Archive for the 'Women Producers' Category

Note: I get lots of email from people who have scripts and films they want me to look at.  While I can’t watch or read all requests, I believe it is vital that we get as many women’s voices heard so they can get the exposure needed to continue of their filmmaking journey.  Women & Hollywood will try and feature these new voices on a regular basis.

All of the buzz around Kathryn Bigelow as best director is amazing—sure, she’s a woman, but more importantly, she made an incredible film, and had the guts to stick it out in a business that eats people alive and shatters dreams…

Yes, it’s been quite the long and arduous journey getting my first feature made.

It all began over six years ago, with a script called Raspberry Magic, a coming-of-age story about a young girl who believes that she can mend her broken family by proving to her dad that she can win the science fair.

Her project explores whether it’s nature or nurture that can make raspberries grow, something she measures through touch therapy.  I was inspired to write this story to explore a young girls’ relationship to nature and how it helps her realize that she can’t solve every problem through quantifiable means.

I went through many, many drafts of this script and even work-shopped it at a couple of writer’s conferences.  While I had written several screenplays before, Raspberry Magic was one I just kept working and working on over a period of many years.  I got a lot of positive feedback on it, and tried for years to meet that perfect person who would want to help me bring it to the screen…

But ultimately, no one wanted to make a movie about a young Indian girl, science, raspberries or the likes…Until 2006, when I met Megha Kadakia, an aspiring producer who had raised some financing for a couple of other indie films and was looking to do an low budget indie film.

Continue reading ‘Guest Post: The Hustle to Make the First Film by Leena Pendharkar’

Here’s Kathryn Bigelow talking about the film and what it might mean to other women if she wins the Oscar. The anticipation for the Oscars is killing me. I am so excited.

When asked what she thinks of being a role model she said it is “thrilling” especially because “you can factor into someone’s aspirations.”

Seeing is believing:

At the SAG Awards, critics darling and Oscar front-runner Mo’Nique  flipped the script. She took a special, unexpected moment to give a nod to the dedicated and not-so-visible ‘sistren’ collaborators behind-the-scenes of Precious, the women whose focused energy came together in perfect parts to bring the little film that could to life.

One such fierce woman, Lisa Cortes, the film’s executive producer, is all about the power of harnessing and circling energy in the art world: from film to music; corporate to non-profit; high art to folk. “In my mind producing films and supporting other arts are intertwined because the big picture intention is to increase the well-being of woman and mankind. Art opens the door to possibility …”

For a film that has truly sparked dialogue and opened many unlikely doors within the industry, Mo’Nique knew to ‘recognize’ — as do we. Let’s take a moment then, shall we, to get to know the triple-threat producer behind the six-time Academy Award nominated Precious.

L.A. Collins:  They say an actor who can also sing and dance is a triple threat. But what about a producer who can ‘do’: art, music and film? You’re certainly a triple threat, no?

Lisa Cortes: Why, thank you!

COLLINS:  Can you discuss your roots in the music business and how that naturally transitioned into producing films?

CORTES: In 1987 I was fresh out of Yale and part of the original team at Def Jam records/Rush Artist Management. There were no titles — we just got “whatever was assigned to you” done. Or if you wanted to take a project on, you could. In the A.M. I worked for the management company, and in P.M. for the label. It was an environment where you had to constantly find creative solutions. From the inane (‘How can I get LL Cool J to take his hat off for his passport photo?’) to culture changing (convincing corporate entities like Adidas to endorse the artists). As the “smart girl” it was assumed that I could figure it out; and I came to love my time there because I got to exercise the commercial and creative sides of my brain.

COLLINS: So it paid to have that education under-your-belt, so to speak?

CORTES: Yeah. By the time I ended up running my own label, Loose Cannon, at Polygram I had become an executive who actively found artists, made records, marketed and distributed them. So when I made the transition to producing I felt that process was the same. It’s about the having a broad overview, problem solving, translating and facilitating a vision — and keeping it on track.

COLLINS: We always hear the upside of producing after the pros have had time to exhale, but can you take us back to the most trying day for you on set? And how, as a producer, did you negotiate your way out of it?

