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FESTIVAL NEWS The Curator By Kelly McCarthy
"As an aspiring actress I didn't want to work as a waitress," says Place. "I wanted to work inside the business in production where I could learn more about what I was interested in. I worked for Tim Conway and CBS. Then I worked for Norman Lear's company and that was like going to graduate school. I was the secretary for the head writer's on Maude. It was a 24/7 kind of job, long hours. I was in all of the writers meetings about what needed to be changed in each draft of the scripts and why. I was in all of the director's meetings with the actors about what worked and what wasn't working and why. It was a great opportunity to observe and learn a lot about the writing and acting process. After that year of working on Maude, I co-wrote a spec Mary Tyler Moore script with Linda Bloodworth. We got an agent and other jobs based on that script." Place went on to carve out a successful acting career. The multitalented Place has also proved herself in the director's chair; she has directed episodes of Dream On and Friends. With her background in writing, acting and directing, Place was a perfect choice for curator of women in cinema. Her choices include works by Lisa Gay Hamilton, Samira Makhmalbaf, Emily and Faith Hubley, Ramona Diaz, Shirin Neshat, Martha Coolidge and Abby Epstein. "There are many woman directors I admire," says Place, "I've had the pleasure of working with some wonderful women directors as well. For this program my goal was to find original, independent work by women that people might not be as familiar with. I wanted to present films that aren't readily available on television, or at your local mall or video store. That's what is great about a film festival, discovering new voices." Reelwriter.net was fortunate to speak with Place prior to this year's festival, which takes place from January 30 to February 8. Kelly McCarthy: Two of the filmmakers you're focusing on are animators Faith Hubley and her daughter Emily. Can you talk about the importance of including these directors? Mary Kay Place: Faith and Emily's films are very personal, absolutely original and distinct from most animated works. They have a dreamlike, surreal quality. Their films are funny and mythological. Emily's parent's the late John and Faith Hubley, were Oscar winning animators. Today Emily is carrying the mantle. McCarthy: Can you expound on some of the other female directors you're chosen? Place: I have included films by two wonderful Iranian filmmakers, Shirin Neshat and Samira Makhmalbaf. Shirin Neshat comes from the fine arts world where she has exhibited work as a photographer as well as a filmmaker. Most of her films have been shown in museums and galleries. Her films have no dialogue and are full of provocative images, music and sounds. They're extraordinary. I don't think many audiences here on the West coast have been exposed to her work or that of Samira Makhmalbaf. Ms. Makhmalbaf made Blackboards, her second film, when she was 20. It won the Special Jury Prize at Cannes in 2000 and I'm really excited that we're able to include it in this program. Blackboards takes you on a journey of survival into another world, another culture, and another way of existence. Then there's Rambling Rose (1991) directed by Martha Coolidge who became the first woman president of the Director's Guild of America. I just love the performances in that movie and I love the humor of it. It hasn't been shown in quite a while, so I thought it would be great to revive it. I am also showing three wonderful documentaries. The first film is by actor Lisa Gay Hamilton from The Practice. She directed a moving documentary, Beah: A Black Woman Speaks (2003) about the actress and activist Beah Richards. It's a lovely portrait of this amazing woman and was shot during the last few years of her life. I'm also screening Imelda (2003) directed by Ramona Diaz, which is a film about Imelda Marcos. It's interesting because it also shows a lot of the political history in the Philippines at that time. It's a real contrast to Beah: A Black Woman Speaks. It's a real contrast to Beah: A Black Woman Speaks. You see two very strong women, Beah Richards who used her power for the good and Imelda Marcos who used her power for personal gain. Another film I'm showing is Until The Violence Stops (2003), by Abby Epstein, a film about a movement called V-Day, inspired by the play, The Vagina Monologues to end violence against women and girls. V-Day was celebrated in over 800 communities around the world and the film highlights some of the dialogue of joy, pain, and healing inspired by the event. We hear stories from a group of Filipino women who were sold as sex slaves to the Japanese soldiers during WWII and a group of