HONEYGLUE with James Bird, Anya Remizova, and Adriana Mather

When I spoke with James Bird, Adriana Mather, and Anya Remizova on May 25, 2016, the first thing I wanted to know about was the clichés that they wanted to avoid in this story of young lovers facing their own mortality. It was only natural that we would discuss the spiritual influences that inspired Bird, including what seems to have been a message from the insect world. Certainly, bees play a part in this poignant yet ultimately uplifting story. They also talked about their commitment to diversity, on and off the screen, as exemplified by the company they founded and run, Zombot Pictures , the use of animation as an integral part of the film’s story, Bird’s Ojibwa heritage, and the improvised moment that scared everyone.

It would have been wrong to not mention Mather’s new novel, How to Hang A Witch, to be published in July 26, 2016, in which she considers her own heritage as a member of one of America’s oldest European families. That would be >those< Mathers, Cotton and Increase, one of whom was involved in the Salem Witch Trials.

HONEYGLUE is a film about living, dying, and challenging expectations.  Mather plays Morgan, an upper middle class young woman facing the end of her life. A night out clubbing brings her to Jordan, played by Zach Villa, a gender fluid all but homeless young man who makes an impression on Morgan by stealing her wallet, and then returning it.  Contents intact. Intrigued by one another, they discover that attraction, that they are, in fact, soul mates, and soul mates determined to live a lifetime in three months that the universe allows them. The film co-stars Booboo Stewart, Christopher Heyerdahl, Jessica Tuck,  and Amanda Plummer. Bird directed from his own script, and the film was co-produced by Mather and Remizova,  who also did the music for the film. The three founded and run Zombot Pictures.