Special Sundance 2006 Edition

"Undressing My Mother" Ireland, 2004, 5 Minutes, color
Director: Ken Wardrop 

PEOPLE Profile: Featuring
Director: Ken Wardrop

Exclusive Fanclubx.com Interview by: Luis Pedron

Luis: As you know, my website Fanclubx.com is about encouraging other filmmakers and
other artists about pursuing their dreams. I would like to interview you about your
current success as an Irish filmmaker  with a film in one of the World's Premiere Film Festival
which is called Sundance. Please desrcibe your excitement about attending the
festivities this coming Jan 19 - 29, 2006?   

Ken Wardrop: Firstly, we're delighted to have our film screening at this prestigious  festival.
There haven't been many Irish films accepted to Sundance  before so we are particularly
delighted to be representing Irish  filmmaking at the festival. With regards to our
preparation for the  festival we are finding the process difficult as we are both working
diligently on other projects at the moment. We had committed ourselves  to these projects
prior to our Sundance invitation and therefore  finding time to do the necessary
publicising etc has been tough. This  said we are hoping that our film will be able to
sneak in under the  radar.

Luis: Ken, as the director of this short film, would you mind describing your project?

Ken: “Undressing my Mother” is a poignant documentary that explore’s a  woman’s unique
attitude to her overweight and aging body. It is a  rich visual story, “Undressing my Mother” is
both funny and raw in  its depiction of the universal themes of love and loss. I chose
to film my  mother’s naked body, to  ultimately reveal a touching love story.

Luis: Very intriguing, now I really want to watch the film.....by the way,has your
short been screened in Europe?

Ken: The film is one of Ireland’s most successful short films of all time,  receiving
awards at over 25 International Film Festivals. It recently  won Best Short Film at the
prestigious European Film Academy Awards. Irish audiences are going to be able to judge the film for themselves  this spring when Buena Vista International will distribute it in front  of a feature release. It
is expected that even the conservatives among  the audience will be touched by this film’s
ability to make people both  laugh and cry within its short five minutes. 

Luis: Wow, congratulations.Please share with our readers about your pursuit of shooting
this film? Any technical tips you want to share with us?

Ken:  The film’s success is a true testiment to guerilla filmmaking and the  independent
spirit. Produced as a graduate project at the National Film  School of Ireland, it was shot on
location in the filmmaker’s family  home with a crew of three people. Its producer Andrew
Freedman also  edited the film to keep within its $2,000 budget. The film was shot on an
Arri Super 16 Camera (kodak stock) and edited  on an Avid Media Composer. These are the
standard equipment available  to us at the National Film School.
Nonetheless these would be our  equipment of choice for this particularly film.

Luis: Who do you dedicate this film to?

Ken: The film is obviously dedicated to my mother and father because  without their love
affair there would be no "Undressing my Mother".

Luis: Again, congratulations my friend and thank you for encouraging us to pursue our craft. See you at the Festival.

"Undressing my Mother" is scheduled as part of the Shorts Program II

Sundance Film Festival 2006 Screening Times
 
Friday , Jan 20  8:30 AM  Racquet Club  SHRT220RM 
Saturday , Jan 21  1:30 PM  Holiday Village Cinema IV  SHRT2214D 
Sunday , Jan 22  3:00 PM  Broadway Centre Cinemas IV, SLC  SHRT222BA 
Tuesday , Jan 24  5:30 PM  Prospector Square Theatre  SHRT224PE 
Saturday , Jan 28  9:15 PM  Holiday Village Cinema III  SHRT2283N 
   
 
"Undressing my Mother" Director: Ken Wardrop
Ken Wardrop recently completed his studies at the ADT National Film School in Ireland.
During his time there, he specialized in directing documentary film. His films include the
awarding-winning shorts Dampened Spirits, Love Is Like a Butterfly, and Useless Dog.
He has also won the O2 Student Film of the Year Award for the last two years. He and former
classmate Andrew Freedman cofounded the production company Venom Film. They are currently developing both short and feature projects

Website: www.venom.ie

A poignant documentary that explores a woman's unique take on her overweight and aging body.

Producers : Andrew Freedman, Kristin Brook Larsen
Cinematographer : Michael Lavelle
Camera Operator : Kate McCullough
Music Composer : Denis Clohessy
Cast : Ethel Wardrop
 
www.imdb.com/title/tt0450518/

Film Contact
 
Andrew Freedman
Venom Film
Ireland 
 
freedman@venom.ie