SHELLEY IN WONDERLAND
IT'S NEVER TOO LATE TO LIVE YOUR DREAMS.
→ Shelley in Wonderland tells an intimate and personal life story about sacrifice and choosing for yourself, while also giving us a glimpse into the madness of America and its crooked beauty ideals.
→ A documentary about the desire for visibility and chasing dreams at an older age.
→ While the world of beauty pageants might feel hysterical and absurd, this film shows the story behind the glitter and wrinkles, highlighting how important it is for ladies at and older age to stay visible and feel recognised.
PRODUCTION STATEMENT
This project has the strong personal and touching story of Shelley at the core. At the same time, it portrays a universal need for visibility, recognition and beauty at an older age. Being older and still (or finally) embracing life and claiming one’s place in the world, whatever your background is, is something that we want to celebrate. Besides that, the beauty pageant is a fascinating starting point for a film. The eccentric city of Las Vegas is a sparkling arena that magnifies everything. Add the flamboyant characters to the mix and you have the perfect ingredients for a film. For Sophie, Shelley is somewhat like Alice in Wonderland, stepping out of her quiet life in Utah and into the wonderful world of the pageant and Las Vegas.
“In my films I like to challenge myself in appropriating something rather absurd and making it understandable and recognizable. I’m convinced everyone has similarities, despite their sometimes weird lifestyles. As a documentary maker, my job is to dig deeper than what is seen from the surface, show people’s stories, their vulnerabilities and universal needs."
- Sophie Dros, Director
SYNOPSIS
We follow the timid Shelley on her trip from her devout life in Utah to the extravagant world of Ms Senior pageant in Las Vegas. While Shelley and the other colourful 60+ senior characters surrounding her revive their dreams in the spotlights, the film touches on a universal need for visibility, the urge to still matter and chasing dreams at an older age.
| Directed by | Sophie Dros |
|---|---|
| Produced by | Halal |
| Language | English |
| Location | Las Vegas, USA |
| Budget | TBC |
DIRECTOR
Sophie Dros creates films about rather politically incorrect subjects and lifestyles she feels intrigued by. In order to find their true origins, she digs deep. Once arrived at the bottom, Sophie’s journey with the viewers really starts.
Film and television is developing more and more into a direction where people are made to look like fools, which seems to have the sole purpose of making ourselves feel better about our own imperfections. In general people aren’t that different from one another and that’s what Sophie endeavours to emphasize in her films. According to Sophie, the medium film is there to broaden our horizon and helps us learn more about people and subjects we would otherwise never encounter. She finds a special visual narration in documentary crucial. Sophie believes that documentary is more than finding interesting characters or subjects: form and content must meet in order to keep the film challenging to her and her audience.
RELEASE
TBC
