Q&A: Sasha Lebedeva Talks “Hex & Rage,” Women in the Film Industry & More
☆ By MOLLY SHARPLES ☆
TOUCHING UPON THEMES OF WITCHCRAFT, RESILIENCE, AND COLLECTIVE UNITY — Sasha Lebedeva’s Hex & Rage is a dark comedy that showcases a profound portrayal of femininity. Produced by a filmmaker who dares to push the boundaries within her own artistic visions, Hex & Rage presents us with an authentic depiction of female characters that serve to embody flawed and complex personalities, and is crafted to celebrate Sasha’s desire to challenge the traditional male gaze. As one of Sasha’s biggest projects within her career thus far, through a profound exploration of prevalent and important issues surrounding the patriarchal world in which we live, Hex & Rage is characteristic of a short film crucial to encouraging us, as an audience, to strive for change.
Read below to learn more about the short film Hex & Rage and Sasha’s journey as a filmmaker so far.
LUNA: Congrats on the release of Hex & Rage! What was the creative process behind the project?
SASHA: Thanks! It’s been an amazing journey. It all started when my friend Riel called me in June 2020, saying we should make a short film about witches. I was all for it, and we wrote the script together for her to star opposite Clara McGregor and for me to direct. It took about nine months from the inception of the idea to the completion of the movie, and I feel so grateful to everyone who came onboard to make this movie possible. A lot of great people — friends and folks who became friends in the process — resonated with the story and came out to help, volunteering their time, skills and creativity. It felt so surreal — this was the biggest project of my career so far, and I was amazed at how many awesome crew members I had on my team.
Aesthetics are very important to me. I had a very specific vision for Hex & Rage, but I wasn’t quite sure how to communicate it. So I started picking up my own props. In the process, I discovered a shop entirely dedicated to witchcraft called The Green Man. I also created what in the process was named the Stripclub Wall of Shame, with photographs of people who behaved poorly in the strip club and are banned from it. I took a photo of myself to be in it, and asked my friends to pose for the Wall. Even my mom in Moscow took a picture of her masseur because he had a cool creepy look. We had a limited budget, but it was super important to us to have a polished, finished film — therefore, I put a lot of thought into props, costumes and locations.
It was crucial to locate the right collaborators who could eventually take over the direction I was going for and enrich it with their talent. Thankfully, I had an awesome DP, Adam Linssen, and an amazing set designer Shari Gaynes (who my co-producer Josh Kay brought on the team). Since the aesthetics of Hex was one of my priorities, I knew hair and makeup should have a hierarchy on set of their own. I was really lucky to have Terezka Fras as the HMUA — she really brought our heroines to another level with her artistry.
Truth is, I could go on and on talking about the team, as filmmaking is really such a collaborative process, and I know the movie wouldn’t have been as good without everybody who worked on it. Right now, Hex & Rage is in the festival circuit, and we are all keeping our fingers crossed for some good news. Hopefully, we’ll be able to release the movie to the public soon!
LUNA: As you say, Hex & Rage is written and directed by women. What has your experience been like as an emerging female director so far? Do you have any advice for other women within the industry?
SASHA: Growing up in Russia and seeing zero female directors in the spotlight made it seem like it was impossible for a woman to become one. When I came to LA, the scene seemed way more friendly and accepting of all kinds of people. So, I really want to think that it doesn't matter if you’re a girl or a guy trying to make movies. But it’s one thing to direct an independent short film and another to get repped and enter the professional scene. The numbers show that the difference is pretty drastic in terms of what gender gets big directing opportunities. And looking at different commercial director rosters, I definitely see overwhelmingly more men than women.
I can’t say I’ve entered the industry deeply enough to give legit advice, and I assume there are still a lot of gatekeepers I need to get past in order to be qualified to answer this question. But if I had to give one piece of advice it would be to just do it — do not ask for permission or wait to be chosen, because the opportunity might never come if you don’t create it for yourself. It’s also important to be in tune with the community and build relationships with other women creators. It’s a good idea to keep an eye out for opportunities designed specifically for women directors such as HALF Initiative and AFI Directing Workshop for Women and become a member of collectives like GIF: Girls in Film, Women In Film, GirlGaze network, NY Women in Film & Television and Free the Work (which I hope to be approved for one day).