CORTES: The development, production and post of Precious presented many challenges. Honoring the work, finding the talent, and creating a believable New York circa 1987 had me constantly relying on my ability to improvise. I remember one day where we showed up at a location and there was dog crap all over the sidewalk. All you can do is start shoveling.

COLLINS: As a female producer did you find your authority/judgment, at times, in question? Do you think your femaleness gave you less or more leverage in situations you encountered?

CORTES: In our daily lives we sometimes encounter forces that don’t appreciate what we bring to the mix as women, but that’s not my problem; I gracefully power through and get the job done. Each day brings different obstacles and I think it’s all about not getting stuck in the problem loop and being able to have strong convictions, while looking to compromise when needed.

Continue reading ‘Guest Post: Interview with Precious Executive Producer Lisa Cortes By L.A. Collins’

Tanya Seghatchian has just been appointed head of the UK’s film council film fund.  She is responsible for distributing 15 million pounds per year to film projects in England.

She has a producing background having been instrumental in developing big budget films like the Harry Potter series as well as the wonderful indie My Summer of Love, which introduced most of us to Emily Blunt.

Here’s what she said when she was appointed:

It’s a huge privilege to have been asked to take on this new role,” Seghatchian said. “Our filmmakers are currently among the very best in the world, but the challenging financial climate and the speed of technological change mean that now more than ever they need a supportive and reliable home which invests in creative excellence and encourages boldness.

We need a film council here in the US desperately.

Tanya Seghatchian to head UK Film Council film fund (The Guardian)

I keep hearing about all of this outrage that exists over women not being hired to make movies, either as screenwriters or directors or producers. As a female producer, I am certain that I am discriminated against whether or not it’s on purpose. There is a boys club that exists in Hollywood, no doubt about it.

And I don’t play golf. I keep meaning to take it up but I haven’t…and I’m sure that has affected my career as well.

Being a woman in Hollywood can suck but I think it’s crap for anyone to think that they can’t have a career because someone won’t hire them. To those people, I say, “get off your butt and make your career happen!” I have never once let the boys club of Hollywood stop me from making movies. I will make movies til the day I die no matter what.  And I am certain the successful female filmmakers in Hollywood have the same belief system.

I’m not saying we should stop rallying for change. Keep up the fight! But let’s do something more than whine about it.

The next time you get a rejection, think about how you can make your film outside of the Hollywood system. Partner with an indie producer (male or female) and find the money yourself to get your film made. The money is out there. You just have to work hard to find it.

We could all easily sit back and wait for Hollywood to give us our career. I’m sorry to say though that we would be sitting for a very long time. We all need to make our own careers for Hollywood to take notice. We are not alone in that reality. I know a ton of male filmmakers struggling every day as well.

I really think that women need to get out there and make more movies and network more. As a producer, I am pitched projects all the time. But I have to say that probably 90% of the projects are by and about men. Where are all the projects by and about women? Why am I not approached more by female filmmakers?

What is up ladies?

After five years of being an indie producer,  I am just now partnering with a female director. And it’s not because I haven’t been looking. I make an effort to seek out female filmmakers but for some reason, I get a lot of white noise. It seems we women suck at networking and forging lasting relationships. But I have found that when we do find those relationships that stick, we are extremely loyal and we will go to the ends of the earth to protect one another.

I want to make movies about and for women and with women. I have to ask: where are you female filmmakers? I want to hear from you!

Jane Kelly Kosek is an independent film producer. Her credits include Straight Line, Tennessee, Not Since You, and Take Me Home.

Jane Campion and Jan Chapman

One of my longtime obsessions has been finding Australian films, especially those directed by women.  It began almost 20 years ago when I first saw My Brilliant Career and I was blown away.  Thinking back now seeing that movie was another one of my seminal movie moments and that began a deep love for all things Gillian Armstrong and Judy Davis.

One thing you will discover if you dig a little deeper on some of the most interesting flicks to have come out of Australia in the last 20 years is the recurrence of one name in particular producer, Jan Chapman.

