Beautiful Flower… THE EXTRAORDINARY MISS FLOWER’s creators, in conversation

The Extraordinary Miss Flower was one of my favourite films from last year’s London Film Festival. A creative project from the miracle-working, multi-media duo directors Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard, it centres on a treasure trove of recently-discovered love letters belonging to the British-Australian Geraldine Flower. In essence a performance film, legendary Icelandic singer-songwriter Emilíana Torrini sings purpose-written songs based on the letters throughout. It’s a downright good time, bursting with allure and vivacity.

Miss Flower will be screening at the BFI next month from 9th May, with previews from the 5th. Tickets are available here!

At the end of LFF, I had the great pleasure of speaking with both the films’ directors, Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard, as well as musician and performer Emilíana Torrini, about their unique creative processes, and the making of the film. Below are our conversations, edited for length and clarity.

Many thanks to Nikki and Phoebe from the LFF press team, and to everyone involved with the Filmmakers’ Afternoon Tea event that made these conversations possible.

Dynamic duo: Directors Iain Forstyh and Jane Pollard. Photo credit: Paul Heartfield.

Tom: I wanted to ask first about Emilíana. I know you met in Reykjavík — what was it that drew you to her?

Iain: We met through a mutual friend — a film producer, who was in Iceland directing her first film. We were in Reykjavík while she was doing the sound mix. We met for dinner, purely on a social basis, but we instantly fell for her. She was absolutely captivating — one of those people you feel like you already know, and that you’ll know for the rest of your life.

Jane: She’s got a real mischief in her eyes, and that really connects to an audience. It travels down the lens. 

Tom: She is so infectious and exciting!

Iain: Yeah, and you want to spend time with her — what more can you ask for from a screen performance, really? We knew she was someone we’d keep in touch with. Five years down the line, this project emerged. 

Jane: Emilíana did all the initial groundwork. After this remarkable box of letters was found, she and Simon Byrt turned them into songs, which were our starting material. We were thinking about how to adapt those songs into a dramatic shape. 

Tom: You’ve worked with a lot of incredible musicians for a long time, like Nick Cave — was there any plan to involve him in this?

Iain: While we were going through the letters, we discovered that Geraldine spent most of her life in the UK, but she was born in Australia. So a lot of the correspondence that was found came from Australians. And there was one person, one character whose voice was just very ‘Nick’ — we couldn’t think of anyone else who could read them. They were very forthright, blunt letters, and we know Nick would do that exceptionally. So we asked him, and luckily he was able to accommodate! 

Tom: It’s such a winning formula that you’ve made with your features so far. I know you’ve both worked in multi-media forms for decades — where did that start for you?

Jane: We’ve always been interested in hybrids, pushing beyond form and not limiting ourselves. We first started working together when we were about 21. Back then, we were going to a lot of gigs, and bonded over them. The art we started to make began to feel like independent music in some way. We definitely egg each other on — there’s kind of a dare thing between us. That bravado we have together pushes us further than we’d go on our own. 

Iain: Going through art school instead of film school meant that our background was very hybrid too. We went to Goldsmith’s, which doesn’t really segregate art forms. So we were in a world where everyone around us was experimenting with different things, and trying to find things that interested them. We just got very excited at that point — thirty years ago — by moving image. It was very instant — the time we could get our hands on a video camera, shoot something and look at it two minutes later. That feedback loop of seeing and refining was a very satisfying way of working. 

Jane: I think we always start with one idea: “This could be anything”. Then we ask the question: “What’s the feeling we want you to feel? What’s the state we want to suspend you in?” We recently curated the Horror Show at Somerset House. That’s a similar thing — it’s a set of feelings and a journey. I think we use a lot of the tools from different disciplines and then apply them to others, and see what it brings us. At the moment we’re working on portraits, and how you capture a living person on film. Portraits often sit in their own space between documentary and something else.

Tom: I love that improv, ‘Yes, and’-style of your process! Outside of that normal creativity for you, was there any sense of heightened improv with the musicians you worked with for Miss Flower? 

Jane: There wasn’t really a time for improv! We shot all of the performance and studio-based stuff in two days. 

