GiF - FEMME FLICKS 2024
"The only way a filmmaker will (and should) advance is by actually making things, and it’s so hard to get anything off the ground, especially at the moment."
DOES YOUR COMDOM MAKE YOU FAT?
King
Sophie
Director
March 15, 2024
In a world where men can get pregnant, Owen wakes up with more than a hangover to fix.
BETTER is screening with The Girls’ Room by Tracey Lopes, Does Your Condom Make you Fat by Sophie King & written by Danielle Papamichael, Fifty Four Days by Cat White, and Period Drama by Evie Fehilly as part of Girls in Film & Kusini Productions FEMME FLICKS at Genesis Cinema Friday 15th March, 2024.
Hi Sophie, thanks for talking to us about your film Does Your Condom Make You Fat?, are you excited for this Friday’s screening at Genesis Cinema?
Absolutely, it’s always wonderful when films serve to bring people together, and this screening is a particularly special one given all it represents.
What does it mean to you to be part of Femme Flicks and screening your short with such an amazing selection of short films?
I feel such love from and for all the amazing people behind this event, from GiF who made our film possible, to Kusini, F5 and Dolphragon who put in the hard work of actually bringing it to life. It’s wonderful to showcase DYCMYF? alongside such talented other filmmakers and I’m really looking forwarding to seeing all their work.
Any nerves ahead of the screening?
Ha! I don’t like watching my own work at screenings - I always see something I wish I’d changed or that I feel I could have done better. But it’s great to see familiar faces and that makes it worthwhile.
How did Does Your Condom Make You Fat? come about, what was it about Danielle Papamichael’s screenplay that connected with you as a director?
It was actually ages ago during lockdown - Danielle had written an initial draft and I just found the project so compelling and easy to imagine. The tone was exactly what I was hoping to emulate in my work going forward - comedic but with a social justice point to make and moments of real dramatic tension. Beyond that I felt it was a great visual opportunity to make a film that felt contemporary and fresh, which was something I didn’t feel I had enough of in my arsenal at that point.
What was the creative experience for you working with Danielle on this project?
Danielle is wonderful to work with as she’s such a positive ball of energy. She’s relentlessly optimistic and has no limits on the heights she feels a project can reach and the impact it can have. This is such a great thing and I really hope we can work together on more stories going forward.
How different was your approach to this film compared to your previous shorts?
This was the first short I’d made after having directed a full TV series, so I suppose with a little more professionalism! I brought a lot of my TV crew onboard, and so we had a shorthand having recently spent 6 weeks together filming that sped things up a lot on the day. We were all there to make the same film for the right reasons, purely creatively driven and wanting to spend time together too, so that made for a really lovely atmosphere. I was also so happy to be working with our DOP Carmen for the first time, who I feel is going to absolutely dominate the cinematography industry very very soon.
What more can be done to platform women’s voices and experiences within the film industry?
Really all we can do is keep actually funding women’s projects rather than just talking about the imbalance. The only way a filmmaker will (and should) advance is by actually making things, and it’s so hard to get anything off the ground, especially at the moment. We must embrace and encourage remote working and regional projects, and schedule within childcare-friendly hours where possible. Be open about our commitments beyond work and not pretend work is all we live for. And hire women to tell women’s stories.
Where did your passion for filmmaking come from?
The Lord of the Rings.
And what one piece of advice would you offer someone wanting to get into filmmaking?
Just make stuff. It will be bad but your next film will be better. And be nice to everyone as you’re nothing without your cast and crew.
Finally, what would you like your audiences to take away from Does Your Condom Make You Fat?
Beyond the obvious. Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts and don’t put up with those who are reckless with yours.
"Just make stuff. It will be bad but your next film will be better."