INTERVIEW WITH  FERNANDA VILELA, PRODUCER OF AMENTALIO

Your film is entered in our Hollywood Best Indie Film Awards. What is your film about?

Amentalio tells the story of Liam and Emilia, a couple expecting their first baby. As the preparations take place, joy and excitement find their place in this new family until something unexpected teaches them how to give the word "life" a new meaning. In other words, it's about love in all its forms.

What are your ambitions with your project?
I hope Amentalio serves as a hug and as a support system to all the women who have been through a miscarriage. You are not alone. I hope Amentalio reaches a lot of people and that it does its thing. This movie is based on real stories, statements, and research and was carefully made for you.  

How was the shooting? What pleasantly surprised you?
This movie was probably the most challenging thing I have ever done professionally. It was my first time writing, producing, and acting in a film, and it would have been much more difficult than it was without my team. I wouldn't say it was a "surprise," but seeing how my friends and family stepped up and helped me with everything was so moving and beautiful. This movie wouldn't exist without them.

For what target group is your film?
My movie was mainly made for families that have been through a miscarriage and for their loved ones.

How would you specify your work? What characterizes your film?
As a writer, filmmaker, and as actress as well, I hope the stories I tell matter and that you don't leave the theatre the same way you walked in. I would specify my work as one that hopefully can transport you to the story I'm telling. I want to make you feel like you are part of the movie as well, just as if you were an intruder. I believe I was able to achieve that with Amentalio, but without losing the feeling of warmth and "home."

Why did you decide to become a filmmaker?
I decided to be a filmmaker because I want to share my thoughts with the world and transform lives through the arts. Also, as an actress, I want to choose which stories I will tell and which characters I will play, so becoming a filmmaker was the way I found to do that early in my career. You can't wait for the opportunity to come knocking at your door; you have to create it yourself.

Who is your greatest role model?
In life, my parents and my sister are my greatest role models; as a filmmaker, I would say, Greta Gerwig,  Luca Guadagnino, and James Cameron; and as an actress, I would say, Saoirse Ronan, Andrew Garfield, Benedict Cumberbatch, Cate Blanchett, and Jessica Chastain.

8Which movies are your favorites? Why?
I love movies and plays that make me think afterward or transport me to a different place and time, such as Little Woman, Call Me By Your Name, The Passengers, and The Light Between Oceans. I'm also a huge fan of musicals, such as Les Miserables, Phantom of the Opera, Mamma Mia, Dear Evan Hansen, and The Greatest Showman. I also always appreciate great and powerful animations, such as Brother Bear, Monsters INC, The Emperor's New Groove, and Onward.

Where do you look for inspiration for your films?
Everywhere. The good thing about being alive is that the world itself inspires. I find my "creative juices" working by listening to songs, people-watching, going to different places, getting to know different humans and stories, watching other films, dreaming, and talking to my friends. You never know what will spark your imagination.

How would you rate current filmmaking?
It's challenging. The more movies that come out, the harder it is to create original and innovative work, but that's also what keeps it interesting. But I also think it's beautiful that, just like in fashion, nothing ever goes completely away or disappears; genres and styles always find their way back to us; for example, now I believe we will see a lot of new rom-coms and the come back of dystopian worlds such as The Hunger Games, Divergent, Maze Runner, etc, genres that I really missed.

What are your next projects?
Right now, I'm collaborating on the writing of a feature film, and I have some acting projects that will probably come out this year or next, which I am very excited about!