Sophia Banks started her career as a stylist and designer, before starting her career as a film director with Making It On Time (2017), a short film for fashion designer Christian Siriano. Her last two short films have showcased an interest in science fiction; Unregistered (2018) premiered at Tribeca Film Festival and went the extra mile, offering an immersive VR experience to viewers, whilst Proxy (2020) is a slick, intriguing vision of how we might choose to deal with our traumas and emotions in future.
Having recently reviewed Proxy, I jumped at the chance to ask Sophia a few questions about the film, as well as her other work and future plans.
[WP] Hi, thank you for talking to Warped Perspective! Firstly, you seem to be drawn to science fiction, given your last two films – but not in the sense of sci-fi on a grand scale, more in how it impacts upon human relationships. What is it which draws you to this?
[SB] I like to tell stories that get a message across to people in ways that are interesting and different. Sci-fi is such a great genre because you can create future scenarios based on the idea that this could be an eventuality, should we continue down the same path we are on today.
[WP] Tell us about how you came to make Proxy. What was the key thing which got your interest, and what did you hope to achieve with it?
[SB] I had been wanting to do something with some friends of mine – Dominick Joseph Luna and Emma Booth – for some time and Dominick, who is the writer of Proxy, brought some incredible ideas to the table. We decided to develop Proxy based on an interesting article about boutique services in Japan where they are currently providing ‘Proxies’ to people, filling in holes in their lives.
[WP] Emma Booth is phenomenal in the film as Victoria, one of the ‘Proxies’ who goes out to provide these services. Tell us about the process of finding her and working with her. How challenging was it to direct this performance?
[SB] Emma Booth is a fellow Aussie and I have always admired her incredible talent as an actress. We met some years ago, being both Australian and in LA, and knew we wanted to connect on the right project in the future. Proxy was that project and I feel fortunate to have chosen this one to be our first collaborations.
[WP] Did any other films influence Proxy? I felt perhaps there were some connections to Under the Skin (2013).
[SB] I think Proxy is so unique and interesting on its own but I will say that as a director I do pull inspiration from many places. Blade Runner was a huge inspiration for me with this one, tonally.
[WP] As a short film maker, does it surprise or sadden you that the format is frequently underappreciated and often unseen by many people who might love these films. I tend to see short films at film festivals, but rarely again after that. Do you foresee this ever changing?
[SB] That’s an interesting question and perspective on it. I have always seen short filmmaking as a way to express myself creatively without having to go through the sometimes longer process of getting a feature film made, and I’ve used short films as a stepping stone to greater things. For instance, my film Unregistered which premiered at Tribeca got a lot of attention and helped me to get in front of CAA. I was signed with them in a matter of months. I think if you can project where you want to go with your short film and use every outlet to get it into the right hands, it can be a tool to the next step in your career.
[WP] So speaking of which, please tell us what you have going on next in your career – current situation notwithstanding, of course. What are your next plans?
[SB] Currently I’m in Australia prepping to direct my first feature film Blacksite with Thunder Road (John Wick, Sicario) and Asbury Park Pictures producing. It’s an action-packed thriller and I am really honoured to join the ranks of female filmmakers to get involved in this genre. Additionally, we are working on developing several television shows with my team at Banks Films and looking forward to 2021.
[WP] All the very best of luck with these projects. Finally, do you have any other comments?
[SB] Thank you for taking the time to interview me!
Many thanks to Sophia Banks for her time. To find out more about Sophia Banks and her work to date, please visit her website here.