Australia / 2015 / 96 min / DCP / Comedy

Director : Sophie Mathisen

Script : Sophie Mathisen
Cinematography : Cameron Ford
Editing : Julie Ann De Ruvo, Sophie Mathisen, Cameron Ford
Music : Trent & Kyle Grenell
Production : Dominique & Sophie Mathisen

Cast : Sophie Mathisen, François Vincentelli, Jonathan Burteaux, Tom Wren, Alysson Paradis

Introduced by Sophie Mathisen, Dominique Mathisen and François Vincentelli
Opening Film

It’s over a year since Anna split with John and life in London seems only to be getting harder. She isn’t landing auditions and the pressure from family to make it work or call it quits is ever increasing. Dreading a future as uncertain as the present, Anna travels to Paris and to the home of her best friend Jean. Life for Jean seems stable. He’s given up acting and is settling down with his French partner Philippe. The timing of Anna’s arrival isn’t great however; Philippe’s mother is dying and it’s taking its toll on them both. Thankful for an excuse to escape, Jean dedicates his time and attention to Anna who herself is devoted to another task entirely. Drama is a story of the selves we once were and the selves we long to be. It’s a story of grief for the many roads in life we could have travelled but didn’t. Most importantly, it’s an honest portrayal of people at their worst, trying to do their best.

Sophie Mathisen

Sophie trained at the Victorian College of the Arts with a Bachelor in Dramatic Arts (Acting). After graduating, she worked as an actress for the Queensland Theatre Company, Playwriting Australia, Daniel Schlusser Ensemble and dramaturg for various independent companies. In 2012 she became a Rocks Pop Up artist, an initiative of the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority. The cornerstone of her residency was the creation of a play reading and development space for young and emerging writers. Later that year, Sophie traveled to London to commence her Masters at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. Changing mediums to film, she began cultivating her skills and writer, director and actress pitching independent feature Drama as the basis of her research enquiry. Sophie began intensive pre-production whilst still at Central and completed shooting before graduation. An abridged version of the ungraded and unmixed film was submitted as her final thesis for which she was awarded a high distinction.