Rosemary Jane is an exquisitely crafted London Short that tells the story of elderly widow Rosemary and her daring attempt, in full view of a London council estate, to find a weed supplier.
Filmmaker Carolina Petro’s unconventional premise, combined with her choice of lead character, creates an unexpected sense of authenticity. Largely plot-free, yet enriched with visual craftsmanship, the flawed characters in her story glide against the stark urban landscape and effectively invite you on a journey to find yourself challenged by your own standardised ideas and beliefs.
“The film is about overcoming the stereotypes we build around each other,” Petro tells Londonist. “The idea came from an anecdote a friend shared with me. She told me how she got into the habit of smoking pot sometimes during weekends with her mother. When my friend went away for six months, her mother suddenly felt a craving to smoke a joint. Not having any knowledge of how to get it, she decided to walk into an estate building and ask people to help her.”
It took several months to settle on a suitable setting for Rosemary’s encounter: "We finally found the right place in South London, not many people walking by and the perfect colours.”
The arresting cinematography is the outcome of Petro’s close collaboration with Director of Photography, Christopher L Thomas: “We complement and stimulate each other hugely, each idea that starts from me becomes more effective as it goes through the thorough assessment of the second brain.”
Rosemary Jane screened across a number of festivals worldwide. The film’s success has led to more critically acclaimed filmmaking work by Carolina and a nomination for Best Woman Director in this year’s London Short Film Festival, for her most recent film A World For Her. She also has a green light for her debut feature film, to be shot in her native Colombia.
London Shorts has partnered with the London Short Film Festival and will hand an award to the Best London Short Film, picked from a selection of shorts that screened at the festival. Stay tuned for our announcement of the winner tomorrow.
Want to be featured? If you have a London-themed short film that you’d like us to consider for this series, send an email with the subject “London Shorts” to Stu Black and Ioanna Karavela via our email: londonshorts@londonist.com