This woman has produced some great films (lots by women directors) including The Last Days of Chez Nous, The Piano, Lantana, Sommersault and the current Jane Campion film Bright Star.

I had the privilege to speak with Jan recently and immediately I was struck (through the phone) with that same sense of calmness that I got from Jane Campion, her long time collaborator.  (I guess there is something in the water in Australia.)  As a producer Jan does everything from getting financing to budgeting (which she says she find to be very creative), to helping with casting, to being a sounding board and support structure for her directors.

I always find descriptions of what producers do to be very interesting.  It’s one of those jobs that at times can be very, very thankless where you seem to do everything and not get any of the credit.  Also, most producers are anonymous.  You really don’t know who they are.  They get none of the credit for success and lots of the blame for failure.  You really need to have a certain personality to do it — and be successful– because there is no job description, and I bet the job changes with each director on every film.

One thing that Chapman stressed was collaboration.  I feel that people don’t need to be pitted against each other and compete with each other and the only way that we will get more women at all levels of the business is for us to realize that the more women the better.  Pitting women against each other is done to hold the numbers down.   When asked about these persistent discussions about how women compete with each other she said “that hasn’t been my experience” and cited the women directors like Mira Nair, Julie Taymor and Sophia Copolla who came to the premiere of Bright Star to support Jane Campion and her work.

I also talked to Jan about the bugaboo about why we still have so few female directors and like most other people I posed the question to, she had no good answer (because there isn’t one.) To illustrate the issue even further she told the story of attending the 60th anniversary of Cannes with Jane Campion who won the Palme D’Or for The Piano in 1993 (which Chapman produced). All the Palme D’Or winners were posing for a picture and Jan said of the moment:

When I saw only one woman on the stage full of Palme D’Or winners at the 60th anniversary of Cannes I felt shocked at this physical representation of how few women proportionately are directors let alone award winners even now. It seemed that we hadn’t really progressed very far at all.

I asked about her biggest disappointment and she paused and said that it was her inability to raise the funding for a film called The Riders which was to be directed by Lantana director Ray Lawrence.  The film never got made.  “We were so close to financing.  I wake up some nights with the words of that script in my head.”

Chapman’s latest producing effort, Bright Star is still playing across the US and recently opened in England.  This film is in all the awards conversations and if you haven’t seen it and it is playing in your neighborhood you need to go.  First, because it is great.  Second, because you are supporting women and their visions.  Third, we need to keep momentum for the film going through the awards conversations.  It’s vital that the film still be playing when all the year end lists and awards start to happen.

I look forward to seeing many more of Chapman’s productions in the future.

Hung creators Dmitry Lipkin and Colette Burson

When I first read that HBO was going to air a show called Hung my first reaction was huh?.  Why would I want to see a show about a guy’s dick?  But since I had once spoken on the phone with the show’s co-creator Colette Burson and thought she was great, smart and feminist and since HBO shows are usually awesome, so I figured I’d give it a chance.  And I was right.  I really like Hung.

In case you don’t know, the show is about Ray (Thomas Jane) a former pro athlete and high school teacher and coach whose life is in the shitter.  He’s broke, his house has basically burned down, he has no insurance so he is living in a tent in the backyard and it’s cold, his kids have moved in with with ex (Anne Heche) and he is all around miserable.  But he does have one thing going for him…he’s really well endowed.  Jane Adams plays Tanya the woman who encourages him to use his gift to make other women happy.  So she becomes his “happiness consultant” aka pimp.  Jane and Adams both rock.  I especially like watching Adams gain self confidence as she gets better and better at her job.  While the show is about prostitution and sex work it does not glorify it and the women who use Ray’s services are treated with dignity and are given back stories that are interesting.  I’m excited to see where the show goes.

Hung airs on HBO on Sunday evenings.  Check you local listings.

Women & Hollywood spoke with Burson about the show.

Women & Hollywood: How did you come up with the concept of Hung?

