Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Anna to mix with movie elite at festival
Debut showcase in Venice
A Coatbridge actress will rub shoulders with some of the movie industry’s biggest stars when she attends the only film festival taking place this year.
Anna Russell-Martin, 21, plays the lead role in the independent short film ‘The Shift’, which has been selected for the Venice Film Festival.
This is the first film role for former St Andrew’s High School pupil Anna following a successful career in musical theatre.
‘ The Shift’ is the second movie written and directed by Edinburgh film- maker Laura Carreira, a 2019 Bafta Scotland nominee with her previous production ‘Red Hill’.
And Anna is due to jet out with Laura to the 10- day Venice event, which begins on September 2 and is the only major European film festival physically going ahead this year.
Anna told the Advertiser: “Laura was buzzing when ‘The Shift’ was selected for the festival but initially, because I didn’t know much about the world of film, I was unaware of how big a deal this is.
“But when I googled the Venice Film Festival and saw all of the big names associated with it I realised the scale of what we have achieved.
“Hopefully the coronavirus doesn’t impact on us getting out to Venice as I can’t wait to walk on the red carpet and hopefully catch some movies while we’re out there.”
Set in a Glasgow supermarket, the nine-minute long ‘The Shift’ tells the story of an unnamed woman, played by Anna, on a zero-hours contract.
Anna explained: “You see her full day from walking her dog to doing her weekly shop – in the reduced aisle – and then at the end she gets a call to say her shift has been cancelled.
“She really needs the work and money and it is snatched away from her in a heartbeat.
“It’s a subject matter that is more relevant than ever with a lot of people out of work, on furlough or facing uncertain futures because of Covid-19.”
Anna added: “I had to audition for the part. I sent a tape of me doing the film’s final phone call in the house before chatting to Laura over the phone, when I had to perform the call scene again.
“I then went to meet Laura and thankfully got the part.
“I’ve seen the final film and I’m very happy with it.
“It’s almost like a little documentary and is very moving. The film opens to the public next month.”
Anna began performing at the age of three when she attended Janis Ridley’s dance school in Coatbridge then went on to join drama and singing groups in Kirkintilloch and Glasgow.
She attended St Patrick’s Primary and St Andrew’s High before moving to specialist performance school Knightswood Secondary in Glasgow from fourth year to study musical theatre.
In 2018 she graduated from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, which she represented at the prestigious Premio Nazionale delle Arti in Rome.
She then joined a graduate scheme with the Citizens’ Theatre and has also appeared on stage at the Tron and Traverse theatres and at Oran Mor.
Late last year Anna portrayed central character Anais Hendricks in the National Theatre of Scotland’s production of ‘The Panopticon’ during a preview performance at Platform in Glasgow ahead of a 10-date run at Edinburgh’s Traverse theatre.
Like many performers in the arts, Anna has experienced a tough time throughout the coronavirus lockdown but she is optimistic about what the future holds.
Anna said: “I was in the middle of some acting jobs when the Covid-19 pandemic hit, which led to them being cancelled.
“It has been a difficult time as I was very busy for six months and then all of a sudden nothing was happening.
“I have been doing some radio plays in my house to keep me going during lockdown.
“In terms of the future I would like to work in both film and theatre but realise the latter could be tougher due to social distancing measures.
“Hopefully being at the Venice Film Festival will open some doors for me as it will be a fantastic experience, especially for my first film role.”