This Monday evening we had the honour of attending the screening of Christopher Mack’s short film Diva. The choice of the subject for the film is probably no coincidence. Chrisopher himself has been working as an actor’s coach for a long time and in Diva we get a quirky and somewhat absurd insight into the life of an actor at various castings.

Although the short film has a distinctly humorous tone throughout, it also raises reflections on the power of film directors and producers. Anyone who wants to work as an actor knows from day one that it’s a job to be grateful for. That it’s a job so many others dream of that even getting to act is a win in itself. If the conditions are sometimes a little…odd, or even completely out of whack, you suck it up. Right?.. Without giving too much away, the film’s protagonist finally finds a slightly different way to get back at all the scummy producers.

Despite its short length, the film manages to address the role that intimacy coordinators have been given in recent times. In fact, after the screening was over, a woman in the audience asked:
“What exactly does an intimacy coordinator do on set?”

It’s a totally relevant question, as it’s something that over the last five years has developed at a furious pace and as Christopher Mack himself said in response to the woman, is becoming more and more a given on location during filming. Their role is to help actors and actresses feel comfortable filming sex scenes or scenes containing nudity or sensitive content.

Diva has already won several prizes and the actress Johanna Pickering who plays the main character won prize for best actress at the LAFA (Los Angeles Film Awards) in November.

Congratulations to everyone behind the film and thank you for the invitation to the Paris premiere. To all WRP listeners, we will of course update further when we know where the film will be available.

By Julia Moreau