LUNA: I love the different dynamics between the female characters in Hex & Rage. Why did it feel important to you to craft these imperfect and complex characters within the film?
SASHA: First of all, I want to give a shout-out to my co-writer Riel who created these characters with me. Somehow, iit came naturally to us to make these characters flawed but still relatable. In a way the main characters are a reflection of us.
There are a lot of different dynamics going on in real life between women and very often they are overlooked and/or simplified. Those more specific and complex relationships that aren’t often explored in film. Female characters were often reduced to supporting roles of mother/wife/daughter. But even within those basic roles, there are so many subtleties and nuances in interpersonal relationships. Of course, now the film industry is improving, but some modern movies still have somewhat forced female characters that are there just to meet a diversity quota rather than to represent women authentically.
LUNA: The storyline addresses some sensitive, yet incredibly prevalent issues. Why did it feel important for you to explore these themes as the main focus of the film?
SASHA: These issues were definitely on the agenda in recent years and, as a result, were on my mind a lot. I wanted to explore the power imbalance and how those in power can get away with many things. I find that many young people today are growing incredibly frustrated with all of the injustices of the world and take real actions to change them. Amber and Gia don’t want to be passive viewers, instead, they strive for change.
Jacaranda, the sexual assault victim and a sex worker, was the character that needed to be handled very carefully. She is in a very vulnerable position, so I wanted to acknowledge her trauma but at the same time give her the agency of a person who doesn’t need to be saved.
Amber and Gia understand that as a Latina trans stripper, Jacaranda has little chance of achieving justice if reported to the police. But at the same time, blinded by their own privilege, they see her situation as a call to action and decide to avenge her. They may not have a good plan, but in their eyes, the world could do with one less rapist. And with amateur magic, anything can go wrong.
LUNA: Whilst the film explores various themes, such as patriarchy and female empowerment, are there any particular messages you want the viewer to take from it?
SASHA: This movie was my attempt to explore whether or not revenge brings real satisfaction. I wanted to emphasize how important it is to lean on other people, especially other women. But at the same time, I was very careful to avoid taking on the preaching tone. I didn’t want Hex & Rage to become an angry-feminist-type of movie but rather a thought-provoking piece exploring moral grey areas. I’m really into raising questions with art rather than giving answers.
I wanted the viewers to receive these messages on a subconscious level while still being entertained and receiving visual pleasure from the aesthetics. I also wanted the movie to slightly satirize LA woo-woo culture with its obsession with occultism and spirituality.
LUNA: How has the inspiration for your work evolved since you first started out in film? How do you see your work evolving in the future?
SASHA: I’ve always been into dark comedies and satires that are also aesthetically pleasing: The Square, The Great Beauty, Dr. Strangelove, The Lobster, and The Death of Stalin to name a few. I like things that satirize society and the accepted norm while not condemning it. Embarking on this production, I was actually really worried if I could nail the tone or not because dark comedies are notoriously hard to pull off. But according to the reactions I’ve been getting, it definitely reads as a dark comedy. Now that I’m a little more confident in my abilities, I just want to continue doing this kind of thing moving forward.
I’m also very much into neo-noir and obsessed with Chinatown. I would like to try this genre one day as well.
LUNA: Obviously Hex & Rage is doing super well right now! Do you have any other upcoming projects you would like to talk about?
SASHA: As I mentioned before, the movie is currently in the festival circuit, so hopefully, something good comes out of it. But even though the short film is done, we’re now trying to turn the concept into a TV series. Of course, it’s a long process, but we believe in the story and characters. I think Hex & Rage has the potential to be turned into a longer-form project.
As a director, I’m also trying to get into the music video and commercial world. As much as I love narrative, and as much as it will always be my priority, I follow careers of some directions working in commercial space, and I would love to try doing it myself!
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