• by Sara
• on February 13, 2022
• with 0 Comments
• filed under Bite The Hand Gallery Short Films

Isabel has had a short film titled “Bite The Hand” listed on her IMDB profile for a while now, so today I tried to do some research on the project to find out more about it. It looks like they completed the filming during the Covid-19 pandemic, and the project went into post-production last fall. At the project’s Australian Cultural Fundraiser page, director Minka Bleakley wrote that they would pursue festival submissions following the post-production of the film. Unfortunately it doesn’t look like they managed to raise the funds they had targeted, so I’m not sure if this will have impacted their festival pursual or not…

I will keep searching for information on the project, and let you know if I come across anything new! For now, I’ve been able to find two production stills featuring Isabel from the film which you can find in our gallery. Isabel portrays the character Pixie, and the rest of the cast list includes Paul Henri as Chris, Matt Levett as Dusty and Gabrielle Miller as Nadine.

‘Bite the Hand’ is a short film that follows a young mother struggling to come to terms with her shifting identity. Shot in Northern NSW, the film explores the disconnect between a mother and child isolated from the world.

Words by director, Minka Bleakley: In making this film, I have had the opportunity to explore my anxieties about motherhood through Nadine. I have gotten to feel through certain fears surrounding the bond that a mother has with her child, and what one does when that bond seems fragile, even breakable. There is a significant deficit of stories that address this idea of conflicting identities in motherhood, and of stories that approach the deeply realistic frustrations of motherhood and failure. I hope to fill that deficit with ‘Bite The Hand.’

This project is for all people, and I hope that many will have the opportunity to see it. We intend to complete post-production towards the end of August or the beginning of September, after which we will pursue festival submissions.

This project is deeply important to me for a myriad of reasons, though perhaps first among them is for the necessary social commentary. Far too many women feel alone in their experiences of motherhood, they feel unsupported by a social system not built to address a culture that has transformed the way people parent. This film aims to show a woman struggling with motherhood, and it does not shame, judge, or criticize her for it. Media far too often portrays unachievable ideals of mothers and shies away from a darker dialogue that examines the very real struggles of mothering. This, in turn, isolates women and new mothers, who can feel daunted by the expectations society has thrust upon them. I hope that this story will share a new perspective, one that is necessary for the reshaping of what mothering looks like. I hope that others will share my passion to readdress how women, particularly mothers, are represented in media, and that their contribution might be put towards this goal.

Donations will be used towards all post-production expenses, including editing, sound design, colour work, promotional materials, and festivals. We hope that this film will find a home in the international festival market, and will go on to be seen by many people around the world.