Eva’s previous work as a filmmaker directly led to the development of her new short film.

“Delving into my feelings, memories and exposure as a woman in the London dating scene, I was working on a series of micro-shorts about gendered power dynamics in modern language movements and spaces. I’d write poems about particular perspectives or situations and then choose friends to read them, layering the sounds over my camcorder archives. The most successful of these was HYENA, which sat with a young girl laughing with her mates about a man coming onto her in a pub but keeping him around to rinse him of his drink and drugs. Falling in love with this savage female character, I then began to write the script for Watering Hole, weaving in other elements of gendered power I explored in my micro series.”

What we see take place on the screen is women in the first years of exploring their sexuality, and that discovery leading them down dangerous paths. In our own memories of these experiences, we never go at it alone. On wild nights out or evenings at the pub trying to get drinks, we were always accompanied by friends, more specifically female friends, who are in the process of discovering themselves just like us, but often have a completely different experience in the same exact spaces.

The relationship between Liv and Ana is at the heart of the film. Every exchange between them opens us up to new dimensions of their characters. The male character of the movie gets a version of the girls that is reserved, polished and, especially in Liv’s case, edited into something that works in her favour. With each other, the girls are different, they reveal their true intentions, their motivations and their reservations, mirroring that inner dialogue we all had, that want to avenge our gender by using our constant over-sexualisation to our advantage, the fear of putting yourself in too much danger, and even the guilt of it all.

Liv is the raw power of freshly discovered sexuality; she is on a path of mistrust that quickly turns into justification of actions that seem otherwise morally ambiguous or traumatising down the line. Ana is the voice of fearful reason, raising the issues of guilt and trying to protect herself from an unfamiliar situation. Watering Hole addresses the darker side of young girls’ nights out, presenting characters that balance and challenge each other. In the final minutes of the film, Liv’s general disdain towards men is proven right, yet the tragic revelation comes in a form of her friend Ana’s experience rather than her own.

By the time the credits roll on the Watering Hole, the intentions behind the film are clear. What we are left with are the endless ways to explore the relationships between the main characters. For women who faced similar situations, it’s a reflection of past experiences. For young women just embarking on the journey of inter-gender relationships, it is a reminder to exercise caution. And for men, it provides great insight into the thoughts and experiences of women, and it gives them an opportunity to learn.

The process:

With a strong concept and plenty of field experience, it still took Eva some time to make Watering Hole a reality.

For those unfamiliar with the complexities of getting a film off the ground, it might seem straightforward. Or on the contrary, the unfamiliarity might make the idea of creating something scary and almost impossible. Any creative work is as much about the process as it is about the final product. The effort, the struggle, the things you learn along the way, all add up to that one beautiful moment when you see something that previously lived in your mind out in the world.

Pulling back the curtain does not detract from the magic of the viewing experience; instead, it enhances it.

After speaking to Eva, I rewatched the film, and the little details that I had not paid attention to during my first watch began to shine brighter.

So let’s start from the beginning. With inspirations locked in and an idea clear in her mind, Eva got started on the all-consuming process of making her film a reality.

“For a 15-minute film, it was a pretty long process. I thought of the initial concept in November 2022, which is when I pitched the idea to Ravi, and he told me to get it down into a script format.”

“I wrote a script, designed mood boards and a pitch deck and started to hang out at this pub in Holloway that was a perfect dupe for a northern boozer. I found a producer and we applied to a couple of short film funds, but we didn’t get lucky.”

“With people behind me really believing in the project, I set up a Kickstarter, filmed a pitch video with Ravi and spent a month crowdfunding online, eventually scrambling together £6k to make the film.”

With a script, location and the finances secured, Eva still had a long road ahead of her.

“As all the HODs were working on set full-time, it was super difficult to schedule a shoot in. So we took our time with pre-production. The main parts were casting, planning costumes, set design, scouting well-lit exteriors, creating a shot list, and scheduling. We then shot over 3 nights, 7 pm-6 am in Holloway in December 2023.”

