Eliza Scanlen
Locarno Residency 2023 | Australia
Locarno Residency 2023 | Australia
Eliza Scanlen is an actor, writer and director from Sydney. Some of her acting credits include Sharp Objects (Jean-Marc Vallée), Little Women (Greta Gerwig), Babyteeth (Shannon Murphy), and The Starling Girl (Laurel Parmet). Eliza’s debut short film of which she wrote and directed, Mukbang, received the Rouben Mamoulian Award for Best Director at the Sydney Film Festival. Her second short film, How Can I Help You, starring Thomasin McKenzie, screened at Sydney Film Festival, Flickerfest and Palm Springs ShortFest, for which it was nominated Best Live-Action Short. In 2023, Eliza also participated in the Berlinale Talents programme as a Director.
2020 Mukbang
2023 How Can I Help You
Production: Whitefalk Films
Robin, a 25 years old ambitious midwife from the city, starts work in a regional hospital on the South Coast of New South Wales, Australia. One night, alone on shift, a local woman named Carly, also 25, arrives in late stages of labour. Soon after Robin calls for emergency assistance, the baby is stillborn. Carly, in her despair, accuses Robin of killing the baby. Despite being cleared of any wrongdoing, Robin is racked with a guilt that causes her to fixate on Carly. Bound by the confines of their small town, a few brief encounters spark an unlikely connection between them. However, as their lingering resentment intensifies, we begin to question who really is to blame for the baby’s death. Is it the fault of the individual, or a healthcare system in crisis? Ultimately, Robin and Carly realise they must push aside their resentment, and forgive — both themselves and each other — in order to heal.
In Emerald, a young graduate midwife becomes entangled with the life of a young mother when a stillbirth occurs under her care. An exploration of how two young women of the same age, on different life paths, come to terms with their shared trauma.
