Claire Mulligan is an award-winning novelist. Her short film script Obscura–co-written by director Arnold Lim–won the 2024 Leo Award for Best Short Film and Best Screenplay. She is keen to expand into the world of writing and producing for television and film.
Here is our conversation with Claire.
HNMAG: Where are you from?
Claire Mulligan: I grew up in Kelowna, BC. I lived in Vancouver for many years, Whistler, and the US, Westchester, Pennsylvania for eleven years.
HNMAG: Were you interested in entertainment as a kid?
Claire Mulligan: I come from a writing background and my first novel, The Reckoning of Boston Jim was a historical fiction. My second novel was a Canadian Author Award Nominee, The Dark with Random House Doubleday. I’ve also written many short stories. I wasn’t really captivated by working in film and television when I began my career. Breaking Bad was a big influence. I saw that and I thought, “This is new. This is what I’d love to do. That got me intrigued. I then did a Master’s of Fine Arts at the University of Victoria under Maureen Bradley. She’s an independent filmmaker. I like collaboration and working on my feet on set.
HNMAG: When did you graduate from UVIC?
Claire Mulligan: 2017.
HNMAG: Did you start working on something right after that?
Claire Mulligan: I worked on some short films. My first short film script was The Still Life of Annika Myers. It was released in 2019 and did well on the festival circuit. It was adapted from a short story that I wrote. I was very proud of the actors and the director, Matthew Blecha.
HNMAG: How did you team up with Arnold Lim to make Obscura?
Claire Mulligan: We met each other through Cinevic, the independent film society here on the island, and had worked on some other projects together. I was fascinated by the old pinhole cameras. We talked about how we can bring that to a short film and originally we were considering sci-fi. Then I figured that it would have to be self-conflicted isolation. Arnold loved the idea and knew it would be visually stunning. The real-world phenomenon of isolation is a huge issue now.
HNMAG: What’s the next step with Obscura?
Claire Mulligan: We’re going to put it in festivals and after that, I’d love to make it into a feature.
HNMAG: Will you be pitching different projects on the festival circuit?
Claire Mulligan: Yeah, Arnold and I are working on TV series called Hold Outs. We shot a concept trailer for it. We also have a pitch deck. I’d like to keep working on the pilot and fine-tuning the overall concept of the series. It’s about a town that has been evacuated by an underground coal fire. Everyone is evacuated but 20 people refuse to leave. It’s about what happens after the exodus. It’s inspired by an actual town in Pennsylvania. It’s basically as if hell is opening up beneath them, and they just . . . try to carry on.
HNMAG: Where will it be set?
Claire Mulligan: Depending on the budget, it could be set anywhere because there’s coal everywhere, but we could do Vancouver, Island. The sense of place would be very strong on the island because miners came here from all over the world and kept their strong original heritage and identity. I’d love to see how history effects the present and informs points of view.
HNMAG: That’s another fascinating aspect of Canada is people do keep their old identity. It’s a mosaic, not a melting pot. Waving a flag in the face of a Canadian doesn’t have the same results.
Claire Mulligan: The lead character is a volunteer firefighter. She was raised in that town but vowed never to return. She is forced to because her family is still there. Arnold grew up in Blue River, so it’s inspired by his own experiences. His family was from Korea and didn’t speak much English. They opened a gas station and store. They were the only Asian family for hundreds of miles.
HNMAG: Maybe that’s where it should be set then?
Claire Mulligan: Someone around there, but we need a sense of isolation. Once the roads get closed, it should not be not easy to get out.
HNMAG: What was your biggest takeaway from writing Obscura?
Claire Mulligan: The screenwriting was a collaboration with Arnold Lim. We had twelve different reiterations for the ending. We brought in a lot of Korean cultural identity for the ending, which was very powerful.
We have had conversations with many talented Canadian producers, performers, writers, directors, and composers. It should be clear to most of our regular readers that making wonderful and entertaining movies set in Canada happens and can continue to grow. Claire Mulligan had a unique path. She was able to draw from a successful and vastly experienced career as a talented literature writer. This has helped her find quick success in the film industry and we are sure that success will continue to flourish.