Charlotte Wells finds it “kind of liberating” knowing her next film will “probably” not be as well-liked as her directorial debut Aftersun.

The Scottish writer/director made a name for herself in 2022 with her directorial debut Aftersun, which received widespread critical acclaim and made many critics’ end-of-year lists.

The drama’s success has translated into awards, with Wells winning a British Independent Film Award, Gotham Independent Film Award, and Directors Guild of America prize for first-time directing.

After she won the outstanding debut BAFTA at the Film Awards on Sunday, Wells admitted to journalists in the backstage press room that her next film “probably” won’t do as well as Aftersun.

“I can’t spend too much time thinking about (the pressure) because I don’t think you can write toward other people or write toward pressure,” she shared. “For me, this comes from within and whatever comes next will from within, probably people won’t like it as much so that’s kind of liberating too.”

Wells described her win as “surreal” and called the reception to her debut film “really special”.

“I can’t experience the film in the way that other people can because I see everything beyond the frame, I saw everything that went into each frame,” she explained. “So, when I hear people speak about the film, they really connected to it, it’s kind of the way I get to experience the film and experience the reactions. There have been some really special moments and some real-world effects of this film on people who have re-established relationships and seen some part of themselves represented on the screen in a way they haven’t before, it’s been really special.”

Aftersun stars Frankie Corio and Paul Mescal, who has been nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor for his performance.

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