The feature debut from writer and director Avalon Fast world premieres virtually January 27, 2022.
Honeycomb is the feature debut from 21-year-old Canadian filmmaker Avalon Fast. Shot in the summer of 2019 on Cortes Island, British Columbia with a cast and crew of her peers and friends the film was inspired by the fear of the future, the uncertainty of growing up, sun-soaked summer, and the unique experience of being a teenage girl. Honeycomb is a way of feeling. A slow mindless space has been written with borderless rules and time to fill. The girls push for a meaning that is hardly there, struggling to reach out, grab it, and lock it in a box. Sometimes the girls find themselves feeling as though they were freer before.
In the mundane hours of early summer, five girls sulk in their own boredom waiting for something. When Willow stumbles upon a seemingly abandoned cabin, she begins fantasizing about the life she and the girls could have there. Leader, Jules, Vicky, and Millie pack their bags and whisper a quick goodbye to the life they knew. They flow through open fields, blissfully entering their new sun-soaked world.
"From its first moments, it's evident that there is something special about Honeycomb. Throughout its strange, unfolding tale, Avalon Fast's feature debut continuously surprises with her bold and intriguing choices, especially when it comes to her dialogue. With nods toward Golding's Lord of the Flies and Ann M. Martin's The Babysitter's Club, Honeycomb's classic references mesh beautifully with its fresh, updated take on female friendship and the ominous end of innocence. A lo-fi achievement that perfectly encapsulates the Slamdance spirit," says Slamdance Narrative Features Co-Captain K.J. Relth-Miller.
With nods toward Golding's Lord of the Flies and Ann M. Martin's The Babysitter's Club, Honeycomb's classic references mesh beautifully with its fresh, updated take on female friendship and the ominous end of innocence.
It's a beautiful and raw love letter to youth. Honeycomb is a bold and promising feature debut for Fast, who shares writing credit with Emmett Roiko. The film stars a breakout cast of young talent, including Rowan Wales, Sophie Bawks-Smith, Jillian Frank, Destini Stewart, and Mari Geraghty. Prior to Honeycomb, Fast wrote and directed a number of award-winning and celebrated short films, first launching her career when she was a child and starting professionally after high school.
Avalon stated, "Honeycomb does not follow one main character, instead, it watches this group as a whole as they settle into their mind-bending isolation. I wanted to make a film that showed the kind of resentment that the girls might feel for being sidelined in social situations, being the ones invited to parties, not the ones having them. These girls felt inferior to their guy friends and partners, and they were looking for a way out. It also shows the dynamics of choosing a leader within a friend group, either purposely or subconsciously."
Slamdance Film Festival will host over 100 films streaming on-demand from January 27-February 6, 2022. Festival passes are available on the Slamdance Channel website. Get your passes now for the world premiere of Honeycomb.