Festival Interviews | Filmmaking | Interviews | New England
2020 FILM FESTIVAL: LETTER OF TRUTH
Brittany Severance talks about her film Letter of Truth
Written by Hope Johnson | Posted by: NewEnglandFilm.com Festival
NewEnglandFilm.com talks with Brittany Severance about her film Letter of Truth, which screens in the 2020 Online New England Film Festival.
We caught up with filmmaker Brittany Severance who explores relationships, betrayal, and gender-based pressures in her latest short film Letter of Truth.
NewEnglandFilm.com: What is your background in filmmaking?
Brittany Severance: My family had an old hi8 video camera growing up and I used to borrow it to complete creative assignments for school or just for fun with my friends. It wasn’t until college where I became serious about filmmaking and started taking film studies and screenwriting classes in undergrad. Eventually, I ended up going to Emerson for graduate school in 2008 for my Master of Arts degree to focus on writing, directing, and cinematography. This past spring I completed my Master of Fine Arts degree with more of a focus on analog film production and media-based installation art.
NewEnglandFilm.com: What inspired you to make your film?
Severance: Letter of Truth is based on true stories that were relayed to me by different women within the past few years. Alarmed by the frequency of these stories of betrayal, infidelity, and heartbreak, I wanted to make a short film that addresses this type of situation. Rather than focusing on the direct conflict with the romantic partner, this film places emphasis upon how complicated feelings around these issues can be, especially when it involves more than the immediate person affected.
NewEnglandFilm.com: How did you find your cast and crew for this film?
Severance: I found my cast and crew through networking, past production experiences, and also posting a casting call on NewEnglandFilm.com.
NewEnglandFilm.com: How does your film fit into today’s current social and political moment?
Severance: My film focuses on different responsibilities and pressures that are placed on women who must balance taking care of a household, their career, and family while trying to maintain a sense of self. Unfortunately, self-care and well-being are often placed at the bottom of the priority list.
NewEnglandFilm.com: What do you hope people take away from watching your film?
Severance: I want the viewer to realize that relationships are complicated and it’s important to be able to voice one’s feelings to resolve issues and move forward.
NewEnglandFilm.com: What other projects are you working on?
Severance: Currently I am between film projects due to the pandemic, but I have been working on a photo series about home and family. I am still at the beginning stages of the project, so it will be interesting to see how the series evolves over time.
Letter of Truth screens at the 2020 Online New England Film Festival at NewEnglandFilm.com.
