Andrea Arnold - Red Road

Red Road

Red Road was a 2006 film that is a part of a creative series proposed by the Advance Party of Filmmakers to create three films using the same characters, all directed by different new directors. It tells the story of a CCTV security operator who observes through her monitors a man from her past. It is named after, and partly set at, the Red Road flats in Barmulloch, Glasgow, Scotland which were the tallest residential buildings in Europe at the time they were built. It is shot largely in a Dogme 95 style, using handheld cameras and natural light.

Red Road cost $1 million to make, which is a very tight budget for a feature length film. There was a limited time for shooting, only 6 weeks, and another requirement set forth by the Advance Party was that it had to be shot in digital format. Another rule was that if any of the directors decide to incorporate a new main character, than all of the other films must incorporate that character as well. All 3 directors casted together so they could all see who they believe would fit their film as well as the others. Arnold is a big supporter of first time actors. She says, "I always want the world that I create to be its own universe. When you have really famous people, I find that it is very hard to transcend that awareness. I am always aware of who they are. When you see someone for the first time, that universe feels even more real. I like the idea of working with either unknowns or people that haven't even acted before.” The film was accepted into competition for the Palme d'Or in Cannes and received the Jury Prize.