Directors
Interviews - Directors
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“That’s My Brain On Screen…”: Rachel Boynton on Her African Oil Exploration Documentary, Big Men
In a world of simplified, cable-news talking points, documentary filmmaker Rachel Boynton makes layered, complicated films exploring the nexus of politics and personality. With Our Brand is Crisis, Boynton — one of Filmmaker‘s 2005 25 New Faces — traveled to Bolivia to cover the 2002 election, embedding herself both within the campaigns of local candidates as well as the war room of hired-gun U.S. consultants Jim Carville and his GCS Associates team. Big Men, opening today, is her second feature, and it has similarly required an immersive, years-long process. She began the process of considering the film before its so-called […]
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Five Questions for The Cold Lands Writer/Director Tom Gilroy
In The Cold Lands, Tom Gilroy’s intelligent and evocative new film, a resourceful teen is left to contend with a set of existential questions after he leaves home and tries to tough it out in the woods. Atticus (Silas Yelich) and his mother Nicole (Lili Taylor) live an ascetic lifestyle—though he’s interested in hip-hop and video games, Nicole’s doing her best to keep pop culture and materialistic influences at bay. Together, they roam around Upstate New York in a Subaru station wagon, looking for salvageable items left by the roadside and taking long walks during which they explore the rich […]
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The Women of SXSW: Evaporating Borders Director Iva Radivojevic
Following “The Women of Sundance” article in our print and online additions, Danielle Lurie continues her coverage of female filmmakers with a series of interviews highlighting women directors at SXSW. In this interview, she talks with the director of the hybrid documentary, Evaporating Borders, Iva Radivojevic. Filmmaker: Why this movie? Why did you decide to do it? Radivojevic: It was one of those ideas that keeps churning in your stomach for years and years and finally finds a way to come out. The film is also personal and has to do with who I am and my experience (although […]
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The Women of SXSW: Que Caramba Es La Vida Director Doris Dörrie
Following “The Women of Sundance” article in our print and online additions, Danielle Lurie continues her coverage of female filmmakers with a series of pieces highlighting women directors at SXSW. In this email interview, she talks with the director of Que Caramba Es La Vida, Dorris Dörrie. Filmmaker: Why this movie? Why did you decide to do it? Dörrie: I have spent some time in Mexico and found that the only association that we (in Europe) have is drug war and chaos. I wanted to tell a different story of Mexico, and I became very interested in mariachi music, especially […]
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The Women of SXSW: Crystal Writer/Director Chell Stephen
Following “The Women of Sundance” article in our print and online additions, Danielle Lurie continues her coverage of female filmmakers with a series of pieces highlighting women directors at SXSW. In this email interview, she talks with the writer/director of the narrative short, Crystal, Chell Stephen. Filmmaker: Why this movie? Why did you decide to do it? Stephen: An image of the character Crystal came into my head a few years ago, and I could see her so clearly. After directing music videos in New York for a few years as a part of filmmaking collective Think/Feel, I knew […]
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How to Crowdsource a Film: Chris Jones on the Omnibus Movie, 50 Kisses
The Internet and digital filmmaking tools have opened up new possibilities of crowdsourcing material–Life in a Day, Declaration of Interdependence, One Day on Earth, even the interactive Star Wars Uncut–and given new life to the omnibus/anthology film format. The latest project to adopt the form is 50 Kisses, a film created by the London-based Chris Jones and hundreds of collaborators from around the world. The film, which includes 50 scenes built around a Valentine’s Day and a kiss, premiered on February 13–the day before Valentine’s–at the Genesis Cinema in London’s East End. Further distribution is now rolling out. Jones, a filmmaker […]
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The Women of SXSW: The Winding Stream Director Beth Harrington
Following her “The Women of Sundance” article in our print and online additions, Danielle Lurie continues her coverage of female filmmakers with a series of pieces highlighting women directors at SXSW. In this email interview, she talks with the director of the documentary The Winding Stream, Beth Harrington. The film premieres Saturday, March 15 at 7 PM at the Ritz Theater on Sixth St. Filmmaker: Why this movie? Why did you decide to do it? Harrington: I’m a filmmaker and a musician, and about ten years ago I made a film about women rockabilly singers called Welcome to the Club. It did well, […]
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The Women of SXSW: The Great Invisible Director Margaret Brown
Following “The Women of Sundance” article in our print and online additions, Danielle Lurie continues her coverage of female filmmakers with a series of pieces highlighting women directors at SXSW. In this email interview, she talks with the director of the Documentary Competition title, The Great Invisible, Margaret Brown. Filmmaker: Why this movie? Why did you decide to do it? Brown: After the [Deepwater Horizon] spill, my dad started sending me pictures of our bay house in Alabama surrounded by boom, which BP was using to prevent the oil from getting in our marshes. Seeing my childhood invaded in this way was […]
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The Women of SXSW: Butterfly Girl Director Cary Bell
Following “The Women of Sundance” article in our print and online additions, Danielle Lurie continues her coverage of female filmmakers with a series of pieces highlighting women directors at SXSW. In this email em>Butterfly Girl, which screens today, March 10. Filmmaker: Why this movie? Why did you decide to do it? Bell: Jess, our editor/producer, and I have been working on projects together off and on since college. I think when you click with someone creatively, in the way that we do, it’s such a blessing. We also have similar working styles, ethics, and visions, so when we were both […]
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The Women of SXSW: Empire Director Eline Jongsma
Following “The Women of Sundance” article in our print and online additions, Danielle Lurie continues her coverage of female filmmakers with a series of pieces highlighting women directors at SXSW. In this email interview, she talks with the director of the experimental documentary Empire, Eline Jongsma. Filmmaker: Why this movie? Why did you decide to do it? Jongsma: Empire is an immersive documentary project about the unintended consequences of colonialism. We shot it in ten countries over the course of four years and didn’t have a real home base for any of that time. We just traveled and worked. […]
