Over a cup (or two) of coffee we chatted to actress Amy Amber Barns who gave us some insight into the intriguing world of film and drama
As a dedicated actress and lecturer at AFDA Film Television and Performance School, Amy’s sharing her skills – and her passion – with her students.
Originally from Umdloti but now living in Ballito, Amy has appeared in theatre productions and feature films – including one that was shown at the Cannes film festival – and recently played the leading actress in The Brave Unseen, a short award-winning film screened at the recent Durban International Film Festival.
Much of Amy’s work has been in Cape Town and Johannesburg. “Durban seems to be very much an ‘underground’ arts world, which I find really strange as we have some great producers,” says Amy. “I think we are catching up though and starting to push the boundaries.
There’s also a mindset that Durban doesn’t have the potential to be a player in the film industry, but I intend to help break this mindset and grow the film and entertainment industry in KwaZulu-Natal. We have some dedicated arts professionals and amazing talent – I see this every day among my young students.”
Amy insists that versatility is key in order to be successful in acting. “While you need to be the best you can be – as with any career – success depends on much more than just acting. You need to learn different skills – like doing voiceover work – to make you more employable. Research is essential, and there’s a huge amount of psychology involved – it’s about being able to tell a story and find a connection your audience can relate to.”
Amy reflects for a few moments on the The Brave Unseen, for which she won an AFDA best leading actress award. She played the part of Emma, a social worker who, together with a young policewoman, attempt to put a homophobic rapist behind bars. The criminal takes revenge by brutally raping Emma to punish the women for being homosexual.
“The message is about corrective rape – a hate crime against lesbian women (and in some cases homosexual men) – in the belief that being raped will ‘cure’ them of their homosexuality,” explains Amy. “It’s become an epidemic in certain cultures in this country with very little spotlight shed on it. The aim of the film was to bring more attention to this horrific crime. It’s also about prejudice and how friends and even families discriminate so harshly against people because of their sexual orientation.
It was certainly not a happy film but it was a story that needed to be told. Our goal was to get people to talk about the issues in society, and to get people to come away less judgmental and more open-minded toward other peoples’ lifestyles.” It’s evident that her challenging role affected her deeply. “It really opened my eyes. It’s hard to believe people can be so violent for no reason other than their entrenched beliefs.”
Amy’s future plans include working with teens to help them “find their voice”. She explains, “I’m in the process of developing a company called The Flea Bee Group. I’m concerned about the current epidemic of bullying among children and teens.
Social media has just about taken over from ‘conventional’ communication and I feel it would be hugely beneficial for teens and children to learn how to communicate with each other again – one on one. However, to communicate effectively, it helps to be self-confident, which is the core of what the programme will be based on. It’s not about teaching children to become actors, but rather focus on how to conduct one’s self, develop confidence and communicate effectively.
“My background in performance has enabled me to gather a ‘tool-box’ of sorts which helps me combat nerves or use anxiety efficiently when I have to speak in public. It’s these ‘tools’ I want to share with others, so I’m hoping to have the programme up and running by the end of this year.” *
Amy Amber Barns: amyamber44gmail.com