by: Sarah Jacobson | | |
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Women filmmakers are more on the scene than ever before. With this in mind, it's funny that I've never written a film article that focuses just on women. My usual focus is on underground, punk-y films, since that's what I'm most interested in and that's what I mostly see. But as a woman filmmaker, I've committed myself to telling stories about women that you don't see on the screen. (Background: My films are Mary Jane's Not a Virgin Anymore and I was a Teenage Serial Killer.) I'm a filmmaker because there is a serious lack of strong woman characters in film. So why is it so weird to focus on women in film as a topic?
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I realized that it's really hard to say, "Women in Film" and have it mean much. There are a lot of women doing stuff I don't relate to and there are a lot of women who don't like what I do. (Just try explaining to a hardcore '70s feminist why you did a film about a female serial killer and you'll hear, "But that's so violent!") What attracts me to a filmmaker is a good sense of subversion and rebellion served up with a generous side of hipness. Or a creative vision that delivers a story in a way I've never seen before, taking me to places I've never been. I like visionaries and risk takers. When I applied those criteria to the women I know in film, it was fascinating to discover each woman's route to visionary filmmaking. | 
sarah jacobson |
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This series will focus on a wide array of women in film, all struggling to find their voice, all working hard to be heard. I was able to hang out with Tamra Davis while she was doing preproduction for Skipped Parts, her new film and in my opinion, her first project that is completely dear to her heart. She did Gun Crazy, CB4, Billy Madison, and the upcoming Best Men, with Dean Cain and Drew Barrymore. I got the feeling that Skipped Parts is a new phase in Tamra's career. It's so interesting to see how she's breathing life into this film, how it's getting started. You hear a lot about "life on the set." This week, you'll get some insight into what you need to do to get there.
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Next up is Tula Asselanis, who did an amazing documentary, I, Doll — The Unauthorized Biography of America's 11 1/2" Sweetheart on Barbie. I went out to her house in the suburbs as she had just given birth to a baby boy, ten days old when I met him. She had the same determination I had when I'd just finished my first film, I was a Teenage Serial Killer. It revitalized me, seeing that kind of energy in someone else. Come back next week for the interview with Tula and a chance to win a copy of her Barbie documentary.
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The following week I introduce Jennie Livingston, director of Paris is Burning — one of the most ground-breaking documentaries in the history of film. It changed the status of documentary film by hitting big at the box office and putting some serious dents in pop culture. Jennie's insight and ideas are incredibly lucid, and the path that brought her to filmmaking is inspiring. |
Kristine Peterson, director of Slaves to the Underground, was also at Sundance this year. There were moments in her film when I knew I was seeing experiences I've had but have never seen on screen before. When I learned that Kristine's background was making Roger Corman films, I couldn't wait to find out the difference between her education and the traditional film school route. That interview is coming up later this month.
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Girls Like Us won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary at Sundance this year. When I spoke to other women filmmakers at Sundance (including Tamra), they told me that Girls Like Us blew their minds. I felt it deserved more a cultural critique than a standard review or interview with the filmmakers. To me the film is a warning bell about all the ignored girls out there. Thank God that Jane C. Wagner and Tina DeFeliciantonio are filming what most of us will never have a chance to see. This essay concludes the series.
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From documentaries to narratives, from studios to indies to underground, in L.A. and beyond, from experienced to just starting out, these six women are all making films with intelligence and passion and drive. Knowing about them inspires me. I hope you will feel the same way.
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The series:
How a Movie Gets Made: Preproduction with Tamra Davis.
Interview with Tula Asselanis, director of I, Doll, the Barbie documentary.
The Barbie Quiz: Are you a Barbie-phile? Test your trivia.
Interview with Jennie Livingston, director of Paris is Burning, the film that took vogue mainstream.
Interview with Kristine Peterson, director of Slaves to the Underground.
Girls Like Us: Sarah Jacobson on the growing up female documentary.
Sarah Jacobson, 25, has made two films with virtually no budget. Her infamous San Francisco Art Institute student film, the 1993 black-and-white short I Was a Teenage Serial Killer, makes boys squirm and girls churn as it wields a deadly lashing on sexist pigs. This year, Sarah made her first full-length feature, Mary Jane's Not a Virgin Anymore. For more on Sarah, check out the Women's Zone interview with her from earlier this year and the Sarah Jane Web site. Or e-mail [email protected].
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