THE VICIOUS AND THE DELICIOUS Directed By Tonnette Stanford

Indie Express: Tell us about your film?

Tonnette: The Vicious and the Delicious is an outrageous soap opera!

IE: How did you come up with the idea for the film?

T: The inspiration for the film came from watching endless joyful hours

of Bold and the Beautiful and Dynasty.

IE: How did you assemble your production team?

T: Most of the crew were friends of mine, and friends of friends. There

are a few of us who are constantly making short films and we are lways

helping each other out in the crew roles.

IE: How did you find your cast?

T: I found the cast by advertising on Internet sites for actors. Aso I

knew a few actors that were quite excellent. I

auditioned quite a few actors until I found the right cast.

IE: How long did the film take?  (From conception to final edit)

T: We shot it over 2 weekends and it took quite a few months to edit, and

then re-edit. In fact, it probably took 6 months to come to the final

edit.

IE: Tell us a little about your process of directing (writing) this film.

T: Writing the film was quite fun until it got to the point where I had

family and friends critique it. From most people I didn't get very

good feedback. I re-wrote it, and re-wrote it, but still not many

people seemed to connect with it. I was going to give up on it, but

then a friend, Melissa, rang me and told me she thought it was funny

and convinced me to give it a go. The directing process was quite

smooth and from what I gathered  everyone had a really fun time,

especially the actors who got to dress up and wear hilarious 80s

outfits.

IE: What was the most difficult part of the shoot for you?

T: The most difficult part was overcoming self-doubt. I was always sure

that this would be a film that I would enjoy, but I wasn't so certain

anyone else would.

IE: Any particular moments from filming that stand out for you?

T: There were so many hilarious moments on the set of 'The Vicious and

the Delicious' but the stand out moments were definitely filming the

dance sequence and the catfights – very, very funny to watch two grown

women fighting in flamboyant 80s dresses with mega shoulder pads.

IE: Tell us about the film's festival experience so far?

T: The film is set to screen at Palm Springs International Short

Festival, and so far the film has screened at Connecticut Gay and

Lesbian Film Festival, Inside Out Toronto LGBT film festival, London

Lesbian Film festival, Brisbane queer film festival and obviously

Frameline.

It has also been selected for distribution by Frameline in North

America, and is in negotiations for distribution in Germany, Austria

and Sweden by Salzgeber & Co. Medien GmbHHome Entertainment.

IE: What are you most looking forward to at the festival?

T: The parties and meeting lots of new people.

IE: What has been your most interesting Q&A so far?  What was your

favorite question?  How was the dialogue afterwards?

T: My film hasn't screened yet, so I'm looking forward to that next

Saturday. Last year when my film, Frontbum Dancin' screened my sister

(who acted in the film) was asked 'You are very skinny, why do you

look so large on the screen?'. She replied 'it's the magic of cinema'.

IE: What films or filmmakers inspire you?

T: So many films inspire me. I love watching films directed by women

because I believe they bring a certain energy to the screen that I

connect with. Directors such as Sophia Coppola, Jane Campion, Gillian

Armstrong and Samantha Lang. From the guys I also love Woody Allen, David Lynch,

Stanley Kubrick and Todd Solondz.

Films that inspire me include: Annie Hall, Happiness, The Piano, The

Bicycle Thief, The Well, Muriel's Wedding, Husbands and Wives,

Storytelling, Welcome to the Doll House, Bullets over Broadway,

Mulholland Drive, Beaches and who doesn't love Dirty Dancing? The list

goes on and on...

IE: What made you decide to become a filmmaker?

T: An unnatural obsession with a video camera from a young age.

IE: What is next for you?

T: I'm working on an animation about Lesbian penguins, I'm also working

on a documentary about gay bashings in Sydney and I'm developing a

short drama and a feature film.

IE: What is next for the film?

T: Hopefully it will screen at many more festivals around the world. In

Germany it will also be released as part of a compilation DVD (once

again through  Salzgeber & Co. Medien GmbHHome Entertainment).

IE: If asked to give one piece of advice to a new filmmaker making

their first short film… What would it be?

T: Work on the script as much as much as possible (and a second piece of

advice – use real actors, not your friends).

IE: What question would you like to be asked about your film?

T: Were you born with a natural talent for finding brilliant costumes for

your films?

IE: What is the Answer to that question?

T: The answer to that is 'yes'.