In Conversation With Sarah Fox

On September 27th, we had a second short-film showcase. And while all the selected films deserve praise on their own, it was Sarah’s documentary, which she edited, produced and directed, that captured people’s attention the most. The harrowing production tells the story about three women who got romantically involved with convicted criminals, for different reasons that Sarah Fox, a masterful documentarian, delves into gracefully. Here are the highlights of our in-depth conversation.

S.G.: How did it feel to see “My Type On Paper” on the big screen at our showcase?

S.F.: It was such a good evening, with such an amazing variety of work. There was a lot of different work (music videos, drama and documentaries). We were all excited about the shorts and not too jaded just yet.

S.G.: How did the idea for the documentary came to be?

S.F.: In “Happy Valley” (BBC Drama, season 2), a character has a pen pal in prison, and it was represented as a crazy, off-the-rails woman. I did some research into women who marry prisoners. The media presents them as crazy and losers. So I wondered what their lives were really like and what they were doing.

S.G.: Did making this documentary help you understand these women more? How so?

S.F.: Yeah, definitely. It’s really easy to judge people, but everyone has a reason for doing what they’re doing. The men that they were with are also human, and although they’ve done something really shitty… it’s not meant an excuse, but as an explanation. Whether I agree with what they’re doing is another story.

S.G.: What emotions do you associate with documentaries?

S.F.: In depends on what I’m watching. However, I like ones that invoke power and the will to change society as we know it. There should be more funny ones, though.

S.G.: Any upcoming projects we should know about?

S.F.: While I’m more interested in work around injustice and violence against women, I need a break from that because it’s so intense. So now I’m doing something much lighter, about the Met in New York and a big fashion archive, a story split between the UK and the US, about vintage fashion. Can’t share more but it’s celebratory.

The interview was edited for brevity and clarity.