Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Zara Woolf. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Zara, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

Hi! Yes! I produced, directed and edited a documentary about female beauty standards called “The Beauty Problem”. An undeniable factor of her success and societal value is a woman’s beauty, and no one is talking about it… So I decided to speak out about it with a documentary. The Beauty Problem looks into how women are valued in society based on their appearances. The short documentary combines 5 personal stories from women in these industries, detailing the discrimination they’ve faced during their careers.

I produced and created it on a £150 budget. I hired a camera operator and sound recordist, and interviewed a bunch of inspiring women from the creative and fitness industries. I shot the B reel myself whenever I had a spare moment, and edited it myself. It took forever to get to the final draft, but finally I got it to the stage where I felt like it was a cohesive and poignant project that delivered exactly the message I wanted. You can stream it now on DiscoveredTV and it will land on Amazon Prime Video very soon.

I got into Film Production and Directing after spending 10 years dreaming of becoming an actor.

I started acting classes when I was 8 years old and drifted through those ten years performing in amateur youth theatre shows with almost no clue of how to make it.

I knew you needed an agent, which I did have a few of, but auditions were a rare commodity and I ran out of faith that I was going to make it just by waiting and hoping on these scarce and unlikely opportunities, when I had little to no control of the result.

So… to create without seeking permission, I announced my film production company at 19 years old with the release of my first short film, Red Velvet, to Amazon Prime Video. I’d built connections with talented young actors at the Young Actors Theatre Islington, casting them in the lead roles and working with others to fill some of the crew roles. I used the connections my uncle had from his local film club, where I met the rest of the crew. It was all brand new to me. We didn’t hire any equipment. The co directors of photography used their own cameras and leant me basic lighting equipment for free. We did not have a gaffer (head of the lighting department), no focus puller. It was what we call in our industry, a “Skeleton Crew” and I made the whole 20 minute romcom for £600 that I’d made working as a personal trainer on my gap year.

From then on I went to film school, where I met like minded talent who I worked with on board the crew and cast for my second short film, Wild Angel. The film went on to receive 2 honourable mentions from BIFA qualifying film festivals, 5 official selections, and 2 award nominations (one from a BIFA qualifying festival). The supporting lead actress, Elish Liburd, is now one of my best friends and went on to work on AMC’s Sanctuary. I financed the film with a £2,000 self-funded budget that I earned working as a nanny part time, with some money my grandmother had left me when she passed away (plus in kind support from all the crew and cast and a lot of free equipment from my film school).

My third short, again self funded with some support from my incredible parents, my graduation project, Friday Night Shidduch is in the festival circuit now. It has so far received a nomination for Best Short, official selection for a BIFA qualifying festival, and one honourable mention.

Since graduating film school I have interned at the world renowned company, Hubbard Casting, and had experience working a little as a casting assistant to the renowned Casting Director, Heather Basten, whilst working in the hospitality industry part time. Those casting opportunities I got by emailing, applying for lots on the Casting Director’s guild website, offering my time for free, asking to meet just to “have a chat” and persisting.

I call myself an indie Producer/Director… but I also write, edit and do casting. It’s good to have multiple skills in our industry and it sets you apart from others.

I also think what sets me apart from others is also my female focus. My biggest aim with my work so far has been to create films that inspire and empower young women to pursue their passions, my films will always spread this idea as a take home message. The endings of my films often involve women making radical decisions and stepping up to face challenges, taking control of their future and embracing independence.

Have you ever had to pivot?

Absolutely, and recently. I was working for over a year full time in hospitality in a luxury establishment in central London.

I got sucked in when I finished my casting internship, and was struggling to find any work in the film industry that would pay. With the main worry driving me of financial independence and being able to afford a home deposit, I thought I’d better start saving, so I got myself a job that, yes, would pay, but left me hardly any time for anything else on the side.

I made the decision last November to leave this job and dedicate MUCH more time to my film pursuits. I now work part time in another hospitality job and dedicate 3 days a week to my film career.

Since leaving that work place I have finished and secured distribution on my documentary and lined up 2 more projects for 2024, which is more progress than I’d made in over a year with my previous job.

I wrote a script inspired by that first hospitality experience, which I’ve just attached two very exciting actors on board to. The script is called “Breaking The Plateau”. I am working on it alongside the incredible Producer, Charlotte Fenton from Broken Illusion Pictures and we are aiming to shoot this five minute short thriller in August.

We are also collaborating on a short film called “Please Come Home” which Charlotte secured funding for by the Tees Valley International Film Festival Scholarship scheme. It is a film about grief and family relationships and will star Mark Benton.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I am still unlearning it… That I can’t do it. This is the most damaging thing because (in my opinion at least) the key to success in this industry is blind faith in yourself (plus a lot of good PR).

When one shares their aspirations for the film industry, people can’t be quick enough to comment “Ooo that’s a very competitive industry, you know”, or how “You know you can’t just walk into the film industry and become a director”, “You should start off as a runner and work your way up”. People who aren’t even in your industry may give you a smug smile, as if it’s a futile pursuit. What they don’t tell you is to back yourself, to never stop creating and to hone your vision.

So the most important lesson I had to unlearn (and quite frankly am still unlearning because imposter syndrome is real) is to tell people with confidence “I am a film producer” rather than saying “Well… you know I kind of like to make films” to paint yourself out to EVERYONE in the most flattering light possible, big up all of your achievements.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/filmmakerzara/

Image Credits
Iftekharuddin Bunty, Konrad Witak, Tin Brendel