Each aspect of making a film is special in its own right. During her time in pre-production, Eva put the pieces of the puzzle that became Watering Hole together. From costume design to the technical sides of filming, there is not a part of the process that Eva did not participate in.

The making of a film is curiously multifaceted, and there is not a piece of the film that Eva did not immerse herself in.

“The phase of pre-production was so exciting. I had a specific vision for particular aspects in my head, but I learnt so much working with creatives on how to elevate the look and feel of the film.”

“Ravi taught me a lot about how lenses, lighting, angles, and movement could add or take away from the feeling of the film. And because I wrote the script, my imagination in terms of ways to shoot was quite plain and straightforward- moving and handheld- but he completely elevated it visually, constantly thinking about how to shoot it from more interesting angles, and how to use different lenses to evoke different perspectives.”

“I had a similar experience when planning for the costumes. Fanni and I made thick mood boards of potential ideas for each girl and constantly referred back to their psychologies, experiences and characters.”

We assigned Liv this eclectic, messy and animalistic look as she’s a kleptomaniac creature constantly ready to pounce with her sexual charm. As Ana battles teenage insecurity but also feels more power in coolness over sexuality, she embraces a more masculine, moveable look with striking silver bling.”

The character traits hidden between layers of carefully curated outfits made me think deeper about the roles they play. Both shrouded in that veil of teenage uncertainty, they are remarkably different in their expressions. Their clothing was once again too familiar, taking me back to my teenage years, when I had no clear direction in my style, yet it always managed to reflect how I felt. On some days, I was Liv and on others Ana.

The costumes do not let the characters hide. Even if their actions confuse us, their clothes fill in the gaps.

After pre-production was complete, everything was ready to make Eva’s film a reality. The filming process began, bringing new experiences and opportunities.

No matter how timed and scripted, shooting, especially on location, can bring unexpected challenges. Unfortunately, some of those challenges were proof that a movie like Watering Hole is rooted in real-life events.

“We had to deal with snippets of misogyny from locals, and while this was uncomfortable and unexpected, it ended up displaying the inescapable reality of gendered power I so desperately wanted to portray. One old male extra (a pub local) started staring intently at the actresses and began referring to them as the ‘sluts’. While we made him leave after the shot, lingering in the awkwardness of his comments and stares birthed an incredible tension in the girls’ performance.”

Luckily, there were also positive and fun experiences through the filming process that taught Eva to embrace the unexpected of real life and use it to brighten her film.

“A lighter example of this was when the girls got the giggles while doing the toilet scenes. Even though we were on such a tight schedule and needed to get the shot as soon as possible, I couldn’t help but join them in the laughter. Instead of rushing them (as I was very used to doing in such tight time conditions), I let the laughter flow for minutes, and when they were ready, they brought this gorgeous giddy closeness to the scene – and that was the take we used.”

With the movie completed, it still took Eva some time before she could share it with the public. Now that it’s finally here, you can watch it and bask in the multidimensional experience of Eva Blackwell-Rogelj’s Watering Hole, illuminated by all the lessons she learned along the way.

“After finishing the edit, sound design, score and colour grade, it had been a year since I raised the money. I then applied to film festivals and had to wait quietly until we heard back. It was only until now, in June 2025, that we could finally release the film online with the BIFA qualifying Director’s Notes.”

As for Eva’s future work, she is just getting started. We will soon be immersed in more and more films that come from her creative mind and will surely be executed in the same way Watering Hole was, with great care for every detail.

“My next short film, BABA YAGA, is a psychological digital thriller that blends together witchcraft and algorithms in a concoction of anti-ageing objectification and relationships in a world of echo chambers. We’re planning on shooting in October this year. I’m also writing my debut feature and am looking to do some more music videos.”

Watch Eva Blackwell-Rogelj’s short film on Youtube: Watering Hole | The Dark Side of Free Drinks

Check out some clips from the film on Instagram: @wateringholefilms

Follow Eva’s journey on Instagram: @evablckwll