Kamell Allaway, writer/director: SEA HORSE

Kamell Allaway directs SEA HORSE

1Q: Tell us a little about the origins of Sea Horse, from concept to financing.

Sea Horse has been a project close to my heart since 2009. Back then it was just a kernel of an idea, which developed into a short script, and then into a feature script. By 2011, I had met a series of incredibly talented artists, I had developed connections and resources in Alaska, and I had found a few private investors who were interested in supporting independent film. It all fell into place and before I knew it, we were filming in Seward, Alaska. Being that we were all in Grad School at the time, we underwent a delayed post-process. From pre-production to completion, Sea Horse was a 4-year journey.

2Q: Cinequest Film Festival is hosting the World Premiere of Sea Horse. Explain to us how it feels to bring this film before audiences for the first time, and what do you think their reaction will be to your film?

I’m incredibly excited to share our film with audiences at Cinequest. It truly is a perfect fit. I hope audiences will be challenged by Sea Horse and I hope that they enjoy investing themselves into the experience we’ve created with the film.

3Q: What was your best and/or worst experience while making Sea Horse?

Honestly, the whole experience was incredible. It was quite a journey. Making this film taught me a lot about filmmaking and a lot about myself. There was one day when we had to hike up a mountain, carrying tons of equipment, with the goal of shooting near a glacier. We were given access to shoot there, but we didn’t have an official permit. Only an hour into shooting, a ranger approached us with a document declaring that we officially could NOT shoot there. I somehow convinced him to let us go for one more hour. We kept our word and then lugged all the equipment back down the mountain. That scene got cut, haha! I think the crew wanted to strangle me (jokingly). Even challenges like that were thrilling. We always made it exciting and fun.

4Q: Festival audiences often have to make hard decisions about what to see, and the catalog descriptions sometimes run together. In your own words, why should people see your film?

Sea Horse is a film that channels the ambiguity and complex experience that is life. It explores fear and how it impacts our relationships. It explores the confusion of being lost, and the victory of being found. If you’re interested in surrealism, survival films, drama, love, or just checking out an independent film at random and talking to us about it after, then I hope to see you there!

5Q: Time to pre-plan: You just won the Oscar for Sea Horse. Give us your acceptance speech.

“Are you sure?”

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