Alys Scott Hawkins
I presented a short film, as work-in-progress. I made it as a response to the first lockdown of spring & summer 2020, and I wanted to get some perspective on it, so I could bring the edit to completion.
I got to ‘listen in’ to an audience, find out what they connected with and what was jarring. It built my confidence that people recognised themselves in the work, that what I have to say is of interest. Making the film was very much a solo process, telling a story about a difficult and insular time, so it was enormously helpful to feel bolstered by those responses, and now able to complete the work.
More than anything, its a validation: when you carve out time in spite of challenges to invest in making something, and then others take the time to watch, listen, consider and respond to the work, it’s incredibly gratifying and makes it all feel worthwhile! A lot of my work is autobiographical and the making process is experimental. That makes it hard to know what it might mean to others.