BFI FUTURE FILM FESTIVAL 2025
Julia Mervis
The Golden Postbox
FESTIVAL SCREENING
Thursday Shorts 20th Feb, 2025
FEB, 9, 2025
Members of the public ruminate on the impact of Sheffield’s golden postbox on the local community, a souvenir from the fever dream that was the year 2012.
Hi Julia, it’s lovely to have this opportunity to talk with you again. How does it feel to back back at BFI Future Film Festival with your latest film The Golden Postbox?
Heya! Yes I’m so happy & grateful to be back at the festival. Feel very lucky!
We spoke last year about your rally fascinating documentary London's Rocketship Launchers (I actually live near one of these structures). What was your time at the festival like and what was some of the things you took away from your time at FFF?
The festival was one of the highlights of last year! It was such a huge boost and learning opportunity for me on my first film! And the festival itself is so thoughtfully organised and I loved getting to properly meet all the other filmmakers, watching their films and going to the workshops. Genuinely couldn’t recommend it more… and I’ll probs be applying again next year if I can aha!
What did it mean to you to be 1 of 6 filmmakers selected for the Sheffield Doc Fest filmmaker challenge?
I’m going to run out of adjectives soon but it was such a great experience. I hadn’t done anything like that before (or even been to Sheffield Doc Fest)- but it was so much fun and a great opportunity to experiment and again meet loads of nice people . It did feel a bit like we were part of a game show though, as we did only see/ talk/ think about the challenge for 5 days.
What was the experience like being mentored by award-winning filmmaker Julie Cohen?
Julie Cohen is amazing! She is just the ideal mentor and has gone above and beyond, helping me out since then when I’ve needed advice/ looking over a pitch/ general bits.
Was there any advice Julie offered you that’s really resonated with you?
I initially thought I should make a film that was really different to London’s Rocketship Launchers – even losing the voice over- just for the sake of it. But Julie reminded me that I can make what I want to and encouraged me to stick with my guts!
How important are festivals like BFI Future Film Festival, in creating a platform for short films and filmmakers?
Hugely! I feel like BFI Future Film gives emerging filmmakers such an invaluable platform and access to a network that can be so hard to find. And the films they programme seem to have such a breadth and really do showcase everyone’s creativity and experimentations, which is very fun to be a part of.
Short films are a vital medium in the film industry, yet there are few opportunities for the public, outside of festivals, to see them. What more can be done to make short films more visible and accessible to the wider cinema audiences?
Hmmmm maybe more on streaming platforms and also more awareness of the festivals outside the film industry bubble. Like maybe a short film screening at North Finchley Vue is needed.
Can you tell me a little bit about how The Golden Postbox came about. What was the inspiration behind your short? What was it about this golden post box in Sheffield that struck a cord with you as a filmmaker?
I hadn’t thought about them for ages until a friend of mine from Chester randomly mentioned it. I started to do more digging and the more I read about the postboxes’ story, the more I was just completely drawn in. I found out that the postboxes were initially painted as a temporary measure, but people got so excited that it had to be made permanent. I was overwhelmed with 2012 nostalgia- like when the Queen jumped out of the helicopter at the Olympic opening ceremony and we all lost our minds. Or drawing a moustache on my finger and uploading it to Facebook. So much seemed to have changed since 2012. And I wanted to capture that in this very short film.
Going into making this film you must have had some questions about what these post boxes meant (my gran used to called them pillar boxes) since making the film and screening it with audiences do you think you been able to have some of these questions answered?
I love in documentary that you never know exactly what people are going to say or how they will react. I had the idea I wanted to capture the changing times and optimism and space but I didn’t know I’d meet such great people. I don’t think I really answered any questions, but hopefully it’s a bit of a thinker!
What are the biggest changes to your filmmaking approach been since your debut short?
I think a big thing has just being actually believing in it and believing there is a place for it! I remember a year ago I obviously couldn’t imagine actually calling myself a director. But then a really nice director referred to me as one, and I was like wait what. Obviously I’m still very much emerging, but I think just gaining that feeling of like yeah go on then I can make some films! And this is a big part of what the BFI Future Film fest offers people.
What has been the most valuable lesson you discovered about yourself as a filmmaker during the making of The Golden Postbox?
That I don’t know how to pronounce ‘grandiose’ … ffs.
"I want to keep pushing myself and trying lots of new things and seeing what emerges."
Is there any advice you wish you had been given when you started your filmmaking journey?
I think follow what interests and excites you! Make the film that you want to talk about and tell everyone about (but don’t tell it too much that you use up all the fun before actually making it).
Moving forward, what themes and subjects are you looking to explore with future films?
I want to keep pushing myself and trying lots of new things and seeing what emerges. Maybe I’ll make a poignant observational doc or even some f*ction. But probs not. I’ve just finished the edit of a doc about a controversial Facebook article.
And finally, what message would you want your audiences to take away from The Golden Postbox?
Damn!