When do adults lose the ability to be inspired by every-day surroundings? British filmmaker Rebecca Manley’s ode to imagination explores the bane of blank pages and writer’s block, and follows her mischievous, award-winning live action puppet short, Table Manners. That film screened as part of the Jim Henson Foundation/BAM ‘Puppets on Film’ festival in New York last year, while A Mountain to Climb underlines Manley’s hand-crafted approach as an illustrator, artist and director.
“When I'm stuck for ideas it can go either of two ways,” says Manley, currently developing a short film project with performance poet Hollie McNish. “Sometimes I like to get out and look for inspiration. But it's often just the act of walking around that gets my mind wandering. If I'm in a more insular mood, I like to hole up in a coffee shop with a good book or magazine, like Selvedge. A shot of caffeine and some beautiful design – that's always a great way to spark the imagination!”