Colette Burson: We (she and her co-creator and husband Dmitry Lipkin) were looking for a male character that would be interesting to write.  We felt that violence was tired and we wanted to create a character that was very masculine yet not violent.  Ray comes across as extraordinarily masculine and by that I mean not only having masculine sex appeal and a masculinity that hangs on him like a perfume, but I also think he presents a masculine perspective as he goes through the world of women.  The show does not emasculate him nor does it feminize him.

W&H: Talk about why Thomas Jane is so good as Ray.

CB: As writers, and for me as one of the female creators I felt that Ray was sexy being imperfect.  There is something in women that really responds to a man who is imperfect and struggling.  The female mind turns off when they are imperfect and not giving a shit about it.  But something deep happens in the female psyche when they are trying to keep their head above water whatever their problem is.  We really root for them.  And so Ray is not perfect.  He’s beautiful but flawed.

W&H: And the other characters? The kids are not typical TV kids.

CB: We wanted the kids to be real.  Our goal is to make all of our characters real as well as idiosyncratic.  So I was not interested in the eye rolling teenager.  I was not interested in open defiance because I have seen it on TV.  My best friend in high school was very passive and stoic.  Her parents were going through a divorce and she was really my inspiration for these characters.

W&H: And Jane Adams as Tanya?

CB: There is this whole thing about how everyone wants to be a writer and that connects to the fact that in most everyone is a well of creativity that could come out in all sorts of ways.  I do feel that a lot of creative people through geography or fate or fear are trapped in uncreative places.  There is such a level of being trapped as a creative person in a world that does not value creativity.  There was a line in the pilot – “it’s not my fault that things that should be valued and cherished aren’t valued and cherished.” (some version of that).  Saying it’s not my fault that creativity means nothing in this world.  She’s not a conquer the world type.  So when we write Jane’s character we really feel like we are writing to the secret creative longings of people everywhere and particularly those in the mainstream.

Continue reading ‘Interview with Colette Burson, co-creator of Hung’

The Closer started its fifth! season last week and Kyra Sedgwick is back as Brenda Lee Johnson the sweet talking, crime solving Deputy Chief of LAPD’s major crime squad.  I very much enjoy the show.  It is on TNT at 9pm on Monday nights.  The show has pretty much been a boy’s club aside from Sedgwick so I was excited to read that Mary McDonnell would be joining the show for a couple of episodes.

Greer Shepard, the executive producer, answered some questions about the show and the upcoming season:

Women & Hollywood: The Closer is starting its fifth season.  What will be different about this year?

Greer Shepard: Each year, The Closer chooses a different theme for its season arc. Season 5 is about change. We explore how Brenda’s life is altered by marriage; we watch how the loss of a loved one affects her life;  and we will witness how the arrival of her troubled niece changes Brenda’s point-of-view about children.

W&H: Why do you think The Closer has become the most success cable series of all time?

GS: The Closer premiered at a time when police procedurals were ignoring character development; these series were merely platforms for plot. The Closer re-introduced the idea of integrating personality and humor into the drama. Clearly, these were ingredients that American audiences were craving.

The Closer also managed to portray a real woman in the job (not a man with breasts); gender specifics and idiosyncrasies were not suppressed, but celebrated – and the messy paradoxes of a woman in power became a source of wonderful stories. Furthermore, Brenda’s outsider Georgian point-of-view of Los Angeles seemed to make this particular (often alienating) urban landscape more palatable and understandable to a midwestern audience.

W&H: I read that Mary McDonnell will be co-starring on the show this season.  It’s great that there is another strong female character on the show since it’s been just Brenda and her boys.  Can you talk a little about Mary’s character and what we can expect?

GS: Mary McDonnell plays Captain Hatcher, the head of the Force Investigation Division (FID). She investigates officer-involved shootings. She materializes on the scene when somebody in our squad appears to have shot an unarmed civilian. She is every bit as intense, dedicated, and driven as Brenda – in many ways, she is Brenda’s doppleganger…which is Brenda’s toughest type of foe. They find themselves on opposite sides of a political and jurisdictional argument as Brenda tries to protect her squad member from Hatcher’s criminal investigation.

W&H: How did you get started in TV?

