Phaedra Crowe is a queer-identifying director and writer hailing from Cyprus. Her creative journey began in theatre, where she made her professional debut as Little Cosette in Alpha Square’s production of Les Misérables. At just eighteen, during her film studies, Phaedra directed her first short film, Lady Clytemnestra. This theatrical noir explored the dark themes of patriarchy and female jealousy, earning accolades such as Best Drama Horror from the Cyprus Horror Society, Best Horror at the Frida Film Festival, and Best First-Time Director at the Mykonos International Film Festival.
By nineteen, Phaedra graduated from London’s MetFilm School with a BA in Filmmaking, presenting her final project, I Want To Be Fish. Looking ahead, she is eager to return to the horror genre while also reconnecting with her theatrical roots through writing and storytelling for the stage. We had the opportunity to discuss her career.
Would you like to share with us your journey as a director and what drives you to be a storyteller?
[Drives you to be a storyteller] I love that question. I can’t help but ask that same question to other creatives working in an industry so uncertain, especially at current times. It’s one of the only industries you get crew with such hunger to tell stories and be a part of such an intimate, collaborative line of work that takes more than what it gives.
I don’t think I have an answer for what drives me specifically; it’s not a drive per se, but more of a necessity. Directing had found me in a despondent time, there’s something more profound and unexplainable than the excitement of getting to work in a field where you don’t have to put your imagination and child-like wonder aside in a box. For me, my imagination has always been and will always be my safe haven ever since being born and raised in Cyprus.
I grew up in the capital that’s, unfortunately, still divided by a border to this day. I can’t say I attended school cause, mentally, I was always anywhere else but in class. I used to get in a lot of trouble from doodling on my textbooks, and honestly, quite embarrassingly, I can probably recall the number of tests I’ve passed, than tests that I failed.
Wednesdays were the only days I handed in my homework out of fear that I would miss my theatre lessons after school. Theatre saved my life. It was the only place I felt useful in. For me, theatre was a space where I could be anyone else but myself, anywhere else but school. I owe my drive and passion for directing to my theatre teachers who are also exceptionally talented actors with a passion for the art so large that it reached me as a kid deeply and has followed me through my career.Those were the teachers that taught me I have worth; that my mind wasn’t the obstacle, it wasn’t a broken piece of me that needed fixing.
I am currently based in London, and as much as I enjoy waking up every day and doing my dream job, I can’t help but feel guilty for the artists who grow up without the privilege of even dreaming of getting the chance to create. How many painters, writers, and actors in broken countries like Cyprus are tossed aside, forced by parental and societal pressures to put an end to their dreams, and consequently lose themselves in the process all for a system not built for them. For me, creating is the drive by itself. I live to create, and create to live.
You wrote and directed *Lady Clytemnestra*, a horror film that won the Cyprus Horror Society Award and was nominated for the T.I.F.A. (Tietê International Film Awards). What inspired you to come up with the idea for the film, and how has your background in theatre contributed to its creation?
I started to draft Lady C during the period of sexual assault cases in the TV and theatre industry that made headlines in Greece during the start of the pandemic. It was almost like a catharsis writing the script. Throughout being sexualised and objectified in my career, I also wanted to depict the female competition that exists in a male-dominated industry.
The story follows a theatre understudy (played by Xenia Charitou), skinning the theatre’s lead (played by Martha Lambiri) and replacing her on the opening night. Both women fall victim to the male-powered hierarchy of conventional beauty standards set by the theatre’s director (played by Jei. D. Georgiadis).
I wanted to place my love and respect of theatre by combining two of the most historically influential female characters from Aeschylus Clytemnestra and Shakespeare’s Macbeth, blending Lady Macbeth and Clytemnestra to create Lady Clytemnestra. I initially didn’t have the intention to film it, let alone release it, because of its controversial themes. I was eighteen at the time we wrapped, and I was terrified of the response it would get.
As sick and controversial as the ending might be, it triggers conversation and the responses I still get from people in the industry opening up to me about their experiences with sexual assault and discrimination after watching it. It opened my eyes to how much power the horror genre holds, that it can portray the ugly crevices of society in an almost cathartic way.
Your latest project is titled “I Want to Be a Fish,” which you wrote and directed. The film tells the story of a literature professor who suffers from manic depression and receives a fish from his ex-partner. This fish becomes his best friend. The main character shares all his fears and desires with the fish, which is trapped in a bowl, fostering a unique bond between them. Both the professor and the fish feel isolated from the world due to their respective conditions. What inspired you to write this film?
