Review Fix Exclusive: Helen O’Hanlon ’Talks ‘Mirette’ And More

Review Fix chats with “Mirette” director Helen O’Hanlon, who discusses the film and its appearance at this year’s Nashville International Film Festival and Tribeca Film Festival.

About Mirette:

Writer and Director Helen O’Hanlon’s debut film How to be a Villain won a number of awards, including Best Director at the Oscar-qualifying Bermuda International Film Festival and The Forry Ackerman Award for Imagination in Film at the inaugural Silver Scream Film Festival. She has a number of exciting titles in development, including a New York Times Bestseller. In the meantime she is originating a new travel show format with UK comedy legend, Vic Reeves and is developing the feature version of Mirette.

Review Fix: What was it like to be a part of all of these festivals?

Helen O’Hanlon: It’s absolutely thrilling!  Making films is hard work and attending festivals is certainly a rich reward.  It is fascinating to watch your film in different countries, with different audiences.  Of course each and every audience is unique with different reactions, laugh triggers and responses.  I always have butterflies during the opening frames.

Review Fix: What have you learned from it?

O’Hanlon: Festivals are a wonderful opportunity to engage with your audience and get feedback that is pure gold.  Certainly the big festivals are a slipstream and kinda of take your breath away with red carpets and electric atmospheres.  That is addictive.  It can really get that fire burning in you – you have to use that momentum to move forward with your projects.  They are a huge boost to your career…

Review Fix: How did Mirette on the High Wire affect you?

O’Hanlon: This film was wildly ambitious to make, but there’s no point telling a story about a brave, determined young girl without letting some of that rub off on you.  Mirette is a hero who inspired us all.

Review Fix: How did this film affect you as a creator?

O’Hanlon: It is a privilege to use your imagination so much in what you do….I want to continue in this realm of magical realism, making movies for multi-generational audience that charm and delight us all.

Review Fix: How do you want people to be affected by this film?

O’Hanlon: To be entertained….I hope people will disappear into our world and feel uplifted when the credits roll.  After all its a story of a seemingly invisible girl who lifts us all up to the stars.

Review Fix: How would you like it to be remembered?

O’Hanlon: With the greatest affection.

Review Fix: What inspired this film?

O’Hanlon: The book!  Mirette on the High Wire is a profoundly cinematic book, an original story, a unique, joyful ride…to me it was begging to be brought to screen!

Review Fix: What’s next?

O’Hanlon: Mirette: The Feature.

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 13821 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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