Firebird

BACKGROUND Firebird is a narrative revenge film, written, directed and co-produced by the researcher. Dominant approaches in revenge cinema often provide affirming portrayals of violent vengeance. Simkin points to examples such as The Punisher (2004), A Man Apart (2003) and Death Wish (1974) in which “the audience is invited to relish, within safe, fictional boundaries, the acts of vengeance” (2006, 23). The research asks: How can a revenge film be made with a primary focus and conscious intention of communicating anti-violence and anti-vengeance themes? CONTRIBUTION Contrary to dominant approaches in the field, Firebird was made with the conscious intention, from the outset, of communicating anti-violence and anti-vengeance as central themes. Various aspects of the form and content of the film were informed by this intention, resulting in a relatively rare kind of a revenge film. Distinctive aspects of Firebird include the gradual evolution in its portrayal of the revenge-target, to eventually be sympathetic; and the film’s ending involving the protagonist failing and dying in his revenge attempt, being killed by the quarry himself. Making the film involved iterative and fluid combinations of hands-on experimentation, reflection-in-action, and insights gleaned from the study of previous works. SIGNIFICANCE The film is significant to the broader field of filmmaking, as an example of a film that draws upon violent film-genre conventions, whilst simultaneously reworking them to offer alternative approaches. The film won a ‘Platinum Award for Excellence in Filmmaking’ at the Filmmakers World Festival and an ‘Award of Excellence’ at Canada Shorts. It also screened at the Portland Film Festival, Madrid International Film Festival and Sightlines: Filmmaking in the Academy. Firebird was published in the AV journal, Sightlines: Filmmaking in the Academy, Issue 2, 2017.