By Nisrine Amine and Gia Frino
Nisrine Amine | Writer
I was sitting at a café writing the final draft of Apricot. When I got to the last word on the page, the song ‘Valerie’ by Amy Winehouse came shooting out of the café speakers; this was my grandmother’s favourite song. I knew in that moment that she was looking down on me. And that this script was the start of something very special.
There is no experience more liberating in filmmaking than throwing your story and characters into the wind and knowing that they’ll land into capable hands. It was not only the technical experience of our cast and crew that ‘set me free’ (for lack of a better expression) but it was their connection to the story – they’d all had a story to tell about their own denture-less grandmothers – that made the experience richer and more fulfilling.
Apricot is a comedy that captures a very simple kitchen-table incident between a young girl and her grandmother. At its essence, however, it is a story of ageing, sacrifice and what it means to be a family. It is a universal story, one that audiences will undoubtedly relate to regardless of where they live, what they believe in, or who they sleep next to at night. And I think the world needs a story like this. Especially at these times.
Barbara Roumanous was a plump, eccentric woman who had a cheeky sense of humour and an unhealthy obsession with ripened apricots. She also had gentle hands and loved unconditionally. And, just quietly, I always thought she would’ve made a famous film star. Thanks to Apricot, the whole world will now have the pleasure of knowing her.
I hope I’ve done you proud, Sitoo. Enjoy the lights.
Gia Frino | Producer
When I first read Apricot, I couldn’t help but laugh. It made me think about my relationship with my grandmother and my children’s relationship with their grandmother and I knew I wanted to make this short. We started with script development and moved through all the normal stages of making a film. Like any project it’s not without its ups and downs; I feel I have grown from those experiences and have taken that knowledge forward to other projects. Nisrine had organised a crowdfunding campaign before I was involved in the project, we then received funding from ScreenNSW as part of their SEED funding initiative and with that small budget we headed into Production.
We were able to bring a great cast and crew together with 11 out of the 15 cast and crew roles filled by females. There is nothing more exciting than creating something and then being able to send it out into the world. Apricot is about relationships, and how we deal and adapt with what life throws at us. I think it is something we can all relate to on an emotional level. I can’t wait for audiences to see Apricot and to see if they fall in love with the great characters just like I did.
