Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with Love Sarah’s Eliza Schroeder

Eliza Schroeder has emerged as one of the year’s most exciting new voices. Her debut feature film, Love Sarah, is a charming dramedy about three women who are brought together by the loss of their mother, daughter, and best friend, Sarah. Together, they honor her memory by fulfilling her lifelong dream.

We had the pleasure of speaking with Eliza about her career, Love Sarah, and what she hopes audiences take away.

Career

PC: How did you discover your passion for storytelling?
Eliza: It started at quite an early age. When I was a little girl, I was always drawing flipbooks and writing little short stories; I’ve always been drawn to creating fictional worlds. At some point, I went to study literature in Berlin and later completed a masters in filmmaking in London. I used to work as a photographer as well, and I suddenly found a way of combining my passion for pictures and storytelling and became a director.

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career?
Eliza: I approach my career by learning and by doing. I created a production company with my friend back in the day, and we went into making short films. Our experiences grew from there. I get inspired by the actors I work with and also, of course, the filmmakers I come across. But there isn’t one person who has shaped me; it’s more the sum of the people I’ve had the pleasure to work with.

Love Sarah

PC: You have a new film out now. Tell us about Love Sarah and the inspiration behind it.
Eliza: I always wanted to tell a story about three strong women who have to, after losing a dear one, join forces, despite having been estranged for a while. They have to join forces again and rediscover each other to realize Sarah’s dream. I love baking. I love Notting Hill. So, I was trying to find a way to bring these three head-strong women together to do something around baking. That’s how it all started.

PC: You directed a ton of shorts and commercials throughout your career. How have those experiences prepared you for your debut feature film?
Eliza: I’ve learned something with every short film and commercial that I’ve done. I’ve learned a great deal from mistakes, but also looking at other people and how they approach their craft. Of course, if you shoot a feature film, it’s a whole different thing, because it’s such a long process. It’s much longer than a short film, and you have to persevere. I also had five lead actors, so there was quite a big chunk of people on set asking me what to do. It was an amazing experience.

PC: With this being your debut feature film, what was the biggest lesson you learned from this experience that you’ll apply to future projects?
Eliza: It’s all about preparation. We didn’t have as much prep time as I would have liked because it was quite a small-budget film, so time was always limited. The other big thing that I’ve learned is that you have to creep into your actors’ heads. You have to spend lots of time with them to understand how they work and to earn their trust. It’s a very human job. The biggest job as a director is to listen and bring people together to create something jointly. The other big thing that I’ve learned is that filmmaking is a team effort. It’s not my film; it’s our film. Everyone worked so hard.

PC: This project has been years in the making and has been incredibly well received. What has that response meant to you?
Eliza: It means a great deal to me, especially because the film also deals with loss. I lost my own mum in the process of prepping and creating the film, so dealing with loss, I hope it gives the audience an aspect of hope after losing a dear one. That was very, very important to me. It means a great deal that it’s resonated with people. Hopefully, it puts a smile on people’s faces, lets them rethink relationships they might have with people they might be estranged from, and give love and life another chance.

PC: So sorry for your loss. You’ve already touched upon this a little bit, but there are a lot of really beautiful themes within the film. Was there one in particular that hit home for you?
Eliza: I think it’s probably the relationship between people; I’m always fascinated by what that can do. What can a strong rebound or reconnection do to someone’s life? It can change everything. It can give you a new perspective. You can learn so much from people you trust and the people you start to trust again.

PC: Great answer. Besides Love Sarah, you’re also working on another project. Is there anything you could tell us about Women 21?
Eliza: Women 21 is a documentary I’m making about ballet dancers from different companies who are mothers. It’s about how they deal with the juggling of being a mother and climbing the ranks in their company. I’m also working on a thriller and a children’s movie. The children’s movie is a film about the tooth fairy, inspired by a little story and exchange of letters I’ve had with my own daughter and the tooth fairy. The thriller is a film about a gigolo who works as a spy for MI5.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: Guilty pleasure TV show?
Eliza: The Great British Bake Off. I think it’s amazing because of all the cakes and the delicious things on the screen that I could never make. Also, the Graham Norton Show.

PC: Guilty pleasure movie?
Eliza: I’ve recently indulged again in The Holiday and I love it. It’s such a nice premise and it’s such a good film.

PC: Favorite play or musical?
Eliza: I have a thing for ballet, so probably The Nutcracker. The last musical I’ve seen that I really loved was Mary Poppins.

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Eliza: I love Jamiroquai—I’ve always loved Jamiroquai. There’s another band which has been my all-time favorite called Incognito. They’re a UK Band.

PC: Who would play you in the story of your life?
Eliza: Drew Barrymore.

Stream Love Sarah today!