HAROULA ROSE CRAFTING STORIES OF HUMANITY THROUGH FILM AND MUSIC

Award-winning filmmaker and musician Haroula Rose combines her cinematic expertise and musical talent. Her latest film, All Happy Families, delves into family dynamics and relationships. Explore how Rose’s transition from music to film has influenced her unique storytelling style.

“I THINK LIFE IS FULL OF HUMOR, EVEN IN THE SADDEST MOMENTS. IT IS IMPORTANT TO FIND THOSE MOMENTS OF LEVITY; OTHERWISE, I FEEL IT’S EASY TO TUNE OUT; IT DOESN’T FEEL AUTHENTIC TO ME SOMEHOW.”

HAROULA ROSE AMERICAN FILMMAKER AND MUSICIAN

Haroula Rose, an award-winning Greek American filmmaker and musician, has captivated audiences through her remarkable versatility and storytelling prowess. Her critically acclaimed feature debut, Once Upon A River, not only garnered 19 awards but also earned international acclaim, showcasing her unique ability to weave deep and authentic narratives. With her latest project, All Happy Families, Rose continues to explore the intricate layers of human emotions and relationships. This upcoming family dramedy, featuring a stellar cast including Josh Radnor and Becky Ann Baker, delves into family life's complexities with humor and depth.

Rose’s artistic journey began with songwriting and performing, where her musical talents first brought her recognition. However, her passion for storytelling led her to the world of filmmaking. In All Happy Families, Rose blends her musical background with her filmmaking expertise to craft a story that resonates deeply with audiences. The movie is set against the backdrop of a family reunion and explores the humorous yet poignant realities of family dynamics and hidden resentments.

Based in Chicago and Los Angeles, Rose bridges the worlds of music and film, using her diverse experiences to create compelling narratives reflecting our shared human experience. In this interview, Rose shares how she continues to push creative boundaries in both industries, dedicated to producing art that entertains and profoundly connects with audiences. As she reveals insights into her process of merging musical and cinematic elements, Rose illustrates her commitment to crafting art that entertains and deeply resonates with viewers, inviting them to explore the depth of their own experiences and emotions.

What has been the most transformative experience in your career, and how has it shaped who you are today?

Making my first feature film was transformative, for sure—the way we made it felt emblematic of how I have always continued to work and plan to. The experience felt like we were basically at film camp, creating a community in this idyllic setting and making beautiful imagery and storytelling come to life. Like we were really all on the same page, wanting things to work for the better of everyone and to tell this story in the best way we could. I had made many short films before and a half-hour pilot episode, but making one’s first feature is unlike anything else, and most importantly, I proved to myself that I could do it, that I could do anything after that one. It was really empowering, knowing that I could build something like that with a great team and on such a limited budget. It made me confident in a way that I hadn’t felt before that.

Can you describe a pivotal moment that influenced your decision to pursue filmmaking?

It wasn’t any one moment but rather that singular feeling that comes from being totally engaged in a world, a feeling that I have had since childhood when I watched movies. I also have older siblings and parents who all (thankfully) had great and wide-ranging taste in movies :). So, I always knew I wanted to work in film but wasn’t sure how to make it happen. No one had done anything like that before where I grew up or in my family, so I was lucky to fall into some jobs after college that led me into that world and seeing the craftsmanship up close.

What inspired you to transition from music to filmmaking, and how does your musical background influence your storytelling approach?

Music is still a huge part of my life, actually. I have a new record of my own that I will put out soon, and a collaborative instrumental project that I made with my husband (Oliver Hill) that will be released in early 2025 with a label we are excited about. And I am active in the scoring and soundtrack of my films; it is totally one of my favorite parts, collaborating with my composer and producer friends on that aspect of things. But I would say that in terms of how music helps influence my storytelling approach, it adds to it being a whole experience the whole time. What I mean to say is that I like to work with a composer or songwriter/s, even as early as the script stage, to explore sounds and themes that can also be used while filming. It can help with actors’ performance, and it can be a useful tool for setting an audio tone. It helps me as I am also directing, always thinking about what music can go in this or that transition and how to evoke certain feelings with both imagery and audio.

How do you balance your roles as a filmmaker, musician, and producer while staying mindful and focused?

