I had the pleasure of joining the team behind the film THE BOY IN THE WOODS this year with editor Robert Swartz, CCE.
We made a great series during a goddamned PANDEMIC. That’s just a remarkable feat.
A put-upon worker snaps out of her passive path thanks to a chance encounter with a charismatic busker…
Last night I had the privilege through The Hollywood Reporter to watch a screener of PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN, written and directed by Emerald Fennell and starring one of my favourite actresses, Carry Mulligan. THIS IS A MUST WATCH. I can’t say this enough. Emerald is a force to be reckoned with and wrote such a raw, real and immediate story that I think 99% of women identifying people can relate to. Also Mulligan is so grounded, calm and just such a force onscreen.
This past summer, I made a pledge to up my anti and get into scripted content. I took a course a year before at LIFT for Web Series writing. I have written any number of pilot scripts - some which have never seen the light and others that are still in development. I thought tackling the world of short-form writing was a good way for me to stay connected to one story and didn’t tax me too much with my full time job.
What a way to end the Hot Docs Filmmakers Series with Brett Story. Linda Barnard, as majestic as always, led the discussion on our final week together. Director of LAND OF DESTINY and A PRISON IN 12 LANDSCAPES. Brett Story. Where do I begin? Brett proves that hard work, determination, and willpower are enough to produce the awe-inspiring and lyrical documentaries that she has been able to create in such a short period of time.
Hot Docs, you are spoiling me WAY too much. Patricia Rozema - Alethea Arnaquq-Baril - Christina Jennings - and now Rama Rau!
Rama directed THE REHTEAH PARSONS STORY, MARKET, and most recently LEAGUE OF EXOTIQUE DANCERS.
Hearing her talk was electrifying. She was honest, decisive, and human like the rest of us struggling filmmakers.
"You get as much as you put into a film" - she said.
I'd never thought of it that way, but it makes total sense. As a filmmaker you have to find a balance between keeping distance from your story and also being passionate about it.
My favourite thing Rama said is that their is "no manual." And THAT'S something they don't teach you in film school. Each story demands a different kind of treatment.
What's her secret? Rama admitted that they way she is able to get so close with her subjects and foster a trusting relationship is by giving half herself. This is the part where she mixes her passion and distance together. She said, "it isn't about money. It's just what I am genuinely interested in doing."
Then she laughed and said to all us filmmakers in the audience, "honestly if you can do something else, do it..."
How does she connect with a story? This part was my favourite. She said, "the story puts a hook in me and pulls me. I want to do this for the audience."
She really emphasizes this back and forth energy that is transferring between her and the subjects and then her and the audience. It was never about "me". It was always WE.
Part of making a successful film is making the themes universal. You have to first ask yourself, is there one specific thing in my story that I can make speak to people?
Finally, the honesty came out. She talked about being a women, being brown, and being a director. Her first look into the film industry was being on Bollywood sets in Mumbai. She said you really have to act like a man to be respected (unfortunately). Coming to Canada, though, afforded her the opportunity to tell the kind of stories she was longing for: those with female protagonists.
"You learn failure."
That is one lesson I will carry with me moving forward in my own career. Thank you again Hot Docs for bringing this inspiring bad ass woman to the theatre for a talk.
If I had known about Patricia, Alethea, Christina, or Rama growing up, I think I would have jumped at being a filmmaker much quicker. Four amazing role models, successful in their own way.
Looking forward to all of their amazing next projects!
- Jenn
I've Heard The Mermaids Singing Trailer 1987 Director: Patricia Rozema Starring: Paula Baillargeon, Sheila McCarthy, Paule Baillargeon, Ann-Marie MacDonald, John Evans, Brenda Kamino Official Content From New Line Home Entertainment Award-winning tale of an amateur female photographer who gets hired by a lesbian gallery owner.
A friend of mine pointed me in the direction to a new and amazing filmmakers series at Hot Docs. She was most excited to see Patricia Rozema, and I instantly signed up - feeling her excitement and mine grow! The series is moderated by Linda Barnard, a journalist / writer who previously championed another series focusing on gender.
Meeting and hearing Patricia Rozema was like eating a perfectly cooked Creme Brulee. Everything she said was liquid gold. She was eloquent, spicy, and just a bit fantastic.
Patricia shared her philosophies as a director and I was so inspired by her wisdom:
"art defines the human condition. So far, we have only defined the male condition"
"there has to be intent behind the images"
"I want to make people feel less alone. That's what drives me"
In discussing I'VE HEARD THE MERMAIDS SINGING, Linda asked Patricia how she came to write about the main character as she was so real and relatable. Was this person real and drawn from her own experiences?
Patricia answered that "character is story. If you know them, you know what they will do." This is how she wrote about Polly. "I knew she was out of fashion, and took the street car and liked film." BUT Patricia didn't want the film to be too self-reflexive (a film about a filmmaker making film) - so Polly became a photographer, and had Walter-Mitty-esque experiences through developing the negatives of the each photo.
One of the most compelling aspects of a Rozema film is the music. The dynamism in INTO THE FOREST coupled with the growing anxiety and Eva's dance practice to a metronome creates a sensual and gripping experience for the audience.
"people underestimate how powerful music is"
"it is important to find the right level of vibration with your composer"
"music is the art at which all other arts aspire"
SUBSCRIBE: http://bit.ly/A24subscribe Ellen Page and Evan Rachel Wood fight for survival in a post-apocalyptic world. Watch the new trailer for Into The Forest, from acclaimed writer/director Patricia Rozema. In Theaters This Summer.
Patricia shared insightful tips about story and arc. She said, "fiction is always examining morality." There is a tension and release - which she believes is the key principle of beauty. The tightness and expansiveness of breath. Finally, the choices the characters make are always moral
To find the heart of the story, you have to understand the push and pull in the universe. There is art even in the things that are not seen.
Patricia concluded with a wonderful thought, that the best images are the ones that are written. Coming from such a talented scriptwriter and director, I was truly inspired by this amazing Canadian filmmaker! Until the next series...
- Jenn
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