16/01/2024 - The gonzo musical about female desire is toplined by Never Rarely Sometimes Always star Sidney Flanigan

Sidney Flanigan in Eco Village (© Luca Severi Production Group)

Phoebe Nir’s debut feature, Eco Village, is set to premiere in the Bright Future strand of the upcoming International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR, 25 January-4 February).

Nir holds a BA from Brown University in Writing for Performance and an MA in Drama Therapy from New York University. Previously, the writer-director has worked in musical theatre and is also a singer-songwriter, having released two EPs (Side Hustle and Red Tape Nation). In addition, she opened for Modern English and James Chance & The Contortions at SXSW.

Labelled as a “gonzo female-desire musical”, Nir’s tale zooms in on young drifter Robin (played by Never Rarely Sometimes Always [+see also:
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The main cast is rounded off by Devika Bhise, Eric Austin, Zoe Wilson, Annette Wilson, Chris Wilson, Stephen Gurewitz, Lee Braufman, Mike Viola, Edoardo Torresin and Kelsey Burns. Moreover, the technical crew includes DoP Sean Dahlberg, choreographer Brandon Powers and casting director Lois Drabkin.

Zooming in on the use of 16 mm film for her musical, Nir told Cineuropa: “16 mm film instantly gives the viewer the subconscious impression that they’re watching something classic, as if this contemporary coming-of-age story were already in the canon. Our use of film is playful, leaning into idiosyncrasies and flaws like lens flares, over-exposure and the ends of reels to bring this hallucinogenic fantasy world to life.”

Ahead of the Rotterdam premiere, producer Luca Severi added: “When our head of development and co-production, Giovanni Labadessa, and I came across Eco Village, we were immediately struck by the vision and style that Phoebe put into the project.

“We love to embrace and support cinema that brings something new to the audience. More and more people are eager to watch material that takes them to different places, times and topics. They wish to be hit by a strong wave of emotions and stylistic choices. Eco Village fits that description perfectly, and Luca Severi Production Group couldn’t be prouder to present it at IFFR.”

Eco Village is produced by Luca Severi for Rome- and Los Angeles-based Luca Severi Production Group. The production team is made up of executive producers Theresa Rebeck and Giovanni Labadessa, co-producer Linds Gray (also serving as the project’s editor), and associate producers Sidney Flanigan and Perry Straus.