(New Amazon, Itunes, IndieFilms Digital Release)
By William Hagle
Los Angeles, CA (The Hollywood Times) 10/19/16 – IN THE FILM Nora’s broken life lands her back home with her aging father. There with sister Shannon they uncover the painful reality that drove Nora to drink, despair and confusion.
The Hollywood Times (THT) Q and A follows on how to take film festival winner Solitary to World-Wide Digital Distribution.
Featured Cast and Crew
Roger Taylor: Executive Producer, Score
Sarina Taylor: Executive Producer/Producer/Supporting Role
Katharine McEwan: Producer/Writer/Star
Mari Walker: Editor/Co Producer:
Sasha Krane: Director:
THT: Tell about the obvious chemistry between Katharine and Sarina who played sisters Nora and Shannon.
Katharine: Sarina and I are lifelong friends; we met each other through a mutual friend in
London. We’ve always been very close, but the experience of making SOLITARY together has
definitely deepened the relationship for me. There’s an enormous level of trust that’s required
when embarking on any artistic endeavor, but filmmaking can be particularly harrowing due to
the sheer number of moving parts involved. Knowing we had each other’s backs made all the
difference.
I think what I appreciated the most about working with Sarina was our ability to keep a sense of
humor throughout. Being able to step away and laugh about everything definitely helped! In
terms of playing sisters on screen, our friendship was invaluable as we already had an emotional
shorthand at our fingertips.
Sarina: I feel like Katharine and I have always known each other, as if we had known each other
even before we met. Making the film together seemed incredibly natural and nothing felt
forced. I think we each brought different strengths and skills to the table which complimented
the process and made me feel safe. Katharine is a rock and her vision, enthusiasm and
determination is infectious. Sharing this experience with her definitely cemented our friendship
and “sisterhood” even further. Being able to laugh and cry and scream with one another
without feeling judged, is a real gift.
THT: Doing a movie on this tough topic was brave . Did you forge ahead for love of the film or money?
Katharine: Everyone we spoke to in the industry told us how hard it would be to make this
movie, but luckily neither Sarina or I have ever been much for rules, so we didn’t let that put us
off! SOLITARY was always intended to be a movie for people who could relate to the issues we
were exploring. We had a hugely successful festival run in 2015 in terms of audience support,
but it wasn’t until the 2016 Oscars that things started turning around for us in regards to the
industry. Vice President Biden speaking out about sexual assault on college campuses, Lady
Gaga’s performance of ‘Til it Happens To You,’… SPOTLIGHT winning best picture all these
things helped create a new conversation around a sadly all too common issue.
Sarina: I never really thought about the film making money. We wanted to tell a story that
made a difference to people, a story that would let people know they aren’t alone in their
anguish. I think that the need for making a film with a message, that would “make a difference”
in people’s lives was key.
Sasha : The choice to make this film was deeply personal. One glance at the disturbing statistics
of rape and sexual assault makes it painfully apparent that most people have been affected by
this issue, either directly or indirectly. Sometimes a story needs to be told, regardless of
commercial success or failure.
THT: From early break-through success at festivals, through the digital distribution process, what did it really take for this film’s success?
Katharine: I think as an indie filmmaker, tenacity and staying power are the two most important
qualities you can possess. Becoming distracted by other things simply wasn’t an option as there
was no other way to get this film made except through sheer hard work and determination.
Sarina: Katharine and I are never ones to give up on anything we set our minds to. We made the
decision to make a film and see it through to distribution. I think what we did, was turn the
obstacles (and there were many) into an obstacle course that we wanted to finish, rather than it
finish us! Our sense of humour definitely helped us over the tallest hurdles! 🙂
THT: Sarina, now that you’ve been lauded as best actress in your first major film, is more acting in your cards?
Sarina: I was very blessed and humbled to have received the best actress award for my role in
Solitary at the Idylwild International festival of Cinema. As producers, Katharine and I feel
equally as blessed and humbled to have received the festival success which Solitary has. I have
always loved film and am incredibly happy to be pursuing a future in it. I find every role that I
play equally as challenging and cathartic, in some way as the previous.
THT: As a producer and star of a successful movie, what other mountains are you
climbing?
Katharine: Truthfully, this movie has been a full time job since it started so I haven’t had a whole
lot of time to focus on much else. I have since produced two shorts – one being with our amazing
editor and co-producer Mari Walker called SWIM which I’m really excited for.
I’m looking forward to seeing what comes along next acting-wise now. I’m reading scripts at the
moment and starting to consider what my next project will be.
THT: Other players to note here? Other thoughts?
Sasha: Being the only American amongst a largely British crew took a little getting used to.
Initially, the set was a bit more formal and reserved than I was used to. But I’m pleased to
report that by the end of the shoot we were all much more relaxed and joking around with each
other.
Since I am married to Katharine, I will concede that in civilian life she is my “de facto boss”.
However, as an actor and filmmaker she is a complete professional and handed over the reins to
me on set. Thinking about it, we should probably do more films together.
Mari: Throughout the festival run over the past year, I had the great opportunity to speak to
audiences across the country and there was one recurring observation: more stories like
SOLITARY need to be told. The desire for female-driven stories is strong and they are still
woefully underdeveloped and underfunded in Hollywood. I hope in the near future, we’ll find a
film like SOLITARY to be commonplace rather than an outlier and that more unique,
independent and minority perspectives will be seen.
Katharine: SOLITARY would not have been possible without our Executive Producer Roger Taylor (drummer for Queen).
Roger has always been a huge champion of artistic freedom and self-expression, and his
renegade spirit infused our entire production. He ultimately gave us the opportunity to make the
film we wanted to make, and never once suggested that we dilute or compromise our vision for
the film.
The New Digital Release can be found at: Itunes, Amazon and Indie Film
YouTube and IMDb Link for Solitary:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGEAlcJNmL4
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Award-winning British drama about a fractured family, a terrible mistake and a shocking confession. Coming to iTunes, Amazon & IndieFlix November 1st.
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