August, 2001.

Women on the Verge

By Jim McCaskill

Edinburgh, Scotland. This interview is different from my previous Storyboard articles. In the past my interviews have focused on one individual, one film and were in Q and A format while this is narrative. Women on the Verge is five women with film skills and knowledge who are ready for that big break. One has already had success: Pip Karmel was the editor for Shine and directed Me, Myself, I. Only one of the five interviewed as face to face; the others were internet interviews with email exchanges from Holland, Canada and Australia. One interview was delayed as the director returned to Iran to search for locations for her upcoming film. I am deeply indebted to Siobhan Wall for her guidance and contacts.

In the early 1990s India was prepared to expand its electric power by commissioning a coal fired facility on the coast. The large amount of coal that needed to be shipped in and resulting smoke stack pollution would have been disastrous for 300,000 nearby fishermen. The area chosen is a major breeding area for mackerels, sardines and prawns. In 1997 Siobhan Wall had a grant from environmental support groups to make an education film showing the impact on fishing and local people. Off she went from Beford, England, to Gao and India trailing cameras and supplies. No vast technical support team assisted her. Siobhan trained staff as she went. The result was Fly Ash Over India. When extracts were shown on Indian television and people realized the potential problems law suits were filed, cases were dismissed and time moved on. Because public interest was aroused the Indian governments bureaucrats took another look. Things can get mired down in governmental red tape and soon Congentrix lost interest in the project. It still may go forward but with some significant changes.

Aeyliya Husain has a Fine Arts degree from the University of Waterloo where she studies film and photography. Five years in commercial photography led her to videos. Her past experience included work on a series about Canadian musicians, called Centre Stage Chronicles, half hour profiles on musicians making it in the Canadian music industry. Aeyliya directed five of these. These films are currently airing in Canada.

It is her current project that places her on the verge. "My current film centers on the relationship between a mother and daughter. The film is the story of Lily and her mother, of broken promises and how political events changed their lives. A daughter is forced to leave home and the mother was imprisoned." For Aeyliya "the subjects reveal their sense of betrayal, the loss of a mother and the longing for home." She explained, "The politics of Iran forms the backdrop of the film and the Iranian Revolution is the starting point of the story." She continues, "Making this film has had a deep effect on me since it has been part of my life for the past three years." A research trip to Iran was needed to access the situation of women and find characters. "Finding universal feelings of being a mother or daughter is difficult. It happened by accident that I found a mother and daughter who had been through the same difficulties that I have through my life." Intimate feelings are essential ingredient in Aeyliya's film. "When you are absorbed in someone else's life and know a lot about them then you begin to understand their complexities and you almost become your characters. So the effect on me has been huge in many ways that can't be explained completely."

When asked about the film's possible political impact in Iran, she said, "It is hard for me to say what, if any, political impact this film will have on the current Iranian government."

Belinda Chayko worked as a journalist and studied screenwriting for three years at Australian Film, Television and Radio School. "I wrote, and was able to direct, my graduate film, Swimming. That film went on to do well at a number of festivals here and overseas, and that enabled me to be seen as a director." In 1999 Belinda directed her first and only feature film, city loop. "Making my feature film exhausted me. I had recently had my first child (she was five months old when we began pre-production) and the rigors of film-making combined with first-time motherhood were pretty taxing. I read interviews with film makers who talk about how hard it was to make their film and they make me laugh. Try doing a location recce [sic] with a crying baby on your hip, or waking up three times a night during production to feed." Others who have seen her first film have called it "a most perfect film." "Making that film," Belinda says, "made me realize how vital it is to be organized and creative after the film is finished ... when it needs to be marketed and sold. city loop was not supported strongly in this area and so has not reached the audiences it could have."

The next projects for Belinda include working with a new writer in developing a horror film. "This surprises me as it is a genre I've particularly been interested in, but this script is very intelligent and gets to the very basis of fear--men's fear of women and vice versa." She is also writing a film about the loss of her father. Swimming, her graduation film, dealt with the death of her mother. She is working with writer Stephen Davis on this one. "My mother died of cancer when I was 20 years old and the film expressed a lot of the feelings I had about that time. The film is shot entirely from the girl's point of view."

"There is a lot of government assistance--both direct and indirect--for filmmakers in Australia and I have certainly benefited from that," Belinda said. "I made a short film which was fully funded by the Australian Film Commission, short confessions, starred Geoffrey Rush wearing a sequined red dress and doing strange things with a banana. He is delightful to work with."

