Sofia Chapman

I'm Sofia, a queer accordionist, writer, artist and filmmaker. This project is to make two films based on my published short stories, 'An Ex in Provence' and 'The Cave of Dr Cayla'. We plan to shoot partly in green screen, creating artistic backdrops for French locations. The subtitles will be in French when the dialogue is English, and vice versa, making them fully bilingual.

In 2015 my band Vardos was invited to undertake a residency at Hôtel Sainte-Valière in France, working on music we had just been studying in Eastern Europe, culminating in a successful opening night performance. I was inspired by the history of the house and its occupants, a family of doctors and winemakers, to write ’The Cave of Dr Cayla’ and make some sketches. Struck with jetlag on returning to Australia, I wrote in the small hours and Dr Cayla and her ‘cave’ or cellar became more sinister, as she began to prey upon the naive musician Claude who comes to her for treatment. The story was published in Gargouille Literary Journal in 2016.

In the film, Dr Cayla will be played by Eloise Caleo, one of the masterminds behind Hôtel Sainte Valière and the artist in residence program (Ceci n'est pas un hôtel), here depicted relaxing after opening night.

I am committed to queer stories and also to exploring the possibilities of drag, and consequently will be playing the character Claude, here snapped in a library during rehearsal, by Melisa Savickas.

‘An Ex in Provence’ was published in the In Case of Emergency Press anthology One Surviving Story in 2020, and I intended to film while on honeymoon in France in 2020- obviously that trip wasn't possible.

Under covid restrictions, I devised an alternative film plan with virtual French backdrops, footage from past trips, original drawings, montages and dioramas. This will work well with the internal nature of the workings of the characters' minds : although in love, each has their own secret plans and solo desires of self-actualisation, with the character Reggie wanting to transition from female to male.

The protagonist Therese will be played by Faezeh Alavi, here pictured at the premiere of her film 'The Private Part', Persian Film Festival, Sydney, December 2019, when we had no idea what 2020 had in store for us... I worked on this film as composer. Left to right, Alana Hunt, Osamah Sami, Faezeh Alavi, Sofia Chapman. Faezeh recently worked with Osamah on a new feature, TENNESSINE, in 2021, in a leading role.

The films will be partially filmed at Burning Deck Theatre HQ in the City of Moreland, with the participation of Spring Studio Melbourne who are able to provide additional equipment, and partly at Feathered Engine Films Melbourne CBD, operated by Bruce Reilly (below) who worked on my last film, DOGS/DEMONS/DESTINY, and has a good green screen set-up.

We are proud to acknowledge the Traditional Owners of country on which we record and recognise their continuing connection to land, waters and culture. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging. We support recognition, reconciliation and reparation.

As I am a musician, the films will feature a combination of my original music and French composers. They will be fun, romantic, poignant, artistically lush and visually inventive, celebrating freedom of sexuality and the hunt for the wild self.

Expenses incurred during filmmaking include artist fees for cast and crew, technical equipment and hire, catering, costumes, props and a professional photographer for high quality promotional stills. Coffex Coffee and Choukette Brunswick are kindly assisting to offset some catering costs, and Spring Studio with one or two recording elements: we are open to more in-kind support. 

For effective promotion an excellent photographer is essential, and we are working with Melisa Savickas who provided the stills for the last film DOGS/DEMONS/DESTINY, helping that project be accepted at London Lift Off and Lisbon Film Rendezvous 2020-2021.

With your support, our two new queer short films can also be screened worldwide!