GS: I was hired into Disney’s Associates Program (an apprenticeship program in the late 80’s designed to train executives that has since been disbanded.) I was trained as a comedy and drama development executive.

W&H: What advice would you give to a woman wanting to get into the TV business?

GS: My advice is not particular to women because I don’t recommend thinking as a gender separatist. My suggestion is that it is more important WHO you are working with than WHERE you are working. My greatest teachers were in some of the most obscure places on some of the least popular shows. Being out of the spotlight enables one to make mistakes without public recrimination… and mistakes are the most effective building blocks to a successful career, believe it or not.

Mary Dickinson and Charlene Fisher announced the formation of DFIS on Friday which will develop, produce, market and distribute films with a budget of up to $10 million dollars.

They plan to produce 10-12 independent pictures per year and have $150 million in equity funding behind them.

Here’s a quote:

We couldn’t be launching the company at a more perfect time. There is a huge opportunity in the independent film world and we believe we have found a singular place in the market,” said Charlene Fisher, president and chief operating officer of DF Indie Studios. “There is a growing demand for commercial features, and a lack of quality products at the right price. At DFIS we will work with our production partners and provide end to end financing, a rigorous greenlight process and guaranteed U.S. distribution to meet this increasing demand. No one else is solely supporting films produced for up to $10 million in this way.”

This is great news.  What other studios are run by women?  I mean really run by women?  Even Amy Pascal has a male boss (though she is in charge of the studio.)

They’ve already hired people including Amy Slotnick, as executive vice president of production and Rita Chiappetta-Thibault as chief financial officer. Hopefully we’ll see some women centric and women directed films out of this studio run by two women.  We’ll be watching.

N.Y. indie film studio launches in tough times (Reuters)

Co-posted on wowOwow.com

“Grey Gardens” premieres April 18 on HBO, and before you watch it, read what Executive Producer Rachael Horovitz says about stars Jessica Lange and Drew Barrymore, the Kennedy family and the enduring women behind the legacy. Horovitz, whose film-producing credits include the movies About Schmidt, State and Main and Next Stop Wonderland opens up to Melissa Silverstein, wowOwow’s correspondent and founder of the website Women & Hollywood.

MELISSA SILVERSTEIN: You use the Maysles’s 1975 cult documentary “Grey Gardens” as the frame for this version. Can you explain why it was so important?

Rachael Horovitz and Michael Sucsy (writer-director, Grey Gardens)

RACHAEL HOROVITZ: I feel like I was completely raised on that film. My mom had gotten me to see it when it came out and she had a great sense of irony. She passed away over 20 years ago and it was one of these things that we shared. It was completely her idiom, as far as the poetry of it, the humor and the zaniness. And my brothers and I really grew up knowing lines from the movie, and quoting them to one another. The documentary was just a beloved favorite film.

The backstory on this film starts with Michael Sucsy (the film’s director) who had written a script that predated my knowing him. It was a chronological, very rich, very ambitious period piece that started with the ’30s and went in order through Big Edie’s death. It included the full debutante ball, and the Inauguration of JFK in Washington. It would have definitely cost a lot of money. Also [Michael] hadn’t gotten the rights to the documentary, and so his script skirted the documentary. Coincidentally, I was trying to get the rights to the documentary. I knew Albert Maysles and we were talking very seriously about making a deal together to do a film based on the documentary, when I learned about the other project.

MS: OK.

RH: So we decided — in the aftermath of the two Capote films and the terror of having that same experience — to “get married.” I brought the documentary rights and they brought their script and we redesigned his script by patching the documentary into it.

MS: Did you have any intentions of having it be a theatrical release?

RH: Many. That was the plan, but we felt that either way we would be very, very lucky. Unfortunately, the theatrical arm (of HBO), Picturehouse, was shut, as was Warner Independent, which was the in-house Time Warner company. I actually started my studio-career working at Fine Line, which was the precursor to Picturehouse. I definitely brought to this production team almost too much knowledge of how easy it is to flame out in the specialized theatrical market. And I was really, really pushing for making the film with HBO, because I thought that if we did have to give up theatrical, that the trade-off would be fantastic.