Her feature film city loop was funded through a initiative called the Million$Movies (each had a budget of one million Australian dollars). Government funds in Australia come through such agencies as Australian Film Commission and SBS Independent (the production branch of broadcaster SBS, which is also government funded), Queensland Government's State Funds, the Pacific Film and Television Commission and Channel 4. Private funds come from from pay-TV, NHK in Japan and Beyond Films. "The bulk of the funding comes from the government. The down side of having so much government assistance is there is not significant private investment in film and television."

"It is not that difficult for a new director in Australia," Belinda says. "It is a kind of cult of the new here and orgaizations are always on the look-out for the 'hot new thing.' My future work will be split between small, shoestring operations and larger, three million Australian dollar films."

Pip Karmel has already achieved success as editor for the Academy Award winning film, Shine. "Having trained as an editor was the best foundation for directing and I don't understand how anybody directs without it! The editing room is where a film is actually made--that is, it is the place where the rushes are transformed from something that followed a script to a film in its own right. It's all about telling a story, the visual language, what you need and what you don't need to express the essential story." She is currently editing another Scott Hicks film, Hearts in Atlantis.

When asked what she expected from an actor, she said: "I like an actor to embrace their character, to ask for direction when they need it, and to be open to direction when it is offered." Films that influenced her work were mostly comedy dramas which are true to human nature and consequently funny and often sad. Directors such as Frank Capra, Mike Nicholls, John Hughes, Rob Reiner and "of course my all time favourite is Bill Forsythe."

So we have four women directors: Siobhan Wall in Amsterdam, Aeyliya Husain in Toronto, Belinda Chayko in Sydney, and Pip Karmel also in Australia. All on the verge of breaking into important film work. All talented, skilled and ready. I promised a look at five and let's close with Cheryl Serpancy and there are many like her. Cheryl is another Canadian talent living in Vancouver and working in television and has aspirations to be a producer of "Documentaries/Indie Features." She emails: "I'm not certain I'm the right candidate for your article. I have two doco's in development and hope to get funding as you know it isn't always so simple! I'm beginning my independent career in film-making."

Calendar of Events

FILMS

National Institutes of Health
The NIH Office of Science Education has a 6-week film festival "Science in the Cinema" beginning Thursday, July 12. Once a week, a popular film with a medical science theme is screened. Following each movie, an interactive discussion with the audience is led by an expert on the subject depicted in the film. Films remaining in August are The Snake Pit on August 2, The Eighth Day on August 9, and Down in the Delta on August 16. All are at 7:00pm.

National Institutes of Health
Comcast and The NIH Charities are pleased to announce the fifth annual Outdoor Film Festival. This year, movies will be shown nightly from Friday, August 17th through Sunday, August 26th on the grounds of NIH between Medical Center Metro Station entrance and Building 16. Dinner and desserts sold on the grounds from area restaurants, at 7:00 pm. Films begin at 8:15pm. They include: Ghostbusters on August 17, Men in Black on August 18, Remember the Titans on August 19, Annie Hall on August 20, Saturday Night Fever on August 21, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory on August 22, The Birds on August 23, The Godfather on August 24, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade on August 25, and Rugrats in Paris on August 26.

Screen on the Green
On the National Mall at dusk, there is one remaining film left on August: Meet Me in St. Louis on August 6.

The National Theatre
Two remaining films in August are Topsy Turvy (Mike Leigh, 1999) on August 6 and The Bride of Frankenstein (James Whale, 1935) on August 13. Both are at 6:30pm.

The District of Columbia Jewish Community Center
On August 4 outside at dusk is The Golem (Paul Wegener and Carl Boese, 1920). Silent with live music accompaniment.

Wolf Trap
Bugs Bunny cartoons accompanied by the National Symphony Orchestra is on August 3 at 8:30pm. On August 4 the National Symphony accompanies The Planets and rare NASA footage, 8:30pm.

National Museum of Women in the Arts
On August 15 at 7:30pm is an anthology film, Three Cases of Murder (Wendy Toye, George More O'Ferrell, David Eady, 1954).

National Gallery of Art
Continuing its Totò series, the Gallery shows The Gang of Honest Men (Camillo Mastrocinque, 1956) on August 3 at 2:30pm and August 4 at 4:00pm; The Passionate Thief (Mario Monicelli, 1960) on August 4 at 2:00pm; Totò Against the Four (Steno, 1963) on August 10 at 2:30pm and August 11 at 4:00pm; Men and Corporals (Camillo Mastrocinque, 1955) on August 11 at 2:00pm; Totò the Con Man (Camillo Mastrocinque, 1961) on August 17 at 2:30pm and August 18 at 4:00pm; Totò, Peppino and the Berlin Wall (Giorgio Bianchi, 1962) on August 18 at 2:00pm; Totò Diabolicus (Steno, 1962) on August 19 at 4:00pm; and Hawks and Sparrows (Pier Paolo Pasolini, 1965) on August 25 at 3:00pm.

