Meet the Pollak Twins: From Behind the Scenes to Becoming Female Storytellers

SLEEK: You were brought up around the film industry, what is the earliest memory or industry advice you received?

Antonia: My earliest memory goes back to our grandmother, Erna Baumbauer. She was a talent agent and her life revolved around film and theatre. She would always say, “you can be whatever you want in this world, just not an actress.”

S: Being German born, would you say this has an influence on your artistic or film perspectives?

Francesca: Although we are German born, Antonia and I have always had an international perspective. We attended international schools and consider English our mother tongue and German our second language. Growing up we barely ever watched German films. We were obsessed with independent US films which were almost impossible to find in Germany (this was before VOD and Netflix). I remember countless times we ventured out to the shabbiest little cinemas just so we could watch films like Martha Marcy May Marlene or Welcome to the Rileys. I’m so glad we did because those are the films that shaped us and influenced us as storytellers.

Antonia: When I was working on Clouds of Sils Maria the American actress I was working with would say: “Antonia is the least German person you will ever meet.” I felt so seen in that moment because she was the first person who saw what I had been feeling for so long: that I was a foreigner in my own country.

S: Both of you have worked behind the scenes as talent agents for over 10 years. At which point did you decide that it’s time for the spotlight to be on you?

A: Although I’m the last person that enjoys being looked at, or being the centre of attention, there is still a very strong desire in me to be seen. And that’s what writing and directing is for me. Exposing myself in the rawest, most intimate way and seeking connection. Coming out of film school at the age of nineteen no-one was waiting for Francesca and me to make our film. So, we kind of fell into agenting because we’re good at nurturing and seeking talent. The pandemic hit and for the first time ever the incoming volume of emails slowed down. So much so, that I was finally able to hear my own voice again. And that voice was begging to be heard, asking to be seen.

S: What’s the biggest challenge in moving from the back to the front screen?

F: When you are an agent you play such a vital role in someone’s life, it’s like a marriage. You are committed. There are expectations and dreams floating around. Putting your own desires above those of your clients has been the biggest challenge. I don’t ever want a client to feel abandoned or let down. Having those tough conversations was necessary for our growth and something that enabled us to step into our power as filmmakers. Therapy helped, too.

Antonia and I recently had dinner with an actress who said something that really stuck with me. She said, “it makes total sense that you are transitioning from agenting to filmmaking. As an agent you herd visions for your clients, now it’s time you herd your own vision and bring it to life.”

S: Having seen it all, the good and the bad; the talents, behind the scenes, productions, do you feel the need to do things differently in your own work?

F: Absolutely, there is always room for growth. It is important to us that every single person on our film — be it our lead actress or the set runner — feels seen and valued for their part in bringing our story to life. After all, filmmaking is a team effort and you are only as strong or as good as your “weakest” team member. Antonia and I are very cautious about the people we let into our life and the same is true for our work. We are extremely private people by nature but crave sharing our sensitivity with others, which is a paradox in itself. Operating with integrity and attracting people into our orbit who navigate the world similarly is essential.

S: I’m fascinated by the mind of identical twins – would you say you share a vision, or do you challenge each other’s visions until something completely new develops between the two of you?

F: We always share a vision but our thought process and how we get there is different. When writing, Antonia is great at thinking story. She always knows what’s missing, what a character or the story needs for it to work. I’m more instinctual in my writing process and find it hard to talk story in the early stages. I mostly just let a feeling take me somewhere and have to get it all out onto the page before I can define it. Antonia has a miraculous way of tying it all together in a way that my brain can’t. It’s a great balance. When it comes to creative elements such as casting, cinematography, music, you name it — we are always on the same page. Even if we are not in the same room, we will always make the same decision which is very helpful on set. There’s two of us so we can literally be in two places at once. It’s our superpower.

S: Your new feature film ‘Not Made for This World’ is an autobiographical film about your lives working as talent agents and suffering from panic attacks. Firstly, have the attacks improved? When and what made you decide that this is a story that needs to be shared?

A: Yes, thank you for asking. I feel that there is a part of me that has just run out of anxiety. Francesca and I have been experiencing panic attacks for more than a decade now and quite literally have been through it all. There have been moments where I genuinely thought I would die—imagine sitting in the Grand Palais in Cannes with 2000 people, your name client right next to you and no way of getting out. It sounds dramatic but it’s true, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.

The first draft of the script was ready in 2014 and although it was a very different story back then we always knew we wanted to write from our own experiences. In the early drafts we tried so hard to hide those vulnerable and ugly parts of ourselves because we felt ashamed. The more we worked on ourselves with our healer and our therapist the more it became clear that those parts are the essence of the story and what an audience is going to connect to. We always say that if one person feels less alone in the world or understood in their anxiety we have succeeded in our mission.

S: There is only one protagonist (Riley) in your film whereas, in reality there are two of you. How do you describe this character? And how are you both depicted in the one character?

A: Riley is someone who has abandoned herself completely to the point where it’s debilitating. She has an inferiority complex. Although she is physically surrounded by people all the time, she is extremely lonely and isolated. It’s heartbreaking. But there is something energetically undeniable about her, an otherness, that people are attracted to. Francesca and I share experiences with our heroine, both at her lowest and at her best. It’s funny, although we physically appear the same on the surface, our closest friends and family describe us as completely different, both energetically and physically. They could probably pinpoint some traits or moments in the film and assign them to us as individuals.

S: Storytelling can be achieved in different ways. In the little preview you sent me, I noticed there’s a strong focus on the visual storytelling, playing with the darkness and light. What attracts you to this method?

F: There is a duality there that fascinates us. Maybe that comes with being a twin. In storytelling, Antonia and I like to play with ambivalences, to see how far we can push boundaries and contemplate paranormality. I’ve always been fascinated by the notion of darkness and light, specifically how one can’t exist without the other. In Not Made For This World the cinematography will play with these elements to further highlight our protagonists internal emotional landscape and make what goes on inside of her a visually stimulating viewing experience.