Emily the Criminal
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Hit & Misses: The 2022 Releases of Six Recent Sundance Features
In just three (admittedly, very momentous) years, the marketplace for independent films has completely changed. During previous turning points over the decades, executives would use words like “waves” or “cycles” to describe instances of upheaval, but what’s happening now is more like a comprehensive reset. In a recent online article titled “The Sky is Falling, Take Shelter,” producer Rebecca Green wrote, “This year is unlike anything I’ve seen in the 20 years I’ve been working in this business.” If Sundance and its films are a barometer for the independent film industry, consider this comparison: The pre-pandemic class of Sundance 2019 […]
by Anthony Kaufman on Dec 15, 2022 -
“Make Choices With the Edit to Sculpt and Reveal an Inherent Truth”: Harrison Atkins on Emily the Criminal
A financially precarious temp worker effectively locked out of a stable job due to a minor criminal record takes a black market gig buying goods with stolen credit cards in Emily the Criminal. As its logline suggests, the film examines the gig economy and class structure in America, and editor Harrison Atkins discusses how he shaped the film to approach that film with anger rather than numbness 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? Atkins: I’ve been working […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Jan 24, 2022 -
“I Had to Look Inward and Accept the Uncertainty” | John Patton Ford, Emily the Criminal
The last two years have prompted much contemplation and reconsideration of the reasons why we make our films as well as the ways in which we make them. What aspect of your filmmaking—whether in your creative process, the way you finance your films, your production methodology or the way you relate to your audience—did you have to reinvent in order to make and complete the film you are bringing to the festival this year? Where to begin with that question? First off, we closed financing in March of 2020. After years of trying, I finally got the money to make […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Jan 24, 2022 -
“We chose to embrace the armpits of Los Angeles”: DP Jeff Bierman on Emily the Criminal
In John Patton Ford’s Emily the Criminal, a woman saddled with student debt and minimal job prospects owing to a minor criminal record turns toward the black market to make her living. As cinematographer Jeff Bierman explains, capturing the unglamorous Los Angeles the protagonist inhabits in the August heat was a crucial part of emphasizing the gulf between the dream of success and the reality of pursuing it. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the cinematographer of your film? What were the factors and attributes that led to your being hired for this job? Bierman: John and I […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Jan 24, 2022
