10 Faces of Anna is a playful exploration of the multi-layered nature of identity and perception through a series of ten fictional monologues performed by a single actress. Like snapshots, these portraits invite the viewer to fill in the gaps in the story. Is there such a thing as a reliable narrator or an objective listener? To what extent is our reading of a character coloured by our own prejudice? The series challenges the narrow female stereotypes of fashion and pop cultures by exploring the contradictions and conflicts beyond the polished facades, or ‘Faces’.

The project started in August 2013, when Laura Hypponen and Annarose Cattanach commenced a weekly workshop to discuss morally complex characters from killers to sex workers, with the idea of creating a series of ten filmed portraits, to be written and directed by Hypponen and performed by Cattanach. The goal of the project was to contribute to the existing literature of monologues for female performers using a multi-disciplinary approach, with a particular emphasis on exploring the darker, shadowy side of human existence. The characters and films were created and filmed in sequence; one character leading to another within the space of one year. Viewed together, they form a multi-layered portrait of both the author and the performer.

This special Gallery event marks the denouement of the entire series of filmed narratives which have been created in collaboration with costume designer & stylist Andrew Ibi, hair & makeup designer Lina Baptista, director of photography Malte Rosenfeld, set & prop artist Vana Karamanou, editor Laurent Chinot, composer Martin Bjorck and a further team of artists and technicians.

Laura Hypponen (b. 1980, Kalinin, Soviet Union) is a London based filmmaker. Her work often borrows elements from the fashion industry’s seductive and highly sexualised imagery, and juxtaposes these with an exploration of complex identities and the struggles of outsiders. Her debut feature film ‘Live East Die Young’ (2012), set in East London’s counterculture scene, was nominated Best UK Picture at Raindance Film Festival and Hitchcock d’Or at Dinard, and distributed globally by iTunes. Her fashion films have been screened widely, including at A Shaded View on Fashion at Centre Pompidou, Paris; Vogue Italia, and London Fashion Week.

Annarose Cattanach (b. 1987, Eastbourne, East Sussex) is a graduate of Oxford School of Drama and nominee of the Spotlight Prize in 2009. In addition to her work in front of the camera, Annarose writes her own comedy material and co-runs a media production company, Scanach Media.