Sally El Hosaini and James Krishna Floyd, ‘Unicorns’

0:14Hello and welcome to the Monaco Weekly. For this week's show, I had the pleasure to speak with the directors of a film that I loved since I've seen a screening earlier in the year. It's called Unicorns, a cross-cultural romance about an Essex mechanic and a British Indian drag queen. Here are the directors Sally L. Rossini and James Krishna Floyd with more.

0:57I Did you like my shirt out here proper good good Oh sexy

1:07What's up, I thought you were first time you kiss someone like me Got go

1:18can we start again you need money i need a lift

1:27sally al-hosseini and james christian floyd welcome to monocle radio to talk about unicorns the film which i loved i saw earlier this year and so i'm so glad to have both of you here in the studio i'll start with you sally how is it to actually there are two directors right both you and James. How challenging was that? I mean, are you used to be a co-director? No, so this was my first time co-directing, actually. Going into it, James and I discussed a lot, like, how would we split the work? How would we maybe have different roles? And then when it actually came to making the film and pre-production, we realized we both wanted to be involved with everything together.

2:08So we both just did everything together. And it worked really organically and it was a positive experience and that's your first feature film as a director yeah and as a writer as well so yeah and it's very personal one to me um everything that happens in the film has either happened in my life or um to a friend of mine called asifa lahore who um is a very well-known queer south asian drag queen and also a lot of other south asian drag queens that know so you know it's very authentic and personal if I might continue what you just said James how important for you was to represent this authenticity in that community because for me I have to say oh you know I didn't know much about it but it looks quite real and even the scenes because I know that area around Essex quite well around Ilford as well I was like that's that's quite realistic in a way yeah well I mean the key to all these things obviously drawing from your own experiences but also I think hiring the right people who can can get that reality onto screen from our heads of departments but most importantly our cast so Jason Patel who plays the lead South Asian drag queen Ayesha Arshik Jason is this incredible real life unicorn you know he's a he's a queer South Asian singer and actor and he brought a lot of his own experiences to his role and then also we have a lot of actors who play the supporting roles who are real Gaijin Sioux who haven't acted before so you know that's where probably you're sensing that that that reality in detail although I need to know what is that club that Asha was performing that that's a cool one right Sally I'll bring you before we started the interview we're talking about hope in films as well and of course there's some really tough scenes in this film but I think like perhaps other films of yours, like The Swimmers as well.

4:02I think we need that sense of hope. Were you worried that you wanted, I'm not going to review the end, but there is a sense of hope as well there at the end. Is that important for your films in a way? Yeah, I mean, every film, you know, you find the ending that is right for the story. But as a filmmaker, you do have a responsibility for what you put out in the world. And I think your personality really colours the work. James and I, when we were making the film, really felt that we wanted the Gaijin community to feel seen. And if there was a message within the film, we wanted that to be one of optimism and hope, despite some of the darkness and the tough things that they have to face, because they're very much a minority within a minority.

4:47When we were casting the film, actually, we were really brought to tears because Laura Windows, our casting director, she'd put out this casting call on social media and we were receiving a lot of tapes from people and sometimes people would record messages with their audition saying just reading the description of the character has made me feel seen. And one audition, you know, someone was auditioning in their bathroom keeping their voice low while you could hear the family in the background because, you know, they didn't want them to know what they were doing. and we were really brought to tears and made us realise the importance of what we were doing and how much representation matters.

5:29It really does actually. One of my favourite scenes in the film, it's a very simple one, but I think Aisha and her friends were just enjoying themselves in a car. I think it was very simple, but the humour was a little bit kind of nasty, but fun as well. I think that's so important, scenes like this as well. So it's not just also the drone, but this kind of this day-to-day things as well right absolutely and that's very realistic you know some of the funniest people that i've ever met are gaysians and are close friends of mine and you know there are there are several stories that kind of portray that but one is that i remember there was a huge fight on one of the nights i was at between these two queens and one of them ended up on the back of an ambulance the other one was on the curb and it was really vicious but within five minutes they were hugging each other and joking about it and you know that that's how i I think a lot of people, not just Asians, but, you know, we deal with the darkness in life is we find some sort of humour and hope.

6:25And I think cinema in particular, I think, can portray that in a pretty potent way. Oh, you look lost. Who's excited for Mudra? Yeah!

