 student films and 33 first-time filmmakers. Filmmakers come from 30 countries; 42% of the films were created by women, 45% were created by people of color. Visit www.WinterFilmAwards.com for schedules, tickets and details!

ABOUT WINTER FILM AWARDS

Winter Film Awards is an all-volunteer, minority- and women-owned registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization founded in 2011 in New York City by a group of filmmakers and enthusiasts. The program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.

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