Synopsis
Elizabeth finds herself trapped in a surreal escape room. The timing couldn’t be worse, since she’s already jumpy about her big day tomorrow. One by one, her three closest friends show up, but instead of helping her, they’re more concerned with bickering among themselves. When Elizabeth solves the final riddle without them and is knocked unconscious, her friends learn they need to work together if they’re all going to make it out alive.
The Original Play
& Other Concerns is based on the original, award-winning play, An Atlas, A Necktie & Other Concerns, written and directed by Lauren Greenwood. The play, which premiered at the 2019 Toronto Fringe Festival, had 11 performances over three festivals and starred the same cast: Blythe Haynes, Myrthin Stagg, Chantel Winters and Yvonne Addai.
Stage to Screen
To bring this project from the stage to the screen, the writer/director and cast formed CLYMB Productions, a collective of five women comprising BIPOC and Queer artists.
After being awarded a generous $50,000 grant from the Canada Council for the Arts, CLYMB then brought on Sabina Olivia Lambert to direct. Her unique visual style and bold vision for the film dovetailed perfectly with CLYMB’s dreams for the project.
The Short Film
The film was shot over five days in June 2022 in a prop warehouse in Hamilton, Ontario with over 70% women and BIPOC cast and crew. The surreal escape room set was built from the ground up with Haley Pace leading production design. After coming down with covid, Director of Photography Alexandra Tse worked remotely with on-site DOP Gaelen Cook throughout the shoot.
After raising an additional $20,000 for post production, Sabina turned to editing the film, with composers Iva Delic and Erica Procunier creating the original score.
Upcoming Film Festivals
Female Eye Film Festival
Paradise Theatre
Toronto, Canada
July 18th, 2024 @ 4:45PM
& Other Concerns 