We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Rakefet Abergel a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Rakefet, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?
All of my projects have been meaningful to me in different ways, but my most current one is definitely the winner of that category.
STILL is third film produced by my production company, Cyclamen Films. STILL is based on my feelings around having a miscarriage a couple years ago. I am currently submitting my newest short film, STILL, to various film festivals around the world.
You can watch a short teaser here: https://youtu.be/Jiga6DuDDR8?si=BQ2_zuTOW4-ysCu8
Having just come out of the COVID new world order, and then to lose the only pregnancy I’ve ever had, it definitely affected my mental health. I wanted to make a film that women could show other people to better explain the way they were feeling because for me it was sometimes hard to find the words to properly explain my pain. I thought that if I was able to express it visually, then people could find their own emotional connection to it and understand that type of grief better. In understanding, the hope is that there is more support and less judgement or taboo around the topic of miscarriage and infant loss.
I also wrote an original song for the film with Canadian folk/rock artist, Sarah Smith. With lyrics by me and Sarah, and music by Sarah Smith, “The Life We Never Had” is available on music streaming platforms everywhere, as well as part of a music video with clips from the film.
You can watch the music video here: https://youtu.be/4Igey2nSZZw?si=GPD9dIQHj6EfwdQg
STILL will be arriving on the film festival circuit soon and will be available online probably by the end of 2025.
It will also join my first two short films, JAX IN LOVE and BOO, on a compilation DVD called “LOVE SCARS”. The DVD will have all sorts of extras like trailers, behind the scenes featurettes, pictures, music videos and more. You can still get one by donating to our Marketing/Public Relations and submissions fund at: https://gofund.me/19da3c1a
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I’m really proud of the three projects I’ve produced so far. Jax in Love, Boo, and Still – three short films that I put my entire heart and soul into while creating them. I’m excited that they will soon be available on a single DVD compilation that we are putting together called “LOVE SCARS”. All three of the films deal with a toxic kind of love and how one might deal with that. The DVD will have all sorts of extras as well!
I think exploring the idea of how different kinds of love can be good and bad, is a meaningful exploration. Some people have described my “brand” as Romantic Horror, which seems fitting. I’m excited to share my next film with everyone this year and I hope it gets the same kind of love the other two did. Its the most different of the three and has an experimental feel to it as well. It’s deeply personal and can be hard to watch, but I think if you know someone who has lost a pregnancy, infant or child, it’s a must watch in order to fully understand what they might be going through.
Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?
I wish I had realized earlier that I was capable of making my own things instead of waiting for the phone to ring or hoping I got an audition. If I had, I would have been making movies a long time ago. Thank god for new technology and the ability to self distribute. I much prefer to make things that matter to me than to say one line on a show for a day.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
Honestly, I could pick from dozens of stories while making each of my three films. There are constant hurdles to overcome, problems to fix, issues to get through. Whether it’s losing a location, losing an actor, not having enough money, going over time, having personal issues with other people you’re working with – there is always going to be something. The key is to acknowledge that there WILL be hurdles and mountains no matter how well you plan, and that it is part of the journey as a whole. If you can understand that it won’t be smooth sailing, it’s a lot easier to get through the issues as they arise. If I had let any of those hurdles stop me, the films would never have been made and so many other wonderful things in my life and career wouldn’t have happened either.
So, know they’re there. Find your way around or through them. Remind yourself it’s normal and that you can overcome anything thrown your way. And just keep going.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.cyclamenfilms.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/cyclamenfilms
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/RakefetAbergel
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/cyclamenfilms
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheRakefetAbergel
- Other: WATCH BOO: https://youtu.be/Z_3I03XbMag WATCH JAX IN LOVE: https://youtu.be/vZ0CmDeyJiU WATCH TRAILER FOR STILL: https://youtu.be/Jiga6DuDDR8?si=BQ2_zuTOW4-ysCu8 WATCH “THE LIFE WE NEVER HAD” MUSIC VIDEO: https://youtu.be/4Igey2nSZZw?si=GPD9dIQHj6EfwdQg ORDER A LOVE SCARS DVD OR DONATE TO OUR PROJECT: https://gofund.me/19da3c1a