by Dov Kornits
“Well, it’s based on a true story… I really did forget to pick up his ashes,” admits Georgina Haig when we chat about her first foray into film directing, Ashes, which is screening at Flickerfest.
Haig’s father Russell Hagg, Art Director on two very significant films in cinema history, A Clockwork Orange and The Girl on a Motorcycle, as well as co-writer of Aussie cult classic, BMX Bandits, passed away in 2022.
“Dad really was a very punctual person to the point where he had literally said to me, ‘lateness is a form of tyranny’. And we argued about it a lot because I didn’t always agree with that. But I was so devastated when I forgot because it was so ironic and heartbreaking to me that I’d failed dad in this area that was so important to him and how he judged good character.”
Forgetting to pick up her father’s ashes planted a seed in Georgina’s mind. “I started thinking… ‘well, is that enough to make me on time now, or am I still going to be late?’ How big an emotional slap do you need to really change?”
As well as directing, Georgina stars in the film, alongside Michael Caton and Michala Banas.
“We’d worked together on Back to The Rafters. I needed someone a bit cheeky to pull off someone intelligent, charming, and cheeky. So, Michael was perfect,” she says about casting the legendary Michael Caton (The Castle), who had never her father in real life.
“We met at a poetry reading for the Sydney Writers Festival,” Georgina says about casting Michala Banas [below] in a small but pivotal role in the film. “I’d always admired her, and I just thought she’d be perfect for it because she has that comedic timing, but also that sincerity and that weight, and because the tone of the film is kind of tricky, it’s not straight up comedy… It needs someone who can still play the weight of it too.
“I decided to be in it because… it was almost maybe a comfort thing because I’ve been acting for so long… It is what I know and it’s what I feel most comfortable in. And because the story had all just happened to me, it just felt easier for me to do it.”
In her film Ashes, the father character tries to teach his daughter a lesson for her tardiness. What lessons has Georgina Haig learnt from making the film? “My comeuppance was, I learned how hard it is to make a short film! But, I learned a lot and it’s definitely the most meaningful thing I’ve done. It was so wonderful to get to work on something from start to finish and see something through and collaborate with amazing people. And I loved the process. And now we’ve been nominated for an AACTA award, which is incredible.
Shot over 3 days in Georgina’s hometown in the Mornington Peninsula, Ashes was financed through a crownfunding campaign and personal funds. “We paid pretty much everyone,” Georgina admits. “There was a couple of people who insisted on donating their time, which was so generous of them. But we budgeted to pay every single person at least award equity minimum. And I just found I really wanted to do that because I learned a lot doing that. I learned a lot with budgeting, but also, the whole thing was such an emotional upheaval for me, when you pay someone for their time, you’re relying on them in a different way than if you’re not. I just needed to know that everyone was going to show up and we’re committed to it in that way. And also, out of respect for crew and the work that they do.”
Out of the Ashes experience … Georgina Haig is now busy planning various other projects, which she promises that she will not be late for. “My husband’s a script writer (Josh Mapleston, Surviving Summer), and we’re always working on projects. I’ve got a feature script that I’m almost ready to start taking out to people very soon, and a few other projects on the go as well. And then there’s always acting stuff…”
Ashes screens in the Short Laughs Comedy 1 – 2024 program at Flickerfest on 25 January 2024.
