Fadeaway tells the story of a transgender woman living in Toronto while going through her transition, and dealing with the hardship of an unsupportive partner. I first heard about Sima Sepehri’s short film almost a year ago, when it was still in the conception stage, and knew right away that it was going to be something really special.
Now that Fadeaway is in pre-production, I was stoked to chat with the beautiful and creative Sima, the film’s creator, producer and actor about the project. You can also catch Sima in Canada’s first board game web series The Show from Snakes and Lattes.
What inspired you to come up with the idea for this short, and can you tell us a bit about your process of working with a scriptwriter to realize your vision?
Gender, in general, is very fascinating to me. I feel that in our society, we only have these two sort of limited ideas of what gender is, and these ideas are bound to a physical embodiment that doesn’t necessarily represent how every human feels.
Working with Ron Leach (writer/director) has been great because he immediately connected with the idea and was inspired to tell this story. He knows how to create moments that feel real and exciting, and the experience has been really seamless and organic.
Why is it important for you to tell this story?
It’s important because it’s a story about an every day woman. Yes, she happens to be male assigned at birth, but she’s dealing with the same things we all are. I think a lot of people can relate to having a partner that wants you to be something you’re not. And making those choices can be difficult. Especially when it’s already been a challenge to come out as who you really are.
What’s the biggest obstacle you’re facing with getting this film made?
The biggest obstacle has been raising the funds to make this film. We are almost at our $8000.00 goal with only a few days left in our indiegogo campaign. I think raising awareness on a shoe string budget is always tricky.
What’s been the toughest part of having so many roles/responsibilities on the project? What’s been the most rewarding?
Managing my time has been the toughest part of this project for me. I am trying my best to do everything I can and when things fall into place it feels so rewarding. Every little win counts. Also seeing your idea come to fruition is pretty bad ass.
Once Fadeaway is complete, where do you hope to show it?
There are many LGBT festivals we’d like to show our film, but the real hope is that this story transcends those markets and crosses over to other inclusive festivals like TIFF, Tribeca, Palm Springs, Raindance, Miami, Berlin, Los Angeles and Cannes.
What do you hope viewers take away from Fadeaway (once it’s complete)?
I hope that the audience can take away the importance of staying true to yourself, no matter who you are.
Check out Fadeaway’s indiegogo campaign page to learn more about the film, or to make a contribution.
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