Hey, I’m Aimee, the Director and co-Writer of Diva & Dave.

 

At its heart, the Diva & Dave is about connection; trying to meet people halfway even when it feels impossible. It’s also about acceptance, grief, and the quiet ways people continue showing up for each other. Dave is someone who’s emotionally buried beneath his own grief and stubbornness, whilst Diva carries warmth, patience and acceptance. A lot of Dave came from conversations about the fathers around us; mine and the crew’s, and the ways love can be difficult for them to express. We wanted Dave to feel familiar; someone who cares deeply but struggles to meet people where they are. As the story unfolds, the relationship between Diva and Dave begins to shift. Diva begins to take on a more nurturing role as Dave grieves, staying present despite the frustration and distance he creates. Whether it’s through notes left in the kitchen or the soft glow of a candle, she becomes a constant source of warmth in his life, even when he resists it.

 

Making Diva a female Drag queen was also a very intentional choice, not just an aesthetic one. Drag is an exaggeration and celebration of femininity and womanhood and that felt important to the story we told. There’s often a noticeable distance that can grow between fathers and daughters as daughters begin entering into adolescence and we wanted Diva’s appearance in Drag to visually reflect that divide between the daughter Dave thought he knew and the daughter now standing in front of him. At the same time, the film questions whether love can exist through that discomfort and unfamiliarity.

 

Co-Writing the film with Amy Cox was important in shaping both characters in an honest and authentic way. Having two perspectives helped us keep the balance between Diva and Dave without turning the story into one which was overly personal or too one-sided.