6:43Are you OK? I get death threats. All of us, Queens, do.

7:02Take me home. Let's talk about the casting. I think both Ben Hardy and Jason Patel are amazing, right? You know, especially you, James, you wrote the script. I mean, so it's quite interesting to see who is actually going to perform those characters or quite based on real characters in a way, right? I want to know more about the process of casting those two amazing actors. Casting Ben was quite simple because I knew Ben's work, he knew mine and Sally's work and I had some friends in common and he has this incredible quality, Ben, where he can say a lot with no words. It's a very physical performance, you know, as those kind of real-life characters are.

7:41Casting Aisha was extremely tricky and Sally and I were quite concerned. actually and it wasn't until Laura Windows our casting director presented us with Jason that we had some hope really once we got Jason in a room with Ben as with all love stories there's only one thing that matters and that's the chemistry of the actors and it has to be organic and authentic it can't be faked and literally the first take they did in their screen test it was as if they'd sort of fallen in love overnight but then we came to the realization Sally and I actually had a look with each other we went on uh on the tube on the way back and we said you know what these two have such incredible chemistry we don't want to ruin it by them getting to know each other too well you want to keep them in the honeymoon phase so he said to the actor said look we would like you two to not exchange numbers not do what most don't be friends don't be friends don't see each other during pre-production and we want you to really get to know each other on camera and actually the first scene they shot is the all-important love scene and without ruining it you know obviously it's a very intimate scene and you can that's probably why that seems quite raw and you can feel their them discovering each other and how vulnerable they are so you know really credit to jason and ben they really threw themselves into these roles and they're very committed actors very yeah and this is jason's first film as well first film i mean what a start right and it's interesting there's drama there's representation but there's also elements of wrong calm right Sally I think this is a film for everyone it's a story that you know you don't need to be engaged I think it's literally for everyone when I saw it what do you think I agree I mean it's it's fun yeah and entertaining as all good films are and a lot of people come out saying I was really surprised at how funny it was because even though there is drama you know obviously all you know it tackles topics that are you know have darkness in them but that tone of fun and jokes and entertainment were very important to us and we've really seen now because it's the featured film for pride month in view cinemas and that's in 90 cinemas across the uk it means that people who normally would have to travel to london or a capital or somewhere to see a film like this can actually just go to their local view and watch it.

10:02And seeing different audiences connecting with it, the view audience who are mainly going there for mainstream cinema, embrace it is really wonderful because it's a universal story. Ultimately, it's about two characters, you know, two people, realising that how society has defined them might not be who they really are and having the courage to let go of that and to be their true selves. And I think that's a story that no matter where you're from, you can buy into. Because we have to, I know we're talking about, but even Ben's character, he also grew up as this mechanic in Essex in a very macho environment as well.

10:45So there's also that side of things as well. Yeah, at first appearance, you see these two very different worlds and this cross-culture. You think that they couldn't be more different, but then as the film progresses, you realise how similar their worlds are, actually. And that's what connects our two characters. How do you feel, James, now to see your story? You know, it's been in festivals, I think many people have seen it, but now it's a wide release. It's going to be, you know, as Sally was saying, the view locals. It must be quite a special feeling, even though it's been, I don't know, a year, right?

11:16Since it premiered, it was in Toronto? Toronto International Film Festival. When was this? September? September 2023. Almost a year, almost a year, let's say. Yeah, it's beautiful. It's overwhelming at times. I think I've had some moments where I think I walked into the View West End the other day and there was all these kind of digital posters of the film all over the place. And yeah, it's an incredible feeling. But at the same time, I think I've worked so hard. And so sadly, to get the film here, there's also a real sense of pride. I think I'm just so happy that the movie is, like Sally said, has at least the chance to be seen by the average person as well because ultimately it's a love story about two people who happen to be either queer or fluid.

12:11It's quite a classic love story in that sense. I think we can all relate to it, not just South Asians, not just people from Essex, not just queer people. I think it's more than that. And I loved it. listen Sally and James thank you so much for coming in thank you I love you so much

13:09Thank you very much, Sal El-Hossaini there and James Krishna Floyd. Unicorns will be out in the UK and Irish cinemas on the 5th of July. Expect a release in the US later this year. The show was edited by Steph Tchungo, and I am Fernando Augusto Pacheco. Thank you for listening.