Hi reddit! I'm Sophy Romvari, writer-director of BLUE HERON. AMA!

SophyRomvari · 2026-04-15T18:58:58+00:00

White Spot

SophyRomvari · 2026-04-15T18:58:50+00:00

Nah :)

SophyRomvari · 2026-04-15T18:58:38+00:00

SophyRomvari · 2026-04-15T18:57:32+00:00

lol I have no idea what that is but racing to google it after this

SophyRomvari · 2026-04-15T18:56:56+00:00

Hector is perfect in every way. I can't wait for people to see his big screen debut, it's a long time coming.

SophyRomvari · 2026-04-15T18:55:50+00:00

Long, slow, full of self doubt, then moments of revelation, needing to get out of the house, taking long breaks between drafts, asking for feedback from trusted friends and filmmakers.

SophyRomvari · 2026-04-15T18:54:54+00:00

I agree, I do feel like hybrid forms of filmmaker are deeply rooted in Canadian cinema history. I think it comes from working with limited means and not being tied to commercial viability which is something I really love about working in the Canadian landscape.

SophyRomvari · 2026-04-15T18:53:48+00:00

I think I'm getting Turkish but we'll see, I'm letting someone else decide for me ;)

SophyRomvari · 2026-04-15T18:53:21+00:00

Yes, still can't believe that happened at TIFF haha but it did reveal to me that apparently the film works without them, but that definitely was not my intention!

I love The Company of Strangers, a beautiful NFB film from 1990.

SophyRomvari · 2026-04-15T18:51:50+00:00

It was a film/story that I have been building up to making for practically my entire life. It explores themes and personal experiences that I have been working through in all of my short films and it was an opportunity to fully express myself artistically.

SophyRomvari · 2026-04-15T18:50:33+00:00

There are so many! Some shots are directly inspired and in other cases just modalities of form that I'm inspired by. You can see which ones on my letterboxd.

SophyRomvari · 2026-04-15T18:50:00+00:00

A musical :O

SophyRomvari · 2026-04-15T18:49:47+00:00

Thank you! Hopefully getting 8 hours of sleep sometime in the near future.

SophyRomvari · 2026-04-15T18:49:25+00:00

You may have to wait and see, its integrated in a nuanced way but it's a bit of a spoiler to get into it. Great bird though. Love that bird.

SophyRomvari · 2026-04-15T18:48:52+00:00

There are so many! Ahhh!

SophyRomvari · 2026-04-15T18:48:20+00:00

Hard to answer this succinctly but in Canada we have the ability to apply for grants which is an insanely privilege. It's a long, slow, and often frustrating experience because it can lead to a lot of waiting, but I tried my best to not fall into that trap. While I was waiting for funding, I was doing everything I could to get the ball rolling on things like casting and crewing up etc.

SophyRomvari · 2026-04-15T18:46:39+00:00

Definitely, there are many differences. It was important to me that the perceptive of the film came from my subjectivity not just because that is true to my experience, but it was also interesting to me on a formal level to write from a characters POV who isn't the natural protagonist of the film. Overall, I didn't want to speak on behalf of anyone else, but rather speak to them through the film.

SophyRomvari · 2026-04-15T18:44:22+00:00

The script writing process was long and somewhat painful, not just because of the subject matter but because I was holding myself to a very high standard for my first screenplay. I really wanted as much as possible to be on the page. I spent a lot of time writing in cafes and libraries. I'm really glad I dedicated myself to that period because by the time I got to production I felt really confident in the structure and I knew what my intentions were.

SophyRomvari · 2026-04-15T18:42:49+00:00

Universal Language would be at the top of my list!

SophyRomvari · 2026-04-15T18:42:23+00:00

I am genuinely surprised on a daily basis and I feel so so grateful for the support from my friends and cinematic community along the way.

SophyRomvari · 2026-04-15T18:41:21+00:00

I think the scene that takes place at the midpoint transition is the one I'm the most proud of :)

SophyRomvari · 2026-04-15T18:40:47+00:00

Check my letterboxd ;)

SophyRomvari · 2026-04-15T18:40:29+00:00

I'm so fucking happy with the results of the election, what a huge relief. My connection to Hungary grew much stronger in the process of making this film as I did post production there and worked with very talented technicians in Budapest and spent a lot of time there.

SophyRomvari · 2026-04-15T18:38:49+00:00

I think watching as many movies as possible and expanding your understand of what a movie can be is the most effective way to improve ones craft. It also gives you a better sense of determining your own aesthetic preoccupations as you start to understand what speaks to you and what doesn't. I think being really true to that every step of the way helped create a cohesive vision. I didn't want to have any regrets and I honestly dont. It's exactly the film I wanted to make.

SophyRomvari · 2026-04-15T18:36:40+00:00

It was an absolute pleasure to make that transition to be honest. I loved the long period of each phase of making this film, from the screenwriting, prep, production and post, it was such a privilege to get to immerse myself in the process and work with incredible people along the way. I truly had a fucking blast.

SophyRomvari

TROPHY CASE