I WISH I WAS A DOG, 12min., Canada
Directed by Katherine Costal
When a young woman's desire to become a true member of her favourite art club turns her into a dog, she finds the newfound relationship between her and the members poses a different kind of challenge.

https://www.instagram.com/kat_costal/

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

The phrase "I Wish I Was A Dog" was a thought that had crossed my mind many times whenever I was around a group of people I either really admired or wanted to integrate myself into. Usually everyone in the group were very close-knit already and so they would all have inside jokes with one another and bonding experiences that you just can't penetrate. Whenever that happens to me, I find that I just end up hanging out at the edge of the group like an extra piece. I thought of the dynamic like the family or friend group in a dollhouse, where sometimes the dolls will come with a pet. I feel like I want to be a dog because they're very welcomed by humans but they're also inherently different, so they can't participate in human activities, and they're sometimes a metaphor for loneliness. Being a dog means being how I am but literally embodying it in a way that is easier to process than it is for a human, who isn't expected to experience these feelings as much. When I was thinking about what to do for a shorter film, this experience came into my mind and the idea of a girl turning into a dog immediately followed.

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you

to make this film?

Almost nine months, it's like my baby.

3. How would you describe your film in two words!?

Fever Dream

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?

Pretty much the same obstacle as my last film, which is coordinating the cast, crew, and location's schedules to make the shoot dates work. We still had to work with limited time but thanks to the amazing team I had with me we were able to pull it off.

5. There are 5 stages of the filmmaking process: Development.

Pre-Production. Production. Post-Production. Distribution.

What is your favorite stage of the filmmaking process?

I think development. It's the stage where everything's brand new, and I feel very starry-eyed whenever I'm exploring a new idea for a script and it's all coming together in my head for the first time. At this point it feels like anything is possible and I think this is a large part of filmmaking for me because I really love the brainstorming of: what questions am I trying to answer? What is this film going to do for me? What can I show the audience that will really surprise them or give them something they haven't seen before? This stage guides all the other stages in creating a strong, cohesive artistic identity.

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?

When I was about nine I started recording little movies and music videos with my toys that I had seen other people do. I fell in love with the way people would design their own miniature sets and bring their scripts to life on the camera. I had known before that I wanted to be a writer and it felt like what I wrote branched out into these colourful, modern story ideas that you have to film and watch. Then when I got older I began thinking of making those with real people but hadn't fully thought of it as making films yet. I always loved comedy and was fascinated with photography as well as drawings which inspired a specific style I felt like I wanted to create. By the time I was seventeen I decided to officially merge the two and make comedy films that told important stories to me and also gave me the thrill that I had gotten so many times from watching exciting media.

7. What film have you seen the most times in your life?

Other than the children's DVDs my family had, it was probably Finding Nemo. I feel like I've seen it maybe four or five times already, once in a theatre. I don't know why but I think someone was always showing it to me or it was always playing wherever I was.

8. In a perfect world: Who would you like to work with/collaborate with

on a film?

There are many filmmakers that inspire me, but I would say my dream collaboration would be any of the photographers or artists that I've saved online. A lot of my inspiration doesn't necessarily come from other films, but rather photographs and artwork that I come across where the composition or the colours or the setting just speak to me and I get an itch to create something like it. I'm usually drawn to portraits or landscapes that are showing a different angle than usual and inspire a sense of wonder or curiosity in me. I often wish that I could incorporate their artistry into films whether it's through cinematography or promotional visuals. Especially because I'm not a visual artist, I can't recreate it myself so any of the photographers or artists out there making these dreamy, mysterious, or wondrous pictures would definitely be a perfect collab for me.

9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your

experiences been working on the festival platform site?

I've had a pretty good experience. I've found lots of interesting festivals on there, one of which was the Canadian International Film Festival, which was the first time I had a film premiere at a physical festival. I think the site is currently one of the best ways to share your work and I can't wait to use it again.

10. What is your favorite meal?

Last time I said sushi, so I'll go with dim sum and some milk tea

11. What is next for you? A new film?

I'm still going to work on a new film, but I'm also working on something else that's a different genre and a different medium. I'm really excited to expand my craft beyond filmmaking.