Ep. 32: Vivian Owen, SATURNALIA

SCREAMS, SCORES & SCRIPTYS

In this episode of the Richmond Film Network podcast, host Lisa Giles talks with filmmaker and VCU professor Vivian Owen, whose rapid rise in Richmond’s indie film scene began during COVID and led to producing Saturnalia, a period horror feature scored by Suspiria composer Claudio Simonetti. Owen shares how networking at a 48-Hour Horror Film event opened doors, how face-to-face meetings at the Cannes Film Market beat cold emails, and why she targets arts-affiliated philanthropists—not crowdfunding—for six-figure budgets. She breaks down the making of Saturnalia, from securing eerie Richmond locations like Dover Hall to pulling off old-school practical effects on a $250K budget. Along the way, she unpacks her love of horror’s strong female leads, her push for more women behind the camera, and the way her many on-set roles inform each other. Her story is a masterclass in persistence, resourcefulness, and creative guts.