A short film by Amanda Prifti, starring Erin Purdy / A reflection on navigating the 2020 pandemic in Sri Lanka. A year that presented challenges and opportunities for everyone, it taught us to find solace where possible. For us, it was the sea.
SurfGirl caught up with filmmaker Amanda Prifti to find out more below.
Where did the idea to create SOLACE come from?
At the end of 2020 I was feeling stagnant, both personally and professionally.Following a slowed down, challenging year onset by COVID, I felt uninspired and unmotivated. During a surf session with my wonderfully supportive girlfriends, we decided it would be fun to make a film – we had more time than usual and I had always wanted to try videography. It felt like the perfect way to get my motivation back. When we started the project, we didn’t imagine it would become something worth sharing, it was ‘just for fun’ and practice. But we had each gone through such tremendous change and growth throughout 2020, as many people had, soonce we sat down to brainstorm the storyline, SOLACE emerged.
What do you want people to take away from this film?
For us, creating SOLACE was such an important part of processing 2020 and everything that it brought – uncertainty and anxiety, but also gratitude, simplicity and realising we hold the keys to our happiness. The goal of SOLACE was to express this shift we each underwent during the pandemic, from upheaval into stillness and inevitable change. As an expat living in Sri Lanka, we turned to the sea as a way to navigate this change, but no matter where in the world people found themselves during this time, there is always something to find solace in.Hopefully through watching SOLACE, others are able to reflect and discover something positive from their experience of this past year.
What was the best part about making SOLACE?
Learning something new and getting creative with my one of my closest friends, Erin, the star and narrator of SOALCE and my continual ‘voice of reason’.SOLACE is such a beautiful collaboration between our two minds, and getting to spend hours brainstorming, filming, and going through rough cuts, all while exploring Sri Lanka and constantly laughing, was such an incredible experience.
What was the biggest challenge you faced while filming SOLACE?
We were so lucky with time! We had hours and hours to work on the film – we’d spent a couple days shooting, then I’d get into the editing room and determine what else was needed, and then go out shoot again. This allowed the film toevolve in such a natural way, which is apparently a rarity in the film world. That said, natural conditions like weather, waves, etc are always uncontrollable and inSri Lanka, changing rapidly – you can have sunny skies shift into torrential monsoon rain in 15 minutes, so navigating that was a challenge. Also filming ‘pre-COVID’ scenes during the middle of the pandemic, with everyone wearing masks, was tricky and called for some extra creativity with angles and editing.
Can we expect to see more films from you in the future?
Absolutely! Already working on a few new projects, stay tuned 🙂
Follow Amanda @priftistudios
