5Q's w/Rebecca Maddalo "Watermark" Director

#1: Can you describe your movie and why somebody should see it?

Meg's past trauma haunts her, the lines between reality and memory starting to blur as she fights to move forward. Healing is not linear.

#2: What do you want the Borrego Springs Film Festival audience to know about your film that isn’t obvious from its title?

Our film looks at the long term effects of sexual assault. So much of media focuses on the immediate aftermath, the will they or won't they of coming forward, pressing charges, etc. and we really wanted to focus on the impact that trauma has ten years later. The film has some upsetting material, but nothing graphic is displayed.

#3: What is your movie making background? Tell us about yourself.

I started my career in documentaries, getting my BA in Filmmaking at Harvard. I worked in nonfiction for three years before making the transition to narrative film. During that time, I associate produced a feature doc called The Guys Next Door. In 2016, I went back to school, getting my MFA in Directing at the American Film Institute. My early documentary ranged from examining sexual subcultures on the east coast to observing folkloric performance in Italian heritage communities. My current work spans from narrative explorations of identity, queer culture, and trauma to music videos for upcoming folk and pop artists.

#4: What was the biggest lesson learned in getting your film made?

The biggest lesson I learned on Watermark was how valuable the right producer-director relationship is. My producer not only was responsible for the actual production of the film and making sure everything was taken care of; he also became my go-to person for story development and ideas, and he was the person I wanted next to me at the monitor. He was clear from day one that he wanted to help me bring my vision to life, and I trusted him to challenge me when things weren't working. I believe strongly in the power of collaboration, and finding people you are in sync with is priceless.

#5: What does the future hold for your film and you?

We are excited to continuing screening Watermark and creating dialogue around the impact of trauma on mental health. Apart from Watermark, I am also working on developing a feature that is tonally and thematically similar to the short, though it follows a different storyline. I've also found a real passion this year for directing music videos and plan to continue doing that. Longterm, I would like to develop TV series that bring light to queer identity and trauma.