“It was less about what’s happening on the outside and more about what’s happening on the inside for me when it came to why I wanted to tell this story now,” Nia DaCosta said this morning during a session about her latest feature, Hedda, at Deadline’s Contenders London.
The film stars Tessa Thompson as Hedda Gabler, a newlywed who is precariously dissatisfied with life. The gun-loving daughter of the late General Gabler, she has convinced her husband, George (Tom Bateman), a timid but ambitious scholar, to throw a lavish party the couple cannot afford. On the teeming guest list is Eileen Lovborg (Hoss), a celebrated author of a book exploring sexuality, and George’s key rival for a coveted academic post. Hedda sees the guests as pawns in an elaborate game she plans to orchestrate with ruthless precision.
“When I wrote it, I thought about making a more contemporary film, but I didn’t want it to be present day, and that’s why I landed on the 50s. It’s a decade we’re still connected to,” DaCosta said of why she decided to set the film in Midcentury England.
The film also features an original song, written by composer Hildur Guðnadóttir, with lyrics also written by DaCosta.
“Nia wrote the lyrics to the song. It was great to collaborate with Nia,” Guðnadóttir said of working on the song with DaCosta.
“I love when music can seep into different threads of collaboration. That’s what I find so exciting. To really be part of the film’s DNA.”
Hedda hits cinemas on October 22.
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