Filmmaker Ruby Phelan’s latest short film ‘The Woman In The Wardrobe’ tackles a situation that occurs all-too-often in today’s world: childbirth amid a humanitarian crisis. This is a powerful look into women’s reproductive health during times of war and genocide, and Top Film spoke to the director in detail about the United Nations-partnered project.

Phelan and producer Cheri Darbon collaborated with the UNFPA (United Nations Fund for Population Activities) to supply emergency birthing kits to women in global conflict.

A statistic presented at the end of Phelan’s film (and according to the UNFPA), an approximate 800 women die everyday from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth, with 500 of these deaths occurring in countries in humanitarian crises and conflicts.

Phelan was joined by lead actress Afsaneh Dehrouyeh, who plays Nadiya; a young woman who finds sanctuary inside a wardrobe while giving birth to her daughter amid the outside devastation.

*Official poster for ‘The Woman In The Wardrobe,’ courtesy of Ruby Phelan.*

‭TOP FILM: What made you want to tackle and develop a project‬‭ like this — where did the inspiration‬ all begin?‬

Phelan: “I went to interview for a position at the Feminist Centre for Racial Justice as an Activist in Residence. I went with a very different project in mind. And whilst I was in the interview, we started speaking about birth and my connection to birth; my mum’s a midwife and I used to work on the maternity ward. The woman who was interviewing me, who then became our exective producer, was very interested in that subject matter. It made me really start to investigate that. When I left the interview, I felt incredibly inspired being in the space, chatting with her, talking about birth, talking about things that are happening in the world as well.”

It was after this interview that Phelan wrote the script for what would be the short film ‘The Woman In The Wardrobe.’

Phelan: “It just kind of came through and was very pure. It was pretty much how it ended up being [the completed film], we didn’t change it very much. Obviously we did some tweaks, but it was very close to what we embarked on. I think, being able to see the connections the story could have with direct action we could take afterwards was incredibly important to me.”

The director believes that using film as a line of direct action was the most powerful way to get the story across. Phelan also touched on the film’s specific importance of the artifact: a wardrobe.

Phelan: “We have this woman birthing inside a wardrobe and I think with the wardrobe aspect — the images I’ve been seeing — [they’re] the last pieces of furniture and emblems of humanity within conflict and destruction. I think because of my background in birth and my whole childhood life, living with my mum and being surrounded by birth, that kind of thing was a normal topic of conversation. I think naturally, my brain went towards wardrobes and how that could be used as a nesting space — an environment where somebody would go and find a space of safety to be able to hide away and seek refuge.”

TOP FILM: So your life experiences essentially led you to this full circle moment.

Phelan: “Totally. When I was on the maternity ward, it wasn’t something I particularly wanted to do. It was something I did alongside going to drama school because I wanted a different job — I’ve been a waitress, I’ve worked in retail, I wanted to do something different. Because my mum worked in maternity it was a nice way to do something that I wouldn’t normally do. At the time I didn’t really understand how that was going to translate into anything. What’s fascinating now is that all the things I’ve done, the incremental steps that I’ve made have kind of led to this moment and this story — it was really full circle.”

Actress Afsaneh Dehrouyeh (also stars as Laili in the BAFTA nominated and Oscar shortlisted ‘Yellow’) was approached for the role of Nadiya by Phelan and producer Cheri Darbon

Dehrouyeh: “I think it was a mixture of right place, right time. Because Cheri and I got to know each other over the course of the last year because our short films were BAFTA nominated together, so we were on the same circuit together — which is how she came to know of my work… I’m primarily an actor but I have advocacy work I do outside of acting and sometimes those worlds have collided. The short film I was known for that was BAFTA nominated last year, I was doing a lot of activism for as well. It’s a film set in Afghanistan — basically about the Taliban saying that women had to wear a full robe. So we were doing a lot of advocacy work beside it, and I think perhaps they [Phelan and Darbon] may have seen that I could be the right person for this project. Someone that could bring the acting to it but someone who could be involved very passionately about the subject matter.”

From the script alone, Dehrouyeh felt that her character, Nadiya, had a lot of “autonomy and control over her body,” while being vastly detailed.

*Afsaneh Dehrouyeh in ‘The Woman In The Wardrobe,’ courtesy of Ruby Phelan.*

Dehrouyeh: “I met with them [Phelan and Darbon] and Ruby told me about her background with her mother and that there would be an intimacy coordinator, and I would be able to meet Juliette [Phelan] as much as I wanted to. And I always want to feel challenged and grow from what I’m doing. The first instinct I had when I read the script was that; I don’t no how on Earth I would do this and do it justice. Which made me feel like; you need to do it! And when I meet with them, everything felt so right.”

