Interview with Land Ho! producer Sara Murphy

Filmmaker: Why this movie? Why did you each decide to do it?

Murphy: I was developing another, bigger-budget project with Aaron when I caught wind that he was teaming up with Martha on this little film in Iceland. After I got over the fact that he didn’t bring it to me immediately, I called him and told him I wanted IN! Aaron and Martha are both so talented individually that the opportunity to work with both of them at the same time was super exciting and a no-brainer.

Filmmaker: How much of your crew was female? Was hiring women a consideration for you?

Murphy: Our crew was almost entirely male. Our producing team was almost entirely female. However, at the end of the day, I didn’t really think about our team in terms of gender, simply as an incredible collective of VERY capable people. I think when hiring, you are always gauging how the crew member will get along with the team you are assembling and you weigh heavily how personalities will clash or harmonize. It would be disingenuous to say that gender doesn’t come into play here. Obviously the goal is that you hire the person who will best get the job done, but that success, on a film set in particular, is also based on their ability to adapt to and be absorbed into that environment, whether it be female or male dominated (or hopefully equal!). I don’t think we are gender-blind just yet.

Filmmaker: Who do you hope is your audience? Men or women? Both?

Murphy: The film is about companionship and wanting and growing up and growing old and hope, so I hope the audience is men and women, and everyone else too.

Filmmaker: How do we get more women making movies?

Murphy: I think it is important for today’s female filmmakers to be vocal about their experiences making movies. The more you can be an example and a voice, the more tangible it becomes to aspiring filmmakers.

Filmmaker: Considering this article will be released at Sundance: A) What do you hope to gain from being at the festival? and B) Who would be your dream person to meet while there (imagine they will be reading this answer!)?

Murphy: I look forward to meeting so many other filmmakers. The film business can be pretty brutal, so I think the more we can all share and support one another, the safer and more resourceful we become and the better films we will make!

Filmmaker: What is a question I should have asked but didn’t that you think is relevant to this film?

Murphy: “Is Iceland really one of the most beautiful places on the earth, just like everyone says?” YES! Wait, did someone already say this? Probably, and their answer was probably YES!

 

Interview with Land Ho! producer Christina Jennings

Filmmaker: Why this movie? Why did you each decide to do it?

Jennings: Martha’s my girl, y’all! I trust her and her vision 10,000 percent. She called me in January to pitch the project and without hesitation, I was on board. We had hit a few minor speed bumps trying to get another project of hers off the ground and were in need of some momentum, which Land Ho! was able to provide. It all just felt really really right.

Filmmaker: How much of your crew was female? Was hiring women a consideration for you?

Jennings: While we do have an entirely female producing team, which is awesome and rare in itself, there was actually only one female crew member. I feel like I can speak for all when I say that we would have gladly hired more women, but it simply turned out that the best fits for the film happened to be male.

Filmmaker: How did you go about raising funding for it?

Jennings: Finding funding is, hands down, the hardest part of making movies no matter one’s gender and this project was no exception. We were so thankful to have had significant support from Gamechanger very early on but we could not find another entity willing to take a chance on us to finance the remainder. It actually got so down to the wire not being able to find funding that it looked as if we’d have to scrap the project altogether. Our secondary financier, who is not a movie person, swooped in, essentially just wanting to give us the leg up that he never got when he was first starting out. It was very cool of him, to say the least. Between him and the similarly forward-thinking folks at Gamechanger, we feel incredibly lucky to have had the opportunity to make this film on our own terms, with almost zero creative restriction.

Filmmaker: Who do you hope is your audience? Men or women? Both?

Jennings: Land Ho! has something for everybody. Aging, loneliness, friendship are universally relatable themes. At one point or another, everyone hits tough spots where they may feel lost or stagnant and in need of a shift, or a jolt to get going again. Also, it has glow sticks!

Filmmaker: In what ways do you think being a female filmmaker has helped or impeded your trajectory in the film industry?

Jennings: It’s not solely my being a woman that’s helped or impeded my trajectory…. the fact that I look, speak and perhaps act about 10 years younger than I am seems to get in the way at times, ha! It’s certainly an uphill battle to earn respect and credibility and I find that most people look at me with one eye shut, their head cocked to the side, saying, “hmmm,” but who am I to say that this has anything to do with me being a woman rather than just a spectacularly average struggle that befalls everyone. On the plus side though — because people expect so little from me, I rarely disappoint!

Filmmaker: How do we get more women making movies?

Jennings: I actually find that I am often working primarily with women… not that there isn’t always room for more, but at least in Austin, I feel like the ladies are kinda killing it!

Filmmaker: Considering this article will be released at Sundance: A) What do you hope to gain from being at the festival? and B) Who would be your dream person to meet while there (imagine they will be reading this answer!)?

Jennings: A) Oh man — the possibilities are endless! I’ve never been to Sundance and I guess, being an Austin gal, my roots have always been tied pretty closely to SXSW, so I literally have no idea what to expect. I am beyond thrilled to have been invited and am mostly looking forward to the opportunity to share our weird, wonderful little film with the Sundance audiences.

B) Welllll, this is a wild guess, but surely, tiny little powerhouse Kaitlyn Dever is gonna blow everyone away with something she’s acted in [Laggies] so I would love to see her and give her a high-five… or a hug.

Filmmaker: What is a question I should have asked but didn’t that you think is relevant to this film?

Jennings: “Why Iceland?” Iceland is seemingly about as far away from everyday life as the average person can imagine, making it the perfect setting for some mischief and self-reflection. And yes, Iceland, truly, is as magical as they say.

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