EP. 1536: Filmmaker Soudabeh Moradian & Editor Shon Hedges (THE MERMAID)

THE MERMAID, 105min., USA
Directed by Soudabeh Moradian
A mysterious girl is saved from drowning by a fragmented family living in a desolate beach house. Her strange relationship with them becomes intimate and complex until everything reaches to a point of no return.
https://www.instagram.com/themermaidmovie/
Get to know the filmmaker:
What motivated you to make this film?
The Mermaid was born out of a personal urgency to explore the psychological aftermath of trauma—particularly when it’s silenced or dismissed. I wanted to create a space for a character who’s constantly gaslit, both by her inner world and the people around her, and to blur the line between dream and reality. It’s a reflection on emotional abuse, xenophobia, and isolation, wrapped in the aesthetics of psychological horror.
From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
It took more than three years from the initial concept to the final cut. Development and writing were fairly quick, but production and especially post-production were long and complicated—partly due to budget constraints and doing so much of the work myself.
How would you describe your film in two words!?
Hauntingly intimate.
What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
Financing and post-production. I wore multiple hats—writer, director, producer, editor —and managing everything independently while teaching full-time at Syracuse University was incredibly draining. There were moments I truly thought it wouldn’t get finished.
What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?
It was surreal and deeply moving. Hearing people connect to the emotional undercurrents, even if they interpreted things differently, made me feel like the risks I took paid off.
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