Iain: We had a rehearsal day and figured a lot of stuff out. But we didn’t have the time or the resources to try too many new things. 

Jane: There was a whole song during the rehearsal that we realised wasn’t working at all. So we went back to our Airbnb that night, and knew we needed a new idea. So the next day we found a new language for that song with the dancers and performers. 

We’re lucky to work with quite low budgets in quite a streamlined, small-crew way. It permits you a lot of agility. You can be quite bold, and get your crew to trust you.  

Still from The Extraordinary Miss Flower dir. Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard. 2025. BFI.

After speaking to Iain and Jane, I also had the chance to catch Emilíana while she was in the UK, and hear her point of view on the film, the first feature she has worked on. Check out the album of the film, Miss Flower, here. Below is our conversation! 

Singer-songwriter Emilíana Torrini. Photo credit: Iris Bergmann photography.

Tom: What’s so amazing about the film is there’s such an emotional range to Geraldine’s letters. But it doesn’t ever feel like it’s trying to navigate or push on certain emotions on the audience. 

Emilíana: Yes, I’m glad it doesn’t feel like squeezing something out!

Tom: The content of the letters is so wide-ranging. There are exciting, espionage-tinted aspects, as well as deeply personal material. What was it like to navigate those intimate, very complex emotions?

Emilíana: I’d say that was all Iain and Jane!. I met them in a restaurant in Iceland after I’d written the first song, Miss Flower, which wasn’t even a record then. We just got talking, and they asked me what I was doing. I told them about Geraldine, and about writing the first song, and the beauty of the letters. I felt like I was  really delving into her life. They asked me to tell them more about it. So they were there from the start, really.  When I arrived to shoot, I asked them if I should have an actor to help me. Because, you know, they train for seven years! And they just said, “Don’t worry about it”. I was so mortified the whole time as it was so unnatural for me. 

But they were genius with it. They just ignored my concerns and made it work..! They just told me which scene to do, like, "go and sit there"; "now go and dance over there!" I just followed along with Kate, our dance coordinator. I really overcame my self-embarrassment. When you make music videos, you get extremely drained and tired doing it. But after every shot, I was so energised — I was doing something totally new, and learning something I’d never done before. It was terrifying, but I knew I had to just trust everyone!

Tom: You seem so assured and relaxed in the film, like the passion for the music you’re creating was carrying you. I didn’t see anything else apart from that. 

Emilíana: I think it’s because Jane and I are really kindred spirits. We often get the same ideas at the same time. I had some self-worry, but I completely trusted them that whole time. That’s the key to it — well, I’ve never done it before, but you just let yourself be led through it. 

Tom: That reminds me of the way Andrea Arnold works with her actors.

Watching the film also made me feel like you were in communion with other multi-media voices. 

Emilíana: I guess Björk might come to mind for some people. Sometimes she's the only reference point people have to Iceland! But we’re very different artists. I was the first female artist to come after her. I’m still battling with how we’re placed together. 

Tom: Now you’ve done this feature, are you hoping to explore that side of yourself more? 

Emilíana: I haven’t really thought about it at all! I just really enjoyed it. I’m a person that does one thing at a time. I say yes to interesting, kindred spirits — but I rarely seek things out. I've said yes to projects just on the basis of a well-written letter before!

I'm a firm believer that people just find each other — sometimes you just go into ‘yes mode’. But I’m not very ambitious! I flop about and then wait to meet people I love...

Tom: You make it work! The film has a lot of natural moments — a couple of songs finish, and there’s just this wonderful feeling of lightness and enjoyment. 

Emilíana: Yes, I think about Black Lion Lane and Lady K that way.

Tom: How did you find filming in England?

Emilíana: It was great! In my eyes it’s a very English story, even though Geraldine was originally Australian. England is such a kooky country! It’s similar to Iceland in a way —  it’s so small, but there’s an individuality that breeds in tiny spaces. I was driven to connect everything to the authenticity of her story.

Thanks again to Iain, Jane and Emilíana! Be sure to check out The Extraordinary Miss Flower at the BFI next month. Get your tickets here.