MS: That’s very smart.

RH: And probably more people — and this has now become a cliché to say this — but more people would see it on HBO than would see it in five or six art-house cinemas around the country.

MS: What is it about these women that is so endearing?

RH: Well, I don’t know that I can answer it for everyone. But if I answer it for myself maybe it’ll be universal. They really feel like family. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t have a relative whom they dearly love, who also embarrasses them and who’s painfully at odds with the outside world. And if not a relative, then a friend or an in-law. I think a lot of people relate to this story directly. And while I don’t feel that I relate to it directly, it’s not an accident that my mother adored this movie. She had a lot of the Edies in her. She never had a job. She was a true artist in her soul.

She was incredibly intuitive, verbal and clever, and she was actually a very talented painter. I think that what makes the documentary so irresistible and so memorable is that they’re just completely charming and unique characters. And the words that come out of their mouths are as sophisticated and entertaining as anything in theater — and I go all the way to Shakespeare now.

Continue reading ‘Interview with Rachael Horovitz, Executive Producer of Grey Gardens’

To say that I am impressed with writer/director Emily Abt is an understatement.  I’ve been a fan of hers since I first saw her documentary All of Us about the HIV/AIDS epidemic in African American women which was released in NY last fall and broadcast on Showtime on World AIDS Day on December 1st.  Here are some questions she answered about the film.

We became email buddies and while we live about 15 minutes away by walking we never met until last month when she appeared on a panel on women directors at the Women, Action Media conference in Cambridge, MA.

Emily’s star is on the rise.  Her first narrative feature Toe to Toe made it into Sundance, she was named one of Variety’s 10 Directors to Watch in 2009 and she got great agents.  She even has her own production company – Pureland Pictures with employees and an office.

But Toe to Toe didn’t get a buyer out of Sundance and now a couple of months down the road she is still trying to get a distribution deal. I have no doubts it will work out.

The thing about Emily is that she’s a feminist through and through and wants to make movies about issues — women’s issues.  Lots of people’s eyes glaze over when they hear that someone wants to make a movie about issues and assumes that it won’t be good and/or too tough to watch.  Yes, some are tough to watch and feel like homework, but Abt’s films are not like that.  Movies about tough subjects can be done well as Abt’s work shows us.

Toe to Toe tells the story of two high school seniors, one African American, one white.  One poor, one rich.  One who has it together, one who is out of control.  They might seem like cliches but the performances are so truthful that all doubts are quickly erased.

Emily Abt and Sonequa Martin

Tosha (Sonequa Martin) is a poor African American girl in a private prep school who is pushed by her grandmother (Leslie Uggams) to believe in herself and her ability to get into Princeton.  She also encourages her to play lacrosse because no African American girls do.  It is on that field that she meets Jesse (Louisa Krause) a troubled, sexually provocative white girl who has been kicked out of many schools.  Jesse and Tosha are drawn to each other and become friends even while the outside world is conspiring against them.  But like most teenage girls they also compete.  Their friendship is messy, and at times disappointing and destructive.  But they try, which is more than can be said for Jesse’s busy single working mom (Ally Walker) who is so oblivious to her daughter’s needs and desperation that you want to throttle her.

What I liked best about the film is that Abt is unafraid to be challenging and deal with issues that most films skirt like promiscuity, abortion, sexually transmitted diseases and most especially race and class. I would love for this movie to be seen by teenagers everywhere with a group discussion afterwards. Continue reading ‘Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You (Hopefully)’

L-R: Writer Catherine Johnson, Director Phyllida Lloyd, Producer Judy Craymer

celebrated its 10th anniversary in London this week.  What I love about this show is that the same women who worked on the show did the film and that they really respect and seem to genuinely care for each other.  It doesn’t hurt that they’ve all become quite rich.

While we all might not have know about these women until the film last summer, I can guarantee that we will be hearing more from them.  Here’s what they are up to:

51 years old writer Catherine Johnson has returned to the theatre, with a new play Suspension in her hometown theatre Bristol’s Old Vic.  The play is “about a girl who is about to get married wondering if her special day can possibly be complete without the presence of her father, with whom she has never had any contact.”  (Sound a little familiar?)

