Among the treasures that screened at the Atlanta Film Festival was She Keeps Me, a short directed by Erica Orofino.
The film won Best Canadian Short (2022) at the Pendance film festival in Toronto and is currently making the rounds in the festival circuit.
She Keeps Me Screens At Atlanta Film Festival
She Keeps Me is about a woman, Alessandra (Rachel Daganais), who acts as the caretaker for her sister Lena (Katarina Keca), who struggles with mental illness. While Alessandra tries to be there for her sister, the film captures the nearly helpless position caretakers find themselves in when there’s little to no support.
We were able to talk to Orofino about the film as well as how she started in the business. Below is an edited transcript of our interview.
Where are you originally from and how did you get into filmmaking?
I was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec but have been living in Toronto, Ontario for 10 years now. I went to film school at York University and started working in production after I graduated. I’ve always known directing is what I wanted to do, though, and I started directing films in 2016.
“She Keeps Me” is an awesome short. What motivated you to tackle mental illness as the subject matter?
Thank you! I’m really interested in stories about mental illness; it’s something that’s affected me my whole life, as someone who has both lived with it and also been in a caretaker role. I think stories like this bring people together, and make people feel seen.
What message do you think a caretaker for someone suffering from mental illness can take from the film?
I don’t know if there’s a direct message, I think what the film is saying to caretakers is “I see you, you’re not alone, I know it’s hard, and there is no right or wrong way.”
As an art form, what advantages would you say filmmaking has over other forms like music or visual art?
Filmmaking engages all the senses! I guess other than taste or smell or touch. But the best films can even make you physically feel things, and engage those senses too.
What’s next for you as a director?
I have two shorts in post-production right now, and I’m doing lots of music videos, I have another short drama I’m hopefully doing in the fall. So much going on! Lots of good things.
(End of interview.)
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