
“I Am Always Mining for Gold in the Rushes”: Editor Fiona DeSouza on Brides

Premiering in Sundance’s World Cinema Dramatic Competition, Brides follows two UK teens who travel to Syria in an attempt to escape the othering they face at home. The film is the debut feature of Nadia Fall, the artistic director of London’s Young Vic Theatre and director of productions of Three Sisters and King Hedley II, among others.
The film is edited by Fiona DeSouza, whose credits include 2020’s Kindred and episodes of numerous TV series, including Great Expectations and Hanna. Below, she shares a trick for making a small number of setups go a long way and how a good cup of tea can open doors.
See all responses to our annual Sundance editor interviews here.
Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the editor of your film? What were the factors and attributes that led to your being hired for this job?
DeSouza: I met Nadia Fall, the director, and Nicky Bentham, the producer, back in 2019 when I edited the short film Bush for Film 4. During COVID I edited Nadia’s next project, a docudrama for Sky called No Masks. I then worked with Nicky on a feature film, Locked In, for Netflix in 2023. We love collaborating together, and the stars then aligned for us to collaborate on Nadia’s debut feature, Brides.
Filmmaker: In terms of advancing your film from its earliest assembly to your final cut, what were your goals as an editor? What elements of the film did you want to enhance, or preserve, or tease out or totally reshape? How did you achieve these goals?
DeSouza: Brides is a coming-of-age journey which follows the story of two teenage girls who leave home in pursuit of belonging, freedom, and love. As the editor I am always mining for gold in the rushes and searching for the nuances in performance to create meaning and emotion that connects the audience with our characters Doe and Muna. In the beginning Doe is reserved and shy, and Muna is rambunctious and bold. Throughout the film we see Doe grow into a more confident and assertive young woman while, peeling back the outer confidence of Muna, we learn of her vulnerability and angst. As you edit, you continually assess the temperature of a performance so that you can track the emotional arc of the character throughout the story. You have to be sensitive to how the characters work together in each scene to tell the story and keep the audience hooked with a touch of unpredictability as to what they might do in any given situation.
Filmmaker: As an editor, how did you come up in the business, and what influences have affected your work?
DeSouza: I started out making fantastic cups of tea, which got me a break as an assistant editor. I then studied for my MA in Film Editing at the National Film and Television School in the UK. I have worked on everything from short films and low-budget indies to high-end television and studio films. I love editing, and I’m happiest locked in a room with some footage to play with or sitting in a cinema watching a great film.
Filmmaker: What editing system did you use, and why?
DeSouza: Salon Pro Sales very kindly helped us out with an Avid setup for cutting Brides. I think Avid is the best editing tool for cutting long-format drama. It has excellent tools for managing large amounts of data, and I absolutely love the script sync tool.
Filmmaker: What was the most difficult scene to cut and why? And how did you do it?
DeSouza: The time constraints on a low budget film mean that you as an editor are not drowning in coverage, so the skills you call on are those which squeeze the juice out of the material to realize the potential of every frame shot, whether that is before or after “action” is called. For example, when the girls are chased through the bus station, I have edited back and forth between just four setups to create an energetic chase sequence where the girls escape a police officer. I’ve resized shots to give the illusion of another setup and cut back and forth to energize the pace and create tension.
Filmmaker: Finally, now that the process is over, what new meanings has the film taken on for you? What did you discover in the footage that you might not have seen initially, and how does your final understanding of the film differ from the understanding that you began with?
DeSouza: I am so proud to be screening the premiere of Brides at The Sundance Film Festival 2025. It is so important to champion the production of an independent film throughout the world, and Sundance does just that. We learn so much in making and watching films. They have the power to shine a light on stories that would otherwise not have a voice and are a platform from which we can champion change, hoping to make the world a better place for us all to live in. I think Brides is a really important film for this moment in time. The influencing factor that I have taken away from the experience of working on it is the importance of having compassion and empathy.