Interview with Honeycomb Director Avalon Fast

What was your process and motivations that helped you through the filming of Honeycomb?

My friends and partner Henri were always incredible motivators. I also didn’t want to let them down. Once we began shooting it became very clear that Honeycomb was a movie we all made together, it wasn’t just up to me to complete it. 

As an independent filmmaker, what were some of the challenges that you faced in the process of completing Honeycomb?

Little technical support and a lack of knowledge of post-production. I really had no idea what to do with Honeycomb once it was finished. I never attended film school and wasn’t involved in a film community so it took me some time to understand exactly what we were doing with the film. Having a mentor or someone you trust to answer all the questions you have feels super important. That is something I didn’t have then that I do have now!  

The film is very reminiscent of Yellowjackets and Lord of The Flies. What inspired you to write a film with a feral girls story arc? 

My feral girlfriends inspired me. I remember at that age having a big obsession with the novel The Girls by Emma Cline, a story about the Manson cult but from the perspective of a young girl. We all read it one summer and definitely began fantasizing about creating our own weirdo girl cult, and in a way that's what we did with the making of Honeycomb.

What influences did you draw on for this exploration of female friendships? 

I think just my own friendships. My relationships with my close friends are very important to me. If a friendship of mine is solid and thriving, I cherish it. If a friendship of mine is hollow or dragging, I read into it. There are a lot of subtleties within the relationships in Honeycomb and I believe the exploration of them came from my own lived experience.  

The dialogue in the main characters' soliloquies sounds very philosophical. What inspired you to write their scripts in the way that you did?

I have this one close friend and when it’s just the two of us we will go to the beach or sit in my car and talk in this dreamlike manner for hours. It's entertaining to leave reality for a bit this way. The way the girl's dialogue is much more exaggerated than this, I wrote it that way for fun. 

Each of the characters are fascinating, unique, and have their purpose at the cabin. What was your intention in creating the characters this way? Do you find yourself connecting to any character in particular?

I realized only recently Willow’s character reminded me a lot of myself. I was the first of my friends to leave town and I definitely found myself trying to convince them to follow. 

When she is talking to Jules at the takeout I later recognized a lot of myself in how she was explaining what she wants out of life. 

The teens have developed their own system of communication and resolution in “emptying” and “suitable revenge” 

What do you have coming up in 2022 that you can tell us about? 

A new Movie! Called CAMP! It’s about an evil summer camp. I am very excited.

Thank you so much for your time! I really appreciate you answering my questions :) 

Thank you for asking them!