NOTE: Ruby Phelan’s mother, Juliette Phelan, was the birthing consultant on set, with nearly forty years of expertise as an NHS midwife.

TOP FILM: ‭ By starring in the film, you’re carrying the stories of women in these situations in‬ countries with war or genocide. Did that kind of responsibility ever feel daunting to you?

Dehrouyeh: “You know, you have that little voice in your head sometimes, and I think I knew that could possibly be the case. I definitely learnt with acting that no matter where you are, that imposter syndrome which I think is attached to that, is something that can come back. I was listening to an interview last night and Daniel Craig was talking about how every set he goes on, he still gets imposter syndrome. So for me it was just about preparing as best as I could so that voice feels quieter and quieter. I think you’re doing a disservice to those women if you put that pressure onto you. You’re present in the moment and you’ve done all of your research in order to give as authentic of a representation as possible of a woman giving birth. Because at the end of the day, that’s what’s happening and that’s what she’s doing. That aspect of it shouldn’t feel like it’s different when you meet her in that wardrobe and you don’t know everything yet. I know the background and why she’s been left on her own and where her family is, and I built all of that story. I felt like the best way I could be a voice to those women who have had to give birth in conflict is to actually just focus on all of that.”

TOP FILM: Touching on backstory, there’s a detail within the wardrobe when Nadiya feels a carving of letters with her fingers, I believe the letters were I+L+N. I’m curious to know what this represents?

Phelan: “We [Phelan and Dehrouyeh] had an amazing collaboration together and we wrote… basically a book as a backstory.”

Dehrouyeh: “It’s literally a very, very detailed short story.”

Phelan: “We did a very detailed backstory because I think we were both really worried about the fact that we wanted to do this story justice. We were very aware that we were two creators in London making a story when we weren’t going through this — I’m really glad that it came to us [the story]. We gave it so much time and so much due diligence. Basically, the carvings areher sister’s initials. They used to go into the wardrobe to have conversations, to have sisterly time — they grew up there together.”

*‘The Woman In The Wardrobe,’ courtesy of Ruby Phelan.*

Phelan was also inspired by her production designer [Sofia Sacomani] when building the wardrobe for the set, as Sacomani told Phelan the story of when her and her sisters used to spend time in their childhood wardrobe and carved their own initials into the interior.

Phelan: “All of these things people were bringing to the space fed into our story and the overall project… I think what we did behind the scenes breaks the wall between screen and audience.”

Phelan also touched on the medical accuracy of the script, and taking it to her mother, who was the birthing consultant during production in order to assess.

Phelan: “When I first wrote the script, I took it to her [Juliette Phelan] for medical accuracy. The script has quite a lot of medical jargon in it and I just wanted to make sure everything was on point.”

It was important to Phelan that midwives and women who have given birth could watch the film and believe in the authenticity of the drama.

Phelan: “This is such a unique situation but I think there’s certain things that will hit people in different moments that they might recongznize, feel, or understand. I really wanted to be able to translate that across. She [Juliette Phelan] was incredible, and when we started preparation for the rehearsal, she got all of her midwife books out — all over the floor! We were picking out different pictures and I actually have some very embarrassing photos on my phone of me doing lots of different birthing positions in my kitchen to build that choreography. Having that safety net of knowing everything is accurate, then when we took it to rehearsal, I gave you [Dehrouyeh] the autonomy to start playing with it a bit more.

Dehrouyeh commented on having Juliette Phelan on-board as a consultant and utilizing her years of expertise in the NHS as a midwife, to best understand the position her character was in.

Dehrouyeh: “I felt so lucky. If I was going to be in a position where I was giving birth on screen and was going to be able to really embody this, then having a birthing consultant there — someone who I was able to meet with before the day of the shoots and there with me was everything. I was able to anchor everything in an authentic way and feel as confident as I possibly could in that situation. I was able to really talk through every step through labor and what actually happens with your body in a contraction — what’s the feeling inside of your body and where is that feeling coming from, so that you’re not just watching someone shout and scream in pain but I actually understand what’s happening in that moment.”

TOP FILM: Pregnancy and birth is almost always‬‭ skimmed through in TV shows and‬ movies. Why do you think‬ many people in the modern world, specifically men, are uncomfortable discussing women’s‬ reproductive health?‬

Phelan: “I think it’s so hidden away. I do think it’s men who are very uncomfortable about it but from my perspective, when I went on to the ward, I fainted the first time I went into a birth. I’ve never seen anything like that in my life — it wasn’t what I expected it to be at all. And I think we’re not showing it — it’s taboo — it’s uncomfortable. It’s also because it’s one of the most powerful things that a woman can do. It’s bringing life into the world and it’s completely overwhelming. As a western society, I think we’ve completely lost our connection with birth, and the belief in women’s bodies and what they’re able to do.”