girls in Kenya who are filmed in a safe house where they can go if they don't want to have genital mutilation. Also featured are women from a Lakota Indian tribe who are inspired to finally speak out about physical and sexual abuse. McCarthy: What did you learn from screening these films? Place: I am always in awe and admire people who find an original way to tell a story. When you see a film that's really well done it resonates in such a profound way. For me all of the films that I selected evoked an emotional response. The films were moving, humorous, dramatic, and often times a combination of all of that. I've chosen films that deal with a very specific voice and a particular personal truth of that voice. More than anything I respected the uniqueness and originality of the work. McCarthy: Could you talk about some of the female directors that you have worked with? Place: I've worked with many fantastic female directors. They all knew exactly what they wanted. They all had very clear ways of communicating what they wanted. I'm talking about people like Lisa Krueger who did Manny & Lo (1996), Rose Troche who directed The Safety of Objects (2001) and I just worked with Enid Zentelis who directed Evergreen (2004) now at Sundance. I also worked with Christine Lahti on My First Mister (2001). She did such a great job. McCarthy: What female directors would you like to work with? Place: There are so many great women directors out there. I'd love to work with Sofia Coppola, I've worked with her father. I'd like to work with Kimberly Peirce, Boy's Don't Cry, (1999). And I like all of the new women who came out this year like Patty Jenkins and Sue Brooks and Niki Caro. McCarthy: What do you think is the importance of female directors? Place: I think female directors are often motivated to tell stories that male directors may not identify with or be interested in, but are nevertheless very important stories and contribute to our culture and understanding. I think men and women have access to both the masculine and feminine aspects within. The very best directors can draw on both the masculine and feminine sides of themselves and depending on how much in touch they are with those aspects, can produce amazing work. I do think, however, since women and men can sometimes view the world through a different lens, it can show up in the work. For example in Sofia Coppola's film, Lost in Translation, I believe only a female writer/director would have a story where the two main characters, in that situation, don't sleep together. If a man had made that move, actually I can't imagine a man making that movie, but if a man had made it, no question they would have had sex." McCarthy: You've directed for television. How do you manage to, forgive the cliché, do it all? Place: It's hard to be able to do both. Television shows are booked at the beginning of the season and film schedules are changeable. So it's difficult for me to combine those two worlds. Now someone who has combined it beautifully is Kathy Bates. She directs and she acts. She directed quite a few episodes of Six Feet Under and many other shows. I think she is the most successful actor/director among women. I'm a huge fan of hers. McCarthy: What attracts you to the directing process? Place: I find it fun and challenging. I like the rhythm of it. There's something so satisfying about telling a story, collaborating and helping to shape the whole piece. McCarthy: Despite the talented pool of female directors isn't Hollywood still a boy's town when it comes to work for actors and directors in film? Place: Sure. Yeah it is. And in television there are very few women directors. Nevertheless I think if you have a good script and you keep going, a good script will ultimately get made. And I think if people are really serious about directing they'll get to direct. But it's hard to get a movie made no difference what sex you are. It's a miracle when a movie gets made. McCarthy: What are some of your upcoming film roles? Place: Evergreen (2004), which is being screened at this year's Sundance Film Festival, Silver City (2004), a film by John Sayles and three independent films: Bottleneck (2004) by Tricia Brock, Death and Texas (2003) directed by Kevin DiNovis, and Latter Days, written and directed by C.J. Cox, opening January 30, 2004. © Reelwriter.net 2004 |
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At this year's 19th Santa Barbara International Film Festival Mary Kay Place will host as guest curator of a special women in cinema section. This marks the first time a curator will participate. Though best known for her acting roles in such films as The Big Chill (1983), Manny & Lo (1996) and Sweet Home Alabama (2002), Place first found work in Hollywood as a writer. |
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