Here’s what she says about the film expereince:

Even now, she says she would never have been the first choice to write the screenplay if her contract had not demanded that she get a shot at it, and that she would almost certainly have been sacked if producer Judy Craymer hadn’t stood by her. Right to the bitter end, it was a fight with the studio to defend her and Craymer’s vision of a movie about “real older women who are overweight, over-stressed, drunk and needing each other”. She fought hard for the movie’s ending, in which all the cast return for one last exuberant number. The studio felt this was “cheesy wotsits with knobs on” that would only be seen by cleaners sweeping up popcorn. How wrong they were.

Ten years ago producer Judy Cramyer didn’t have enough money to get her car fixed and had to sell her apartment to finance the show, but now everything is different.  Thanks to the millions of people who have seen the musical and film she put together (which everyone thought would be a flop) she never has to work again.  That doesn’t mean she won’t.

Respected theatre and opera director Phyllida Lloyd has Mary Stuart starring Janet McTeer and Harriet Walter in previews on Broadway now. Here’s the description:

Seduction, greed and deception lie at the heart of the bitter rivalry between Mary, Queen of Scots (Janet McTeer) and her cousin, Elizabeth I (Harriet Walter) of England. After being implicated in her husband’s murder, Mary turns to Elizabeth for help but finds her cousin distrustful of her motives. Thus begins a bloody feud that will threaten not just their family bond, but the crown of England… MARY STUART tells the story of two iconic women whose lust for power reveals one of the most thrilling displays of passion and politics the world has ever seen.

I’m seeing it next week.  Can’t wait.

Here I go again (The Guardian)

How Mamma Mia’s Judy Craymer became the £90m dancing queen (Daily Mail)

Christy Walton

Interesting story recently in Variety.  Christy Walton, widow of John Walton is getting into producing financing a labor of love, the screen adaptation of the Rudolfo Anaya novel Bless Me, Ultima.

Carl Franklin (Devil in a Blue Dress and One True Thing) will adapt and direct, and Walton will produce along with Sarah DiLeo, Jesse B. Franklin and Mark Johnson.

Here’s the description according to Variety:

The novel is the turbulent coming-of-age story of Antonio, a youth growing up in New Mexico during WWII. He develops a relationship with Ultima, an elderly medicine woman who helps the young man navigate the battle between good and evil that rages in his village.

I would love to be excited about a woman of means getting into the producing business, but it seems that this is a one shot deal and Ms. Walton will just be financing this film.  Maybe she’ll have such a good time and want to make more films.  We can only hope.  She is said to be worth somewhere in the neighborhood of $23 billion.

Wal-Mart’s Walton books film debut (Variety)

Yentl is a film very close to my heart.  I vividly remember when I was taken to see it by my parents when I was a teenager and being blown away by it.  The thing that got me most was watching the credits and seeing how this woman Barbra Streisand who I really wasn’t familiar with at that time could have accomplished so many tasks on one film.  My love for Barbra Streisand and probably my interest in films (especially women’s films) was probably born that day.  The film in finally being released on a double disk DVD with commentary by Streisand and rehearsal footage.  I can’t wait.

Yentl is an important film because in 1983 Streisand joined a very short list of women directors (I’m looking at films made post 1960.)  Here’s the list in 1983: 1972- Elaine May, The Heartbreak Kid; 1975- Joan Micklin Silver, Hester Street; 1976- Lina Wertmuller, Seven Beauties (she was nominated for a directing Oscar, one of only three women TOTAL); 1977- Joan Darling, First Love; 1979- Gillian Armstrong, My Brilliant Career and 1982- Amy Heckerling, Fast Times at Ridgemont High.   And keep in mind that Streisand was HUGE at the time as an actress and performer.  She put her career on the line for Yentl.

Here’s some facts I discovered about the film (for the book I hope to write someday on women & Hollywood.)