Only a few friends know this, but I Want to be Fish didn’t start off as a script it was initially a letter I wrote to my cat after a really tough mental health year. I wanted to show that we’re not all violent machines fueled by anger. There’s a gentle, passionate, kind side that doesn’t get depicted very often with mood disorders. It was a really difficult piece to direct; I really applaud my cast, Chris McCurry playing Edward and Chris Machari playing Richard, for breathing life into the characters.
What project are you most proud of?
In a way, none, and all. I don’t mean to answer the question like a politician, but I do sometimes just wish I could go back in time and re-film them with the skills that I have now. If I had to choose one, it would probably be this surrealistic dance piece I filmed in my first year at film school. I wanted to initially depict a queer, abusive relationship by blending the myth of Icarus (played in the short by Mol Wedgwood) and Pygmalion’s Galateia (played by Elish Liburd). As peculiar as it might sound, I just see [Icarus & The Downward Spiral] as my firstborn, it’s filled with technical imperfections on my end, but there’s this ambitiousness that I wish I took on with my subsequent works.
What I can say is that I am proud I can look back at my films chronologically, from Icarus to Fish, and notice growth in my craft. There hasn’t yet been a project I am holistically proud of.
What challenges have you faced on your journey as a director, and how have you overcome them?
The lack of space for femininity, specifically in the film industry, brought a really hard challenge of trying to fit into the mould what’s stereotypically seen as a director. I viewed masculinity and directing as a pair. And for a while, I was finding it hard to mould into the shoes of a director.
I found my footing in leadership and learned that compassion, empathy, and the prioritisation of your crew’s well-being comes first and, ironically enough, all traditionally feminine traits. A lot of female directors and industry professionals have related to me about being in a pitch, a meeting with an executive, or sometimes even on your own set when you get suddenly bombarded with impostor thoughts of not belonging.
To all cisgender and trans women in the film industry, you could be the only woman on set. Whether it’s in a writing room, pitch room, or post house, there’s a reason you’re there: we belong.That was the biggest lesson I had learn in regards to leadership, it comes in different forms, what I found above all is the symbiotic relationship of trusting and respecting. You don’t trust that someone does a good job, before respecting them. You work with people you respect and trust they’ll bring their selves and skills into your vision.
Do you have any upcoming projects in the pipeline?
I am stupidly diving headfirst into a feature. Currently wrapping the screenplay as we speak, was a little behind on my deadlines (sorry to my producer reading this interview). But it’s a really personal and special film and I am beyond excited to form a team and get to film it. For anyone interested, it’s a neo-expressionist, gothic horror paying homage to Frankenstein. We’re hopefully going to be starting pre-production in late summer- don’t count me on that.
What advice would you give to an emerging artist looking to pursue a career as a director?
It’s a competitive industry; it takes over your everyday life it’s a lot like joining the circus. If you’re not prepared to leave everything behind and have something else to fall back on, then the circus doesn’t need you. Just like you don’t become a painter for the status of it, you become a director because of the stories you want to paint to fruition. My biggest advice to anyone wanting to bring a story to life is to be an observer and a listener. You can’t write impactful narratives and characters with your eyes and ears closed to the world around you. In terms of specific advice, I would say from experience that weaknesses are like, as silly as it sounds, cards you’re drawn to in a game.
You don’t want to pull your best poker face and pretend your hand isn’t weak, nor do you want to hide cards in your pocket and pretend you never pulled them. Or worse yet, slam them on the table and show them apologetically to the other players. Don’t identify with your weaknesses; you’re not born with them, just like you’re not born a director; no one’s first words are print. My experience in theatre had given me a foundation in directing performance, but I lacked experience in lens, lighting and camera choices. I thought to myself, if I don’t know the difference between a USB and an HDMI, how would I possibly understand something as complex and technical as the equipment my crew works with?
I saw it similarly to how a conductor might work; you need foundational knowledge of how the musical instruments work and sound to better orchestrate your musical vision. You can’t conduct Beethoven’s Symphony 5 with just the stringed instruments. Always learn for the sake of your craft. The last advice and that goes for all creatives, not just directors, is to give your support to independent cinemas, galleries, theatres and bands. If you don’t support independent art, then who’s going to support yours? Thanks so much for having me.
For further information on the artist, please visit the following links:
Short films: https://www.shortverse.com/person/phaedra-crowe
Images : Xenia Charitou as Cecilia in Lady Clytemnestra (main) and Chris McCurry as Edward in I Want To Be Fish
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