Celia Rowlson-Hall – director and actress – Ma.
Director, actress, and choreographer Celia Rowlson-Hall talks about the way the Bible inspired her dialogue-less film MA, which was presented as a special screening in the Venice Days section of the 72nd Venice Film Festival. Celia tells us about the journey of self-discovery she undertook through this project, as a woman and an artist, and the way in which she managed to direct whilst being in front of the camera.
MA: ‘In this modern-day vision of Mother Mary’s pilgrimage, a woman crosses the scorched landscape of the American Southwest. Reinvented and told entirely through movement, the film playfully deconstructs the role of this woman, who encounters a world full of bold characters that are alternately terrifying and sublime. Ma is a journey into the visceral and the surreal, interweaving ritual, performance, and the body as sculpture. The absence of dialogue stirs the senses, and leads us to imagine a new ending to this familiar journey. The virgin mother gives birth to our saviour, but is also challenged to save herself.’ (Venice Days).