Written, Produced & Directed by Tom Ganley
Alice sits alone at a restaurant, waiting for her date to arrive… Doesn’t sound like an interesting synopsis, but don’t be fooled by it. Embers is an emotionally complex film, winning multiple awards at film festival this past April for best screenplay, best performance in a drama & best first time filmmaker.
Tell us a bit about yourself and your filmmaking background.
I've always had a deep love for filmmaking.
Growing up as a teenager, I'd spent most weekends with school friends shooting silly, self-shot shorts - everything from a Reservoir Dogs Remake: Reservoir Cats to our iconic superhero franchise Lycra Lad.
As you'd expect, they were mostly terrible, but looking back now it was innocent, creative expression in its purest form. A gaggle of stupid kids thinking they were Spielberg and having the best time doing it.
Between then and now I'd filmed the odd bit here and there, as well as writing a handful of scripts which never saw the light of day. But with Embers, I knew I had something different.
What was your inspiration? Why did you decide to make Embers?
The idea first formed in the wake of the loss of my wonderful Grandmother. She was a truly angelic force and her passing affected people around us in so many ways. It was coming to terms with this and seeing how family and friends around me also tried to cope.
Once the core concept began to form, I became pretty obsessive, writing out the first draft script over a couple of days - it flowed out of me in a way I'd never had with any script I'd written before, so I knew I was onto something. I shared the piece with a group of close friends – this kick-started a snowball effect that attracted and inspired an incredible team of friends, cast and crew, committed to bringing this story to life on a shoestring budget.
This self-funded film was in many ways a step into the unknown. What began as a passion project became something bigger and more meaningful. Something that brought people together with a common creative focus in a time when COVID called the shots.
What obstacles did you overcome while in the making of this film?
Embers was the first 'proper' film I'd made with a crew and talent, so there were a fair few logistical elements to get my head around as a first-time filmmaker. Then a pesky pandemic rocked up and made things somewhat more challenging.
There were many moments where it felt like the world didn’t want this film to happen. COVID lockdowns led to three shoot cancellations and I was on the cusp of shelving it altogether...
But it was the enthusiasm, passion and drive of the amazing team around me who made sure it could happen. A group of friends, some old, some new, making something for the sheer love of making something.
Tell us about the journey of getting your film to audiences.
Using Film Freeway it was all pretty smooth. Embers is now coming to the end of its run on the festival circuit and has just launched on Klipist, following an intro at the Kino People's Film Festival.
While I'm on the subject, I couldn't let this moment pass without giving a massive shout out to Dustin and the team at Kino.
It was truly a magical festival experience and has already spawned some exciting opportunities. It's festivals like this that truly connect audiences and filmmakers and enable them to take those all-important next steps.
Words of wisdom. What advice would you give to other filmmakers?
Make sure to surround yourself with kind, passionate people. People who care about each other and creating something together.
What are you working on now?
I've got a couple of new ideas in the works, but it's very early days. Watch this space!
Any film recommendations that we should add to our watchlist?
Right now, I'd have to say Everything Everywhere All At Once & The Worst Person In The World. Obviously Bo Burnham: Inside if you've not seen it already!