The Refuge tells the story of a women’s aid centre where we find four girls living in an isolated fortress gatehouse forced to take an antidepressant treatment. The film is a protest to the current crisis that these institutions are facing due to government cuts. It shows how women are being marginalized instead of being included into society. Maria Millan is a London based Image Maker originally from Venezuela. She is known for her amazing storytelling in her editorials, normally charged with tension and hidden feelings that she manages to bring to the surface in a subtle way in her pictures and fashion videos found in Vogue, Jute, Fruk, Ellements magazine amongst others. Lujza Richter, daughter of Gerhard Richter, plays Eva, the new girl that arrives at The Refuge. Her performance is as poetic as the words of her third great grandfather Victor Hugo. One of the main characters is the model Demi Hannah Scott, who we know for her constant work at Show Studio with Nick Knight, her worldwide campaign with Uniqlo, her shots by Tim Walker and catwalks for Fenty Puma. Demi gives life to Alex one of the residents of The Refuge. Even though this film sounds like a documentary, it is not. Millan doesn’t abandon her love for fashion and aesthetics and she delights us with a film where each shot is a still that could be found inside a high fashion magazine. She plays with colours and textures in a beautiful way in order to engage the spectator with the dramatic story that lies beneath. With an all-female cast and a female director, The Refuge aims to call the attention on gender disparity in the filmmaking industry. Trailer: https://vimeo.com/210276514
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