Phelan says her mother fought for her entire career to give women the space and the time to figure out the type of birth they want, but in modern times there seems to be a disconnect between midwife and woman during labor.

Phelan: “Another side thing we were interested in was also bringing the wardrobe in like a vicarious midwife in the absence of one — keeping and protecting that space. I’ve had so many conversations with my mum before where she’s like; ‘I am not responsible for the birth, I am a space facilitator — that’s what I do, I create a safe space for women to advocate for their own bodies, to advocate for what they want.’ … I really wanted to give birth the time and space that it deserved on screen and I think it can be a story within itself, I don’t think it has to be part of montage or has to be part of a bigger story. I think it’s compelling and exciting and thrilling… frightening and beautiful.”

Phelan planned on the film originally being 3 to 4 minutes, but through more knowledge and backstory, the character of Nadiya grew, leading the film to become 7 minutes.

Phelan: “We realized there was this rich landscape that we needed to explore that was so intimately epic — that was inside her [Nadiya]. We were going on a journey of her breath and a journey of her contractions.”

Dehrouyeh: “I’ve been spending some time recently with the NHS talking about women’s reproductive health, and a lot of people are feeling this sense of hopelessness and despair at the moment. Women who worked for the NHS who have been fighting for years for changes and who got into this profession because they wanted to make an impact and see progression happen… a lot of them are discussing career changes for example. We have facts in this country about how if you’re a black woman of color then you’re four-times more likely to die in childbirth and if you’re a brown woman of color you’re two-times as likely. We’ve had that statistic for years now, and it’s become more and more well known. But on the outside I think that we hope on the inside change is happening, but actually there’s even a fear in bringing that conversation to a table where it’s still be conceived as a controversial thing.”

TOP FILM: With your dance history in mind [Phelan],‬‭ when it came‬‭ down to the editing stage, did that feel‬ like a natural thing for you to tackle, because editing essentially is all about rhythm and beats.‬

Phelan: “I love editing. In my previous two films, I’ve edited myself. I really did treat it like choreography and I find that really interesting because when I started directing and started working in film, I was so struck that editing was so close to choreography and so close to dance. It’s very interesting and I think for this one [‘The Woman In The Wardrobe’], because I was with a much bigger team, working with incredible departments, I knew what I wanted [editing].

Phelan and her team did more than enough prep work, so that getting through the editing stage was seamless, as they found most of the rhythm and structure was already in place.

TOP FILM: I’ve seen people refer to this project as a‬‭ dialogueless film, but that’s not exactly true.‬ There’s one word that Nadiya says, which is the baby’s name; Tara. Why that name, why‬ choose that specific word to say as the only piece of dialogue in the film?‬

‭Dehrouyeh: “I made a list of a few names and Ruby let me decide what the name was in the moment, which is how I felt I wanted to work. We did a camera test which was the first time I worked with the baby and we gave the actress baby a name as well, so that it felt like there was more of a relationship and intimacy to working with the baby. In making the decision that we aren’t going to specify the location where in the world we are and wanted to leave that as broad as possible, Tara is a name that is known in so many countries. At the same time, it worked for me in the background I had built for the character. So it was just a name that felt right. I decided I wasn’t going to pick the name until the day of the shoot.”

Phelan: “With the lack of dialogue, I think there’s so much visual information going on. And I think it’s great that we don’t have any dialogue because it means we can play in so many different countries — this kind of universal experience. Then again, the name is something that is giving full life to this baby. It’s not just oh, she’s given birth to a baby. It’s giving a relationship between Nadiya and Tara. Now there really is two characters.”

TOP FILM: I really liked how you [Phelan] didn’t specify where the setting of the film is, because this could happen on a global spectrum. There’s often this mindset of people saying; ‘well if it’s not happening here to an extreme degree than we don’t need to worry about it too much.’ I thought it was very important that you didn’t include the location. Was that something you thought about?

Phelan: “That was a big conversation we had at the beginning, because I think with film generally, you want to be as specific as possible, so that everyone knows where you are and the story is really clear. I think with this one we had turn that on it’s head — it’s such a universal subject matter. Unfortunately it’s timeless, in the way that as long as there is conflict, there will be women birthing in conflict. It doesn’t matter where is specifically is… I was reading so many stories about women in the second World War who were giving birth in annexes and hiding from the Nazis and having to do silent births. I was also reading things about Gaza, and reading stuff about Ukraine and thinking; this could be absolutely anywhere, and probably will continue to be anywhere.”

