by FilmInk Staff
We asked Charles Williams to encapsulate the ride since winning the Palme d’Or in 2018.
“Since premiering a year ago, the life of the film is definitely more than I could have imagined. I felt almost delusional making it, it was so personal and specific, and something which didn’t exactly inspire a huge amount of confidence in anyone at the time. So to see how it has resonated around the world, and here at home, has been incredible.
“One of the many great things about winning Cannes is that it was the film’s premiere. I’d only just finished it. So after that, it felt like the pressure was off. I could hand it over to the distributor and sales agent to a certain extent, and just get to work on the feature (INSIDE).
“There’s been a lot to capitalise on since then, a lot of people I didn’t expect got in touch and have been asking for the next film, so thankfully I received development support from Screen Australia and have been able to focus on that.
“INSIDE was selected for TIFF’s filmmaker lab this year which was a great opportunity and led to the Golden Globes selecting me for their residency in LA in January as well. I’ve really wanted to live up to the success of the short, so it’s really great to see the feature receive such a positive response as well.
“All of these opportunities just didn’t exist for me before. I’ve never even received funding and my filmmaking hopes felt kind of on their last legs making this film, so this has felt like a kind of overwhelming relief more than anything.
“Amidst all of the amazing accolades the film has received, one of the craziest for me personally was being bought by Criterion. Watching that logo come up at the start of my film.. then the Palme d’Or laurel… it’s was something I’d have been reluctant to even dream about.
“It’s so tough getting traction and support when you’re making films. All the success of this film has meant that, at least for the moment, I don’t need to feel so delusional about the prospects of making the next one. Not as delusional anyway.”
