Residència WomanInFan - Arianne Hinz

We begin by delving into a portfolio where we look at previous short films with a wide variety of themes, including loss, death, and gender identity. What made you go for horror with Marionettes and Days of Spring?
I didn’t consciously decide to go for horror with Marionettes and Days of Spring, but when I started writing this is what came out. To me, it doesn’t feel like a huge shift from what I did before. In previous films I’ve played with conventions of the genre and combined conceptions of innocence with something darker lurking underneath. More than anything, the style of Marionettes and Days of Spring feels like the logical next step.

Having said that, it did take me a while to grow into myself as a filmmaker and to understand who I am and where I fit in. SITGES Film Festival has played a huge part in that journey; getting selected for the Festival with my short film Days of Spring and again for the WomanInFan Residency with Marionettes made me realise that the fantastic genre is where I belong.

Do you think that your former education as a psychology student has influenced you in the way you work when directing and writing? If so, how?
I actually think it might be the other way around, that my interest in psychology and ‘what makes people tick’ has led me to first study psychology and then turn to directing and writing. To me, it’s basically the same thing; both in psychology and in filmmaking I’m trying to understand why people do what they do. However, I do notice that my writing is getting more psychological; Marionettes can be seen as a study of group dynamics for which I dove into psychology books for research and inspiration. Looking back it’s interesting to see how, without realising it, I already was on this path when I decided to study psychology, but it’s hard to pinpoint exactly how this study influences me and my work today.

A lot of your protagonists are children, just like in Marionettes. Is there a reason why?
As I mentioned before, I like to play with perceptions of innocence and purity, and children traditionally get identified with these things. Another reason might be that I like to mix reality with fantastical elements and by telling stories through the eyes of children I can integrate these things effortlessly, because that’s what children do, too. Last but not least, I like working with children because they have build up less layers hiding their true selves, which makes it easier to get to the core.

Do you find it difficult to mix heavy topics with the innocence you can find in childhood?
Not at all, I would find it much harder not to do this. For me there’s something really powerful in mixing the two. A lot of people seem to think that you can’t talk to children about heavy topics, but if you try, you’ll be surprised at what you find!

In the past few years, the horror and fantastic genre is seeing a slow but steady growth of female directors claiming their place in the genre. How does it feel to be part of that change?
It’s been more than ten years since I came up with the idea for Marionettes and I’ve been developing it with my producers over the past seven years. During this time, it’s interesting to see this growth of female directors in the horror and fantastic genre happening around me and observe how it affects the way in which people view my project. It’s especially interesting to notice shifts in the ongoing discussion about how to position a film like Marionettes, that’s actually a mix of genres. I hope and think that there is and will be more room for these kind of films by female directors and it’s nice to have a growing number of female role models to look at for inspiration.

And what would you say are the biggest obstacles when it comes to being a woman in a space dominated mostly by men?
Traditional horror films, which are mostly made by men, often portray a lot of blood and violence. The ‘violence’ in my film is much more subtle and less bloody, but the ‘look-and-feel’ of the film is still horror. At Sitges someone told me: “if a man makes a film we call it horror and if a woman makes the same film we call it suspense”. I wonder if traditional genre categories are made by and cater to men more than to women and the films we make. Perhaps it’s time to rethink these categories?

When it comes to horror movies, and especially the figure of the woman in those projects, is there any character that you would say has left a big impression on you?
Although I would now consider myself a filmmaker within the fantastic genre I haven’t been the biggest fan of horror films throughout most of my life. I started watching horror films as a way of research, because I think that horror uses the tools we have as a filmmaker in rather interesting ways. At the same time, I’m rather squeamish and I tend to faint from blood … So I’m not sure I can answer this question, as there’s no character that immediately springs to mind.

We wanted to congratulate you on being part of the WomanInFan Residency this year, but we are also curious to know, what’s next after this? Are you planning on pushing for more horror in your projects, or is there something more you would like to explore on the horizon?
At the moment, my attention is focused on Marionettes and getting the film off the ground. However, I definitely feel like I found my place in the fantastic genre, so stay tuned for more!