TOP FILM: When you [Dehrouyeh] tackle an intense role, are you‬‭ someone who can go in and out of‬ character when Ruby calls action and cut, or is there a gradual build up to get into Nadiya’s point of view and headspace?

Dehrouyeh: “For me, it’s actually a bit of everything you just said. I feel like I have to do all the preparation before the day, so that on the day [of shooting] I can work on feeling as present and clear-headed as possible so that I can tap into what I need. And if that feels like I need to stay-in all day and in-between takes then that’s what I’ll do. I can also feel when my body needs space and needs a break, and I can just trust that it’s going to come back. I’m somebody that uses music a lot. When we rehearsed, Ruby was playing music the entire time we were choreographing and setting the structure, and I had access to that music —”

Phelan: “We had Andrea’s [Boccadoro] music, which we used in the final cut. So I got him to compose it before we shot so that we’d have it to create the atmosphere.”

Dehrouyeh: “… And so helpful because Nadiya does have a song which you do hear her hum in the wardrobe. I could also attach what that meant for me and how it gave me access to her story and what memories it created. I felt like I needed a lot of space and quiet in between takes — needed to take myself away and put my headphones in… My one rule is that where ever I’m working: I don’t take it home with me.”

TOP FILM: Great final shot. We think we’re okay because‬‭ Nadiya has gotten herself through the‬ birth, then you cut to the devastation around her. I assume that the final shot involved CG worK — was this your first time directing a shot with CG involvement?‬

Phelan: “We worked very, very hard with the VFX team to make something that was inspired by so many different places that felt like it could be anywhere in the world.”

‭TOP FILM: You’ve partnered with the UN for this‬‭ film to fundraise emergency birthing‬ kits. Ruby, you gave a talk at the Women Without Borders Film Festival a little while ago about activism in‬ filmmaking. Do you both believe that cinema can make a monumental difference to spark a‬ conversation about challenging topics?‬

Phelan: “Definitely. We just did a big screening with the United Nations. The UNFPA held a screening at the Curzon cinema and we had lots of civil organizations from loads of different countries from around the world. We had MPs and activists and midwives… I think what cinema does and what human story does, is it goes past formality. It gets into people’s hearts and stays with them. I think that because this film [‘The Woman In The Wardrobe’], especially when it’s on the big screen with the immersive sound design, it’s so intense. You can’t really look away. When we’re scrolling on our phones and we see all these images of devastation and we’re reading articles, looking statistics… we can turn a blind eye because it’s numbers and we can distract ourselves from something else. Using a film, using a human story, we can all connect to that. I think that pushes past us being able to look away.”

For Phelan, the film was another way to talk about a subject that is “taboo” (women’s reproductive health) and to start opening people up to the idea of asking questions that they might not have otherwise thought of.

Phelan: “And the film really has done that — the discussion it’s generated and the people it’s brought toward it. Getting the UN on board was a huge, huge win for us, because that was something we really wanted… We talked about fundraising for the birthing kits, and that’s really what we want to do. Not just to generate conversation but to raise as much money as we possibly can for these emergency birthing kits. Their fundraising in the UK has gone up a huge amount. I definitely think that after people watch the film, they’re instantly like; ‘how can I donate, how can I help?’

It was important for the director to lead the film to a hopeful ending, even though the devastation around the wardrobe is apparent.

Phelan: “It was important that the baby didn’t die, that she [Nadiya] didn’t die, that it was hopeful. But when we come out to the big environment, we also have this realization of what’s next for them?”

Dehrouyeh: “I’ve definitely seen through this work and previous work that storytelling is such an incredible tool in power for change. In conversations that I’ve ended up having with people I’ve connected to, have been in these situations — which hasn’t happened yet for this film but I hope that it will, that they are being seen and heard by bringing awareness to something that is not being talked about, and bringing it on a scale that taps into feeling. I also learnt through previous experiences of giving talks and speeches that when you give statistics and numbers, what actually brings the most impact, is when you pick one person and you name that person and you tell that story, I really changes the level of impact in how it connects to people. Then they start to think about how that’s not just one person that has this story but thousands.”

‘The Woman In The Wardrobe’ stands as a devastatingly impactful film and one that urgently needs to be seen. Top Film thanks writer/director Ruby Phelan and lead star Afsaneh Dehrouyeh for their time, and commitment to delivering this critical film to the world.

A screening of ‘The Woman In The Wardrobe’ and Q&A will take place in London at the BFI Southbank on January 18, 2025. Get your tickets HERE.

Learn more about the UNFPA and donate to send emergency birthing kits to save lives of women forced to deliver their babies under challenging conditions. DONATE NOW.

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