Every project takes a long time! So, I think this is the blessing as well as the curse of this vocation. When you have time to meditate on things and really think about them, it isn’t too hard to remain focused on what is the task at hand and how best to keep engaged with the story at that moment in time—a step in always pointing towards the full picture. Accretion, if you will, and I will say it’s so nice to have something else to do when movies take so long! I can sit and work on a song with friends and record it on the same day, whereas a film takes months or years.

What strategies do you use to maintain this balance?

Staying present at each stage but always zoom out to see the bigger picture of the project itself, my life, and the world. And what is that story saying about us and the world we are in at that moment?

What roles do personal growth and self-discovery play in your creative process?

Since we are always growing and evolving, I like to think that my work reflects that. As a script can take years before you’re actually filming it, it, too, will evolve with me. It’s kind of its own living, breathing thing that mirrors my life and the world we are in at that moment. Hopefully, my work will stand the test of time by being authentic and specific to the moment they’re in. It's paradoxical, I know, but I am hopeful that is the case.

“I HAD MADE MANY SHORT FILMS BEFORE AND A HALF-HOUR PILOT EPISODE, BUT MAKING ONE’S FIRST FEATURE IS UNLIKE ANYTHING ELSE, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, I PROVED TO MYSELF THAT I COULD DO IT, THAT I COULD DO ANYTHING AFTER THAT ONE.”

How did your personal experiences influence the portrayal of the Landry family and their dynamics in All Happy Families?

I don’t know any woman that hasn’t experienced something like what happens in the movie, in conversation, in physicality, or in being othered in some way or environment. Thankfully, this is changing, but my co-writer and I wanted to tell a story about how pervasive this issue is, in even the most subtle ways, around a dinner table, in a way that is observational and also hopeful that things can change with awareness.

Your film, All Happy Families, explores family dynamics and hidden resentments. What inspired you to delve into these themes, and how did you and Coburn Goss develop the characters to reflect modern family complexities?

I think the opening line of Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina explains it more fully and perfectly than I can, and that is why it is the inspiration for the title! But basically, every family has its own nuanced problems and issues that are totally unique to that family system. And it is what makes us human, and so it is what everyone can relate to on some level or another. Coburn and I wanted to tell a story about masculinity and femininity in the modern world, in the most persona context of a family, and what buttons people can push, how we cope, and how we can (hopefully) come of age at any age.

The film blends comedy and drama. How did you balance humor with the story’s more profound, serious aspects, and what was the most challenging scene to film?

I think life is full of humor, even in the saddest moments. It is important to find those moments of levity; otherwise, I feel it’s easy to tune out; it doesn’t feel authentic to me somehow. A filmmaker I really admire once told me that when people laugh, it’s because something is truthful. I like that a lot and agree. Shining a light on a serious issue is better in comedy, so it doesn’t come off as overly righteous or preachy or judgmental or anything like that. I’d say the most challenging but also the most fun scene to film was probably the fight scene, just because of logistics. We were in a smallish room, and it involved a lot of people. It was hilarious and disturbing at once, and I was really pleased with how awkward and honest it was. I never wanted it to feel like a typical fight scene in movies, where you have fake punch sounds and nonsense like that. But it's more like real life, where it’s clumsy and dumb.

Can you tell us more about the significance of the soundtrack to All Happy Families? How did you collaborate with composers like Zac Rae and Oliver Hill to shape the film’s music?

Zac and I have worked on many things together, and it’s a really fun process. On this one, we tried to tackle it where Zac would focus on the score and Oliver would focus on the songs, and we’d all make an effort to make it feel like it’s in the same musical kind of tapestry. Since the music and songs are so interwoven in the fabric of the film, they both ended up doing the scoring as well. It was playful at first, trying out different instruments and a fun idea to have the bass be the key lead instrument. It was more challenging to find the right tone for a comedy than a drama, that is for sure.

The film features a diverse cast of actors and musicians. How did you approach casting and working with this talented ensemble?

Honestly, we got lucky that everyone we approached liked the script and said yes. It was the dream scenario and was such a fun part of the process, nailing down the leads as well as supporting characters. I cannot picture anyone else in any of these roles.

After watching it, what do you hope viewers take away from All Happy Families?

I hope that people see something of themselves or their families in it, and with the potential to still love people despite their flaws, we all have room to grow.