Ratgirl

A diffident young woman and her roommate face off against their landlord when their apartment becomes infested with rats.

  • Sloane Sherman
    Director
  • Sloane Sherman
    Writer
  • Sloane Sherman
    Producer
  • Emem Etti
    Producer
  • Lila Ciesielski
    Key Cast
    "Ratgirl"
  • Catherine Beauchemin
    Key Cast
    "Alice"
  • Jason McCullough
    Key Cast
    "Georges"
  • Chelsey Boll
    Key Cast
    "Chloe"
  • Léa Barsalou
    Director of Photography
  • Kaia Singh
    1st Assistant Director
  • Fannie Lux-Gauthier
    Art Director
  • Fannie Lux-Gauthier
    Costumes
  • Sandrine Brisson
    Costumes
  • Sandrine Brisson
    Assistant Art Director
  • Laurie Vigneault
    Assistant Camera
  • Kaia Singh
    Editor
  • Liam O'Connor-Savaria
    Script Supervisor
  • Whitney Norceide
    Grip
  • Mika Yatsuhashi
    Gaffer
  • Andrés Solis
    Sound Recordist
  • Annabella Chernyavskiy
    Makeup and Hair
  • Ilya Skene
    Production Assistants
  • Kelly Wang
    Production Assistants
  • Axel Robin
    Production Assistants
  • Edson Niebla Rogil
    Set Photographer
  • Natasha Perry-Fagant
    Rat Wrangler
  • Martin Kramer
    Sound Designer
  • William Albu
    Colourist
  • Sasha Khalimonova
    Soundtrack
  • Valentine Dumez
    Animator
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Comedy, Drama, Tragicomedy, Animation, Live Action
  • Runtime:
    19 minutes
  • Country of Origin:
    Canada
  • Country of Filming:
    Canada
  • Language:
    English
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Sloane Sherman

Sloane Sherman (she/her) is a multidisciplinary artist and filmmaker originally from Victoria, BC. She is graduating from Concordia University with a BFA in Film Production in Spring 2023. Her art and storytelling center around female coming-of-age, mental health, and personal geographies. She is currently based in Montreal.

In her debut short film, Ratgirl (2023), the titular character serves as Sloane’s alter-ego, originally created as a way to find humour in her experiences with sexual harassment.

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Director Statement

Ratgirl is my first independently-produced project and my directorial debut. The impetus for this project originates from a string of experiences of sexual harassment and housing instability I encountered during my first year living on my own. The character of Ratgirl was created as an alter-ego, a vessel to house the shame and insecurity I felt at the time, repackaged in a way that made those feelings more easily accessible to an audience. The world in which she lives is constructed to reflect her internal conflicts; her derelict apartment, infested with rats and guarded by an authoritative and invasive landlord, serves as a metaphor for the self — for Ratgirl’s physical body as well as her sense of identity, slowly infringed upon by her environment. Motivated by my background in visual arts, the film incorporates multi-media elements through a mix of live-action and animation. The animated sequences of the film were executed by animator Valentine Dumez.

The film was shot in June 2022 on location in Montreal. As this project speaks to issues faced disproportionately by women and Queer people, it was paramount to me when choosing my crew to build a team of women and gender non-conforming individuals who are underrepresented in the industry.