‘O Horizon’ at SBIFF 2025 interview with director Madeleine Rotzler

O HORIZON

Santa Barbara film festival

Interview with director: Madeleine Rotzler, by Emmanuel Itier

Having lost my dad recently I can identify to Madeleine Rotzler splendid new film: ‘O Horizon’. In this film, Abby, played by the talented Maria Bakalova, is developing a new technology to talk with her deceased father, Warren, played by maestro David Strathairn. Madeleine has assembled a very poetic and charming movie with a deep soul. Her choice of perfect shots is enhancing this very emotional movie and once can only reflect about its own mortality and its family relationship. ‘O Horizon’ won the Panavision Spirit Award for Independent Cinema, last week, at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. We were there to meet with Madeleine and get more insights about her brilliant jewel of a movie.

Q: What inspired you to make this film?

Madeleine: I wrote the movie during Covid. That’s when a lot of people were not able to be with their loved ones when they passed away. Like everybody I spent lots of time alone at home. I was thinking and imagining what it would be life if you could talk again to the ones you lost. The idea for the AI was just meant to be a fable. I wanted to write something fantastical and not grounded in reality. But, also something that didn’t disregard all of the hard things we go through. So, I came up with the idea of that technology. And since then, it became more and more of a reality, which I didn’t expect at all. It’s very different watching the movie now. Even every month I was watching it, finishing the film, it’s all different each time.

Q: What are the other themes you were trying to explore? What is this film truly talking about?

Madeleine:  For me it’s really a father daughter story. The world of it is hopefully what draws you into it.  I come from making a lot of documentaries and the first fiction film that I made I found it in   prison with mostly men incarcerated as actors. Covid hit just after that film came out. I wanted to spend more time somewhere else. And so, I saw this new film as an alternate reality and how can we build a world that feels a little bit different. I hope I build a movie that feels different and colorful in spite of her dealing with a loss. I hope I created an uplifting story about loss. Loss is not something we spend too much time looking at or thinking about.  I find myself in denial about it and not wanting to think about it. And so, I’m not ready for it when it happens. This is where we find her. And no amount or knowledge can prepare us for the hardship of losing a loved one. 

Q: Tell me about the various challenges you faced making this movie?

Madeleine: The cinematographer and I had made lots of films together and we joked at the idea of making a film in N.Y cannot be harder than making a film in a maximum-security prison.  We are both from New York and we love this city. New York has been used in so many ways so it’s a challenge to make New York feel different. We were so lucky to have an amazing location manager named Ryan. We scouted over 30 apartments for her own apartment. The one in the film is the very last one we found. It was a challenge, but we kept looking and we found the perfect locations. Also, I had a much bigger crew than the movie I made in the prison (‘O.G’ -2018) and shooting in N.Y is lots more organization. The production itself was quite complicated. Because I have done many documentaries, I’m used to things un-expected to happen. And so, when un-expected things happen it doesn’t bother me so much. It’s just problems to solve and possible opportunities to discover. Also, I was so lucky with my amazing cast. Everyone was so “game” with what we were doing. The subject matter drew everyone to this project. It wasn’t just a job for any of us, but everyone was passionate about this film. 

Q:  Tell me about being at the Santa Barbara film festival and the expectation of touring the film at various festivals?

Madeleine: We are at a time when it’s really hard to make and sell independent films. It wasn’t as hard for my last film. Every movie has to find its right audience and it has to find the right support and someone to believe in it. Santa Barbara film festival was great because they have such a passionate audience, very film savy. To get that support was meaningful and powerful to us. We will see what happens. And we are hoping we find the right distributors to understand what we did and how it can touch people.

Q: What is the final take-away with this film?

Madeleine: There is a lot with this movie. So many people are inter-acting with AI on a daily basis at work. But not necessarily with the emotional side. And that’s what this film does. And I think it’s time to think about this. What are the emotional benefits that can come from this amazing shift in our lives and what are the harder things from it. And I think it’s a very personal question and so we are finding that   going into the movie people don’t have a very set view on what they would or wouldn’t do. But it was very important to me to approach the technology with a non-judgmental way. Coming out of the movie I hope people realize there is more to think about, more to talk about and to discover around the obvious question they have thought before going in.  Who am I am to say what people should take away, but for me, I tried to approach all of the subject matters in a nonjudgmental way. I hope that in a time the world feels in the very judgmental way that somewhat this film helps us connect better with each other.