Anniversary
A short film about grief & loss
As Aurora prepares for a special anniversary dinner she can't help but daydream about her husband, but the truth hangs over her day like a storm cloud.
The Women Behind the Story
Anniversary was produced and shot in 2014, without a script and all in one day, with a minimal crew - which accidentally all happened to be female, bar one — Ivan from NPG recorded the sound.
This film was a warm up of sorts for director and writer Sarah Jayne who was going onto direct a much bigger project, Daughter the following year.
The film was shot in one location, the sets were dressed by the director and the acting was superbly undertaken by Hester Van Der Vyver, who work’s predominately in theatre.
Director’s Statement
Anniversary is a short story I wrote that was inspired by one of my favourite Alanis Morisette songs, I Shouldn't be Here. The song tells the story of a woman who goes to her boyfriend's house uninvited when he is not there, makes herself at home, and then finds a note from a lover that is not in her handwriting. The twist in the song comes at that moment and you realise she is intruding.
I wrote Anniversary with a similar idea to that song, but I wanted it to be more of a visual snapshot of a woman's life, her day and her isolation, and how she goes about preparing a special dinner to mark an anniversary with her husband.
Anniversary was shot in a single day and post production was completed in approximately two weeks, just in time for a premiere at the Connect Film Festival, which we were aiming to enter. It was a quick turnaround, but I am proud of the result and grateful to my cast and crew for creating this beautiful little film with me
— Sarah Jayne Portelli
Anniversary short film by Nexus Production Group
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