Meet Oonagh Dougal, Winner of the Focus Features Best Narrative Award, 2024 Reel Works Film Festival

At the 2024 Reel Works Film Festival, Oonagh Dougal won the Focus Features Best Narrative Award for her short film, EROTOMANIAC.

In EROTOMANIAC, a young second-generation Italian woman (Diletta Guglielmi) navigates her life in New York City, finding herself entitled to a romance with a neighbor who is not hers to claim.

We asked Dougal to tell us a little about the inspiration for her film, the artists who influenced her, and her plans for the future.

Follow her on Instagram: @oonadou

Where did the idea for EROTOMANIAC come from?

EROTOMANIAC was created from a combined interest in mental and physical health as well as my interest in creating a strong female character in a thriller. I initially took inspiration from learning about the delusional disorder and saw it as a very abstract concept, commonly applied to fans of celebrities. Learning about the condition really created the story and exploring reality for illusion was a fun, rewarding process that taught me a lot about expressing illness and fantasy in film.

What does it mean to you to win the Focus Features Narrative Award?

Winning the Focus Features Narrative Award was a large accomplishment that told me my writing and filmmaking was valued and appreciated. I loved working on this project with the crew and cast and felt beyond lucky to have my idea come to life. The award showed us that the work we put into EROTOMANIAC was seen and heard. Those visualizations had come to life now for audience members, and they could see this complex character's journey.

How did you find your cast?

Working with my producer and cinematographer closely, we held two sets of auditions for both Elodie and Graham, the two main characters in the film. Finding the main character was so important since the film really is a strong character piece. In the first round of auditions, I didn’t find Elodie but, in the second round, someone who had sent in their audition early on and that I had taken an interest in came in. It was pretty obvious that she was the perfect fit.

What in the final product most captures what you saw in your mind when you first imagined the film?

The distortion of reality and illusion with Elodie’s disorder was a huge creative task for the cinematography, set design, and lighting. To see that come to life in the editing room was amazing. It was a super important part of the pre-production process so when it came to life in the final product, it was definitely satisfying.

What was the biggest lesson learned working on EROTOMANIAC?

Working on EROTOMANIAC taught me so much. It taught me a lot about myself, the kind of filmmaker I saw myself becoming, and the importance of writing and directing. But the biggest lesson for me was valuing your crew. I was lucky to have such invested peers who really dedicated their time and effort to realizing my creative vision. It taught me how thankful and admiring you have to be. I knew going into the process how much of a team-working process film was, but the director’s chair is one where you must remain the most humble. It makes me excited for the future and ready to make everyone feel welcome on set, anticipating creating amazing stories.

As an emerging filmmaker, who are your influences?

I’m constantly looking at films, directors, and shots I value, but my biggest influence is my peers. Bringing someone into your circle and showing them your writing or creative process enables them to know you and learn about your work. Having someone be invested and able to provide you with that support is inevitably important. Your producer helps you visualize your set design, your cinematographer teaches you a creative shot to distort reality. I was inspired by the lighting in the apartment, and my directing mentor's ability to show more with less dialogue. There isn’t one famous movie that I can accredit my success more than the people in the room with me who are rooting for my vision, giving me ideas, showing me their experiences, and enabling my victories.

What was the first film you saw that made you want to be a filmmaker and why?

When I was little, I watched Rear Window, directed by the noble Alfred Hitchcock, with my mom. I was around eight or nine years of age when she decided I needed to move on to the thrillers and dramatic performances of James Stewart. The movie changed my view of filmmaking and writing and engaged my interest in screenplays and plot twists. I watched the movie several times and exposed myself to every Hitchcock movie. They elevated the iMovies and small stories I created with friends. It was clear my interest in complex characters and stories changed after I watched that movie. It affected my future and my career. It holds sentimental value because my mom showed it to me with great admiration, and it’s a movie I will never forget.

Are you working on a feature film? What is it about?

In recent weeks, I’ve started composing my ideas and stories for a feature film. I learned a lot from my experience creating EROTOMANIAC and I think my writing will be improved, as I always want to outdo myself. In recent writing, I’ve stretched my storytelling skills with potential themes of religion, politics, and boundaries. I’m intrigued by thriller films and in eliciting feelings of foreboding and creating unique, authentic characters. I’m super excited about future projects and seeing my writing come to life.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.