[Editorial] Spotlight on… Filmmaker Alice Maio Mackay

Recently I got the chance to sit down and have a conversation with the delightful Alice Maio Mackay, a young award winning film-maker based in Adelaide, South Australia. Alice is a sixteen year old trans creator that produces her work under her own business, One Manner Productions.

First, let me start by telling you about her work…

The first piece I got to see was The Serpent’s Nest, a short film with a runtime of only 26 minutes, it was co-written with Benjamin Pahl Robinson.

This was an excellent bite-sized coming-of-age story that revolves around Sophia (Jamila Main), a non-binary teenager that’s just moved to a new town with their dad. They’re someone who has never fit in and eventually they stopped trying to, but then they meet Gen (Felicia Tassone), who is rebellious and confident. The two of them bond very quickly and Sophia is introduced to the world of punk, drugs and dark magic.

I connected with The Serpent’s Nest and it’s characters instantly, as a non-binary person raised by a single parent I found I had a lot in common with Sophia, as well as the thematic elements of their story which were relatable on so many levels. Not only was the writing great, it was so well shot and had a clear aesthetic that I really loved to see. I thought that Jamila and Felixia did an amazing job portraying these characters and they had amazing chemistry with one another. For a story told in such a short running time it was very well paced with not one moment wasted.

Alice hopes to get The Serpent’s Nest released at some point in late 2021, and I highly recommend seeing it the moment it becomes available.

Next I had the opportunity to see Tooth 4 Tooth, an award-winning horror short that Alice directed, co-wrote and co-produced in 2020. This is a queer story that follows Dove (Shabana Azeez), an activist who’s working with her friend Chris (Max Garcia-Underwood) to try and figure out who’s killing gay men and leaving their bodies to be found completely drained of blood.

They quickly learn they’re dealing with vampires that are separated into two different factions. The first is led by Jordan (Vincent Donato) and their group drinks the blood of people who are afraid. The other consists of only two vampires: Layla (Charlotte Jakubowski) and Prick (James McCluskey-Garcia), and they feed on people who are fuelled by hate.

This is a metaphor you really can’t miss and I love that this short is about so much more than just warring vampires, it has something to say and this is clear the moment it opens with a voice over discussing the nature of hate crimes today, as we see one taking place on screen during the title credits. It’s a dark and gritty exploration of the injustice and hatred that’s so often directed towards the LGBTQ+ community, while remaining visually pleasing with it’s stylistic neon lighting and blood dripping frames. Even though the subject matter is serious it’s still fun and thrilling, with moments that made me genuinely laugh. However, the best part was the characters that I fell for and became attached to immediately, as well as the very important social commentary that resonated deeply with me as a queer person.

Alice has also worked on other projects, such as her adaptation of a Stephen King short story in 2018, when she acquired the rights to make A Tale of the Laundry Game; a sixteen minute short that was accepted into multiple international festivals and won several awards. Those awards, for cinematography, editing and directing were well deserved, with the film showing her deft hand at building tension and creating atmosphere.

But now, finally, I want to talk to you about So Vam!

Alice’s latest project is one I’m incredibly excited about…
So Vam! is a feature film that follows Kurt (Xai), an outcast who lives in a small conservative town and dreams of moving to the city to become a famous drag queen. When he’s kidnapped by a predatory old vampire and killed, he’s rescued just in time to be resurrected by a gang of rebellious vamps who feed on bigots and abusers. As a vampire, Kurt finally knows empowerment and belonging, but his killer is still out there, and until he faces that monster he will never truly be free. But this time he doesn’t have to face it alone.

So firstly, I love everything about this premise. Trans and non-binary vampires that kill bigots? Umm, yes please, that’s everything I’ve ever wanted.

But on a more serious note, this movie sounds not only fun as hell but like the rest of Alice’s work it also has something to say, and the messages in it are not only beautiful but very important for people to hear, especially right now.

So Vam! takes a look at what it means to be yourself. Alice told me it was about “being empowered and loved and accepted, against all opposition.”

As someone with a found family in the queer community I loved learning that it delves into the idea that no matter who you are you have people out there, who will stick with you through it all and love you for who you are.

Right now we need to not only speak out about the things that matter, things that might be painful to talk about, but we also need to see queer joy and hear messages that are hopeful too.

So Vam! was shot in just seven days and is currently in post-production. This was a labour of love, created by a cast and crew that were all very passionate and dedicated, and I really think this film could be something special.

But it needs a little help getting finished.

Alice, who has been working hard to get it made, is raising money to fund that process. All the donations will go to the editing, VFX, sound design and music, as well as getting it ready for marketing, distribution and film festivals.

You can find the GoFundMe for So Vam! here, and even if you can’t donate, please share in order to get the word out.

https://au.gofundme.com/f/so-vam-queer-horror-feature-film

One last note…

A subject Alice and I talked about a lot was also a deeply important one, and that was the value of diversity both on camera and behind it too. We discussed how vital it is for the people representing these marginalised communities to actually belong to them, or at the very least tell those stories for the right reasons. Basically, these portrayals deserve to be authentic and done in a way that won’t harm or further stigmatise an already marginalised community.

We both agreed that it’s necessary to create these safe spaces as often as possible, because as of right now there aren’t enough of them in the film industry, which has a habit of using minorities to make itself look more inclusive than it actually is.

It was evident in the way she spoke that Alice cares a lot about making her sets one of those places, and that she wanted to tell stories that represented all sorts of communities, with layered characters who were portrayed as so much more than just a stereotype.

A small detail I really liked was that she specifically mentioned how they would make sure to get everyone’s pronouns right on set. As someone who is misgendered on a daily basis this was something I greatly appreciated, and it just made me think about how that’s the sort of environment I’d like to find myself working in one day.

It’s so important that these are the kind of people and companies being invested in right now, we need more people that will prioritise these things and tell stories that show more than one perspective, and I’m certain that Alice is one of those people.

So please, check out her work and consider donating, and if you can’t then think about sharing in order to help get So Vam! completed and out into the world.

You can find Alice on Instagram at @alice_maiomackay and her business at @onemannerproductions which can also be found on Facebook under the same name.

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