The Ermanno Olmi series also concludes in August with One Fine Day (1968) on August 5 at 4:00pm, The Scavangers (1970) on August 12 at 4:00pm, and The Three of Wooden Clogs (1978) on August 24 at 2:00pm and August 26 at 4:00pm.

The "Masters of Music" series continues in August with Once Upon a Sleigh Ride--Music of Leroy Anderson (Peter Rosen, 2000) on August 8-11 at 12:30pm; and Maestro Maestroi--Herbert Von Karajan (Patricia Plattner, 1999) on August 22-25 at 12:30pm.

Pickford Theater
Among other films, the Pickford concludes its Glasnost films with Waiting for Gavrilov (Petr Todorovsky, 1981) on August 2 at 7:00pm and Come and See (Elem Klimov, 1985) on August 3 at 6:30pm. The French Gangsters films also conclude in August with The Sicilian Clan (Henri Verneuil, 1968) on August 10 at 7:00pm and The Crook (Claude Lelouch, 1970) on August 21 at 7:00pm.

Films on the Hill
Concluding the Zorro series in August is Don Q, Son of Zorro (Donald Crisp, 1925) on August 6 at 7:00pm and The Mark of Zorro (Rouben Mamoulian, 1940) on August 17 at 7:30pm. On August 13 is a double feature: British Agent (Michael Curtiz, 1934) shown with Penrod and Sam (William McGann, 1937) at 7:00pm.

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Part of the "Film and Filmmakers" series, is Healing by Killing a documentary about the Nazi's Euthanasia Program to eliminate institutionalized mentally and physically handicapped persons. A question-and-answer session with filmmaker Nitzan Aviram will follow.

Freer Gallery of Art
Concluding its sixth annual Made in Hong Kong film series, the Freer shows Hard-Boiled (John Woo, 1992) on August 3 at 7:00pm and August 4 at 2:00pm; A Terra-Cotta Warrior (Zhang Yimou, 1989) on August 10 at 7:00pm and August 12 at 2:00pm; Gorgeous (Vincent Kok, 1999) on August 16 at 7:00pm and August 18 at 2:00pm; and Needing You (Johnny To, 2000) on August 17 at 7:00pm and August 19 at 2:00pm.

Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
On August 9 is How Angels Are Born (Murilo Salles, 1997) at 8:00pm and on August 16 at 8:00pm is Without a Trace (Maria Novaro, 2000) with the director in person to discuss the film and present slides of her preparatory drawings for the landscapes featured in the film.

National Air and Space Museum
Around the World in 80 Days (1956) is on August 4; October Sky (1999) is on August 11; The Right Stuff (1983) is on August 18; and Apollo 13 (1995) is on August 25. All are at 8:00pm.

National Museum of Natural History
Noontime videos include Living with Gorillas (2000) introduced by filmmaker Cynthia Moses on August 3; The Natural History of the Chicken (Mark Lewis, 2001) on August 17; and Ngorongoro, Africa's Cradle of Life (2001) on August 24.

Smithsonian Associates
Adventures in Wild California: An IMAX Experience
Screening and Lecture, Monday, August 27, 7 p.m.
General Admission $13, Resident Members $10
Through a myriad of "extreme sports" and touching personal stories, the latest IMAX film adventure sends audiences careening down an icy, steep mountain; twirling on thermals above the clouds with skysurfers; and swimming through the oceans with otters.

Film Courses and Lectures

Smithsonian Associates
The Lost Art of the Hollywood Musical
All-Day Seminar, Sunday, August 5, 10 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
General Admission $96, Resident Members $72
Film historian Max Alvarez leads this journey through the lost art of the Hollywood musical, from the innocent opulence of MGM's Arthur Freed unit to the dramatic musical words of Bob Fosse and his New Hollywood contemporaries.

Dark Rooms of the Soul: The Passionate Depth of Ingmar Bergman
All-Day Seminar, Sunday, August 19, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
General Admission $96, Resident Members $72
Gain a deeper understanding of Bergman's work as National Public Radio contributor Pat Dowell explores his style and substance through extensive use of film highlights from his masterpieces.

Doctors in the Movies
Lecture, Thursday, August 23, 8 p.m.
General Admission $13, Resident members $10
Peter E. Dans, M.D. traces the way movies have served to mirror and influence our society's regard for the medical profession in this informative clip-illustrated lecture. Dr. Dans is an internist and the author of Doctors in the Movies: Boil the Water and Just Say Aah!

Film Festivals

Previous Storyboards

July, 2001
June, 2001
May, 2001
April, 2001
March, 2001
February, 2001
January, 2001
December,2000
November, 2000
October, 2000
July, 2000