Inspired by a wide variety of artistic works from foreign masterpieces such as After Life, Force Majeure and Bleu to Beyonce’s Lemonade and Netflix’s hit Stranger Things along with directors including Woody Allen, Michael Haneke and the Coen brothers, Bratt has established herself as a filmmaking force on the festival circuit from Tribeca to SXSW to Cannes by not only helming the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation award-winning short film In Vivid Detail, the poetic butterfly tale Flutter, shot in Vietnam, and the captivating feature documentary The Singing Abortionist, but writing and directing several beauty and lifestyle spots for cosmetic giants including L’Oreal and Maybelline.
Regarding her approach to the commercial projects, the filmmaker explained, “I would like to break beauty and lifestyle fashion out of its traditional definition of the female physical form and push the boundaries of beauty into other realms such as architecture, landscape, and technology. I think the narrative crossroads of beauty, documentary and character can yield some compelling creative results.”
Bratt’s signing to Aero Film marks the first time the Montreal native has joined the roster of a commercial production company, a move she attributes in large part to timing. “’I’ve been thinking about being signed for a long time now but didn’t want to rush into an agreement which wouldn’t be the right fit,” Bratt said. “Being patient took some skill but I knew that when it happened, it would be because the timing was right. Summer ended; everything instantly fell into place and I just knew this was the moment.”
With a keen eye and vision for compelling narrative, character development and resonant storytelling, from documentaries to short form and commercials, Bratt not only brings fresh perspective to Aero Film, but signs on as the production company’s first female director. According to executive producer Sara Eolin, though, the director’s arrival has been anticipated for quite some time. “To say it was love at first sight sounds cheesy, but it was,” Eolin explained. “Our head of new business Susanne Kelly and I have been mildly stalking Dara and her career for a few years. In the last few months, we saw her style really come into its own and take shape. She’s incredibly versatile – polished beauty to raw documentary. She puts story first and lets the filmmaking style support that story. She’s dedicated to the craft, a super hard worker, and awesomely silly.”
“With Aero, it always seemed right,” added Bratt. “Aero has a standard of excellence and everyone also seems to have a sense of humor, which is very important to me. I felt that I would be valued and be able to bring something new to the table.”
