Just north of Mobile, Alabama is the historic community of Africatown founded by 32 West Africans who were transported to the US on the Clotilda, the last known slave ship to enter the country. Margaret Brown’s Descendant tells the story of the descendants who still reside in Africatown, as well as of the persistent power imbalance between the descendants of the slaves and the descendants of the Meaher family that chartered the expedition, who today own much of the industrialized land and factories around Africatown. Cinematographers Justin Zweifach and Zac Manuel discuss what they learned making the film and how they […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Jan 22, 2022Brainwashed: Sex-Camera-Power is Nina Menkes’ adaptation of her own talk connecting the objectification of women in cinema to employment discrimination and sexual assault. Unlike the talk, however, the film is organized thematically rather than chronologically, and it makes use of film clips and interviews with women who have worked in the industry to makes its connection. Cecily Rhett, the film’s editor, explains how she structured the film and how it vindicated her feelings about the insidious effects of sexism within the film industry. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the editor of your film? What were the factors and […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Jan 22, 20222nd Chance continues director Ramin Bahrani’s concern with people on the margins of society pursuing the American Dream. The documentary examines the case of Richard Davis, a bankrupt pizzeria owner who invented the bulletproof vest, only to find his reputation sullied after a defective product led to the death of a police officer. Below, cinematographer Adam Stone explains how the intrigue of the subject led him to take a hands-off approach that emphasized character and narrative rather than style. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the cinematographer of your film? What were the factors and attributes that led […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Jan 22, 2022The 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? It has been an interesting process to work on a film about two true innovators, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, while show business has had to […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Jan 22, 2022In Good Luck to You, Leo Grande, Emma Thompson plays a retired schoolteacher who is certain she has never had good sex. She decides to change that by checking into a hotel room and hiring a sex worker, but he quickly appears to take an interest in her that is more than professional. Much of the film consists of these two characters in a hotel room, and editor Bryan Mason discusses the importance of highlighting performances and chemistry to keep the audience’s attention. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the editor of your film? What were the factors […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Jan 22, 2022A lifestyle blog called “Lovely Everyday Life” run by the mother of a friendless tween sounds readymade for satire, and it is, but Hatching also takes it toward horror when the aforementioned tween nurtures and befriends the creature that emerges from a strange egg she finds in the woods. Cinematographer Jarkko T. Laine discusses shooting a horror film that takes place in well lit environs and the difficulties of working with animatronics. 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? […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Jan 22, 2022Hatching, a Finnish film that combines satire of modern “lifestyle” blogging with elements of coming-of-age films and body horror, follows a socially isolated pre-teen girl, Tinja, as she discovers and then nurtures the egg of a wounded bird. The egg eventually hatches, and Tinja christens her new best friend Alli. Editor Linda Jildmalm explained how she edited a film shot in a language she does not speak and worked to preserve the director’s vision. 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 […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Jan 22, 2022The 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? We shot Hatching in summer-autumn 2019, so luckily we avoided the pandemic during our shoot. The pandemic affected our post-production in a way; we had to do […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Jan 22, 2022Sharp Stick, Lena Dunham’s return to feature filmmaking after 12 years, is an intimate, character-driven film focusing on Sarah Jo, a naïve, woman in her mid-twenties embarking on an affair with the father of the child for whom she is a caretaker. The film touches on ideas of self-image and sex positivity, but remains close to its protagonist. Editor Catrin Hedström discusses keeping that focus by cutting scenes down to the essentials and how she brought out the complexity of the script’s characters. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the editor of your film? What were the […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Jan 22, 2022