Dundee’s favourite horror film festival, Dundead, is fast approaching, and with it is a wealth of new talent for the city’s cinephiles to discover.
Take for example Dalila Droege, an LA-based writer, director and classical musician whose feature-length debut, No More Time, is making its way to the DCA early next month for its UK premiere.
The film, which was made during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, follows couple Steve and Hilaire as they seek refuge in a remote mountain town to escape a mysterious disease that makes some people disappear and others turn into hateful murderers.
If that sounds like a satire of the pandemic itself, that’s because it is.
Created as a collaboration between Dalila, her husband Jay Keitel (cinematography) and their friends Mark Reeb (Steve) and Jennifer Harlow (Hilaire), the script was written in just six weeks, and the group shot the film in Crested Butte, Colarado during the 2020 lockdown.
For Dalila, it was a chance to “have a bit of fun with it, and poke holes in both sides of the political spectrum” as divisions became apparent during the crisis.
Ahead of the premiere at Dundead, I caught up with Dalila to find out what really scares someone who makes a living out of frightening audiences.
31 questions with Dalila Droege
Dundead is, at its heart, a horror festival – what’s the scariest movie you’ve seen?
I’ve never been more scared after a film than the first time I saw the Shining.
Your film No More Time takes place during a pandemic and was made during one
– what was the biggest challenge posed to the project by the pandemic?
Figuring out how to make a movie while keeping everyone safe was the hardest
thing about filming during the pandemic. We were able to film with a very tiny crew
and most of our locations were outside. We were also lucky that the town we filmed
in had almost no cases at the time we were filming.
You’re a classical pianist and sound is a big part of your filmmaking. What was the sound of the pandemic to you?
For me it was the sound of songbirds. I live in downtown Los Angeles in a very
industrial neighborhood. During the early days of the pandemic when no one was
driving or flying, the air cleared, the sky got bluer and all sorts of birds appeared in
our apartment garden. We even had a mockingbird serenading us at night.
You’re a natural storyteller – tell me a scary story in five words or less?
Mother made me do it.
Who do you think is making the most exciting films at the moment?
My favourite filmmaker right now is Lee Chang Dong. It is so exciting to see him mix
his form of social realism with genre filmmaking. For example in his last film Burning:
to have a film work perfectly on all those levels – as a nail biting thriller, meaningful
social commentary, and a film of rare psychological understanding – all together –
that is just unreal.
Favourite line/scene from a movie?
Right now it is “I am your Mother!” from The Babadook.
‘I would abolish muzak’
What would you have done if you hadn’t done the job you’re doing now?
I would love to go back in time and grow up being in bands, as opposed to having
studied classical music. I would have had a freer sense of making music.
Where in the world are you happiest?
Swimming in the ocean or directing on set.
Favourite part of Scotland to explore?
So far I’ve been to St Andrews, Inverness, and the Isle of Skye, and my favorite
part of Scotland I’ve seen was the farmlands driving up to Inverness. The feeling of
the landscape with the low walls and rows of trees gave me such a sense of
homesickness, even though I’d never been there before.
Last book you read?
I am currently reading The House of Psychotic Women by Kier-La Janisse.
Music you listen to in the car?
At the moment I am in love with this classical music ensemble called Le Concert
de La Loge – they play Mozart on period instruments with a very audacious style,
like how I imagine people would have heard it back then – exciting and new and in
your face.
Who inspires you?
Rebecca Solnit, Elena Ferrante, Elif Batuman, Rachel Cusk. Lately it’s been
women writers like these helping me rearrange my brain and clear out some of the
garbage that’s still in there from growing up in a very patriarchal society and family.
Also my two 15-year-old nieces.
Your house is on fire – which item do you save?
My hard drive.
First thing you’d do if you won £1 million?
Invest.
If you could rule for a day, what would be the first thing you would do?
I would abolish muzak.
‘A tree fell and hit me over the hit’
Favourite holiday destination?
Places are always changing and we are always changing, so I don’t believe you
can go back to the same place twice. But I love being quiet in unspoiled nature and
feeling like a small animal part of it all.
What makes you happy?
Making a movie and collaborating with other people makes me happy.
What makes you sad?
How psychologically ignorant we are as a society. How little people understand
about how to raise a healthy child. How much harm we do to each other without
realizing.
Write your epitaph?
I almost died last year – a tree fell and hit me over the head. I realized my story
could end at any point, without getting to “the end.” It made me question the
truthfulness of narrative structure. Is this an answer?
Do you believe in love at first sight?
I believe when someone has an undeniable initial attraction to someone they
should run in the opposite direction.
What was the first album you ever bought?
I honestly can’t remember. Something classical, since I was rebelling against my
parents, who only listened to rock and roll.
What is the best advice you have ever received, and who did it come from?
The best advice was about dating (but could be applied to anything). It was from
my older friend/ mother figure, who told me “Don’t go to the store hungry and just
grab whatever is on the shelf. Make a list, and be specific.”
What do you do to unwind?
I walk in nature, watch stand up comedy specials, and take CBD salt baths.
‘Look for a really good therapist’
Biggest regret?
There’s too many to choose!
What or who are you proudest of?
I’m pretty proud of our film No More Time.
If you could turn back the clock what one thing would you change?
I would have taken a film class sooner.
What advice would you give to your younger self?
I would tell her to look for a really good therapist. I used to think if I made the right
decision everything would be different. Now I know that change has to start inside.
What’s the hardest thing you’ve ever had to do?
Coming to terms with the truth of my family and myself was the most painful and
difficult thing I’ve ever done.
Hardest thing you had to give up during the pandemic?
Time with friends.
Could you save someone’s life if they were dying in the street?
Probably not! I have no medical skills.
What’s your motto?
Know yourself.
No More Time by Dalila Droege will show at the DCA cinema on May 13 at 3.30pm as part of the Dundead festival programme. For more information or to book tickets, visit the DCA website.
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