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I imagine there's not a lot of debate out there but here's what I believe: there's nothing worse in the human experience than losing a son or daughter. It violates our understanding of the cycle of life and it forces a unyielding loss amongst the living that can never be taken away.

Any experience so intense can, in the right hands, be channeled to create great art, so I am drawn to stories like STILL LIFE (2026), which is an official selection this year of the HollyShorts Film Festival.

And let me tell you: in the hands of writer/producer Kate Radcliffe and director Sophie King, they deal with the topic of stillbirth with empathy, humor, and understanding. I think this film will forge important new conversations and result in so many people suffering the worst pain that we could all experience to feel a little bit more heard. Bravo, STILL LIFE team, you made brilliant art.

In this conversation, Kate and I talk about:

• what she tells people about STILL LIFE and how to talk about the film afterwards;
• does a writer need firsthand knowledge of the kind of grief in this film to write about it?
• how she got involved in filmmaking and why she decided to make this film;
• why give away so much in the title and the description?;
• the decision to make the audience rethink STILL LIFE in the middle of the film;
• what makes a film great and not so great on this topic;
• why is comedy so hard to write?
• what's next for her.

Memorable Quotes:

" That was the actual reason we made the film was to start that conversation about baby loss."

" We lost Dexter, and we went into lockdown, and so that was incredibly tough, but it meant I had to sit with my grief."

" When I first started writing it, my parents were-- I was like, "Oh, I'm doing a dark comedy about stillbirth." And they were like, "It doesn't sound very funny." 

Links:

Follow STILL LIFE On Instagram

Follow Sophie On Instagram

The Straight 8 Super 8 Experience That Sophie King Won An Audience Award in 2022