• MGM/UA produced the film for a budget of $14.5 million.
• Streisand got paid the DGA minimum of $80,000 to direct
• She took no pay for writing
• She had to use her acting salary as collateral for any production overages.
• Total pre production and production costs totaled $16.2 million – the studio still made her give back half of her $3 million acting salary to cover the overage.

Can you imagine any male director being asked to cover overages with his salary?

Here are some comments from Streisand about the DVD release:

On being an actress who became a director:

“Women being actresses, somehow, in certain people’s minds, in executives’ minds, it’s a frivolous job,” she said in phone interview. “When you start to handle millions of dollars and production, that probably scared them.”

The Associated Press: What was the most challenging part of making “Yentl”?

Streisand: I think it was just getting it made, selling it in America. Because once I came to England, things were really wonderful. They had no fear of a woman being in a powerful position because they had a queen and the prime minister was Margaret Thatcher. Being a woman director there didn’t seem to scare them. They were the most supportive, helpful, wonderful group of people. I’m very grateful for that. It wasn’t until I came back to America it was an odd thing, directing this movie, before I started and after I finished, and that’s really fascinating to me. And look how many years it’s taken to even conceive of a women being president in the United States? At that time, you couldn’t even conceive of a woman being president of the United States, until two years ago … but times have changed.

AP: When do you plan to return to film?

Streisand: I’d like to get back to directing. There’s something I’ve been working on for many many years and it’s kind of almost time to get back into my directing role and there also is possible a sequel to “Meet the Fockers.”

Streisand talks ‘Yentl,’ new CD and politics (AP via Yahoo)

Mary Jane Skalski gave the keynote address at this year’s Sundance producers luncheon.  She produced one of my favorite movies of 2008, The Visitor and recently spoke with Women & Hollywood about her work.  She has two films Against the Current and Dare being screened at Sundance.

Here are some highlights:

No one understands what we do – that we all have figured out by now. No one understands it and there really is no short answer, at least none that people want to hear. The truth is, producing is an awesome responsibility. Quite frankly, we make things happen.

When you get a group of producers together you will always get suggestions. Producers are about finding solutions. And that is inspiring to know there almost always is a solution.

How do we survive the combination of tough times and isolation? I think we stay the course, we work harder, maybe focus a little more. In all these things having other people who you can lean on/lean with will help you. People who will be honest with you. People who will inspire you – not necessarily creative inspiration but inspiration to work harder. People who will kick you in the pants sometimes. Someone you can reach out to so your own anxiety won’t do you in.

As producers we are not one another’s competition. Mediocrity is our competition. Bad movies poorly made will beat us. There are more good projects than good producers. We’re stronger together, we’re happier together, we’ll be able to do it longer and I know we’ll all make better movies.

Full remarks (Indiewire)

I remember her from the film Yanks and a variety of TV roles (The Practice, Law & Order among others) in the 1990s, but actress Lisa Eichorn now living in England has become a producer and writer of the filmDefender of Riga, the highest grossing movie in Latvia and that country’s submission for the best foreign film award. Here’s an interview from the LA Times on her role with the film.
Lisa Eichhorn: an American in ‘Riga‘ (LA Times)

For producing The Secret Life of Bees, for supporting Planned Parenthood, for saying: “The country is a mess. George Bush’s policies have been disastrous for the environment, Sarah Palin is awful, …”, and for being one of Hollywood’s top producers.

Lauren Shuler Donner politically outspoken (Variety)
photo: Malcolm Ali/ PR Photos

Thelma Adams moderated a panel “Amazing Women in Film” at the recent Woodstock Film Festival. Panelists included: Maggie Renzi, Rita Taggart and Barbara Kopple. Here’s some highlights from Sarah Coleman’s post

All panelists were emphatic that sexism is still rife in the industry.

Renzi said it irked her when her peers say they don’t want to talk about sexism. “Where would Spike Lee be if he didn’t use the word racism or get angry?” she asked.

The panel was strong on female solidarity, with Adams saying she tries to champion films by and about interesting women, and Taggart urging women in the audience to use their purchasing power to press for more female-friendly movies.

I also don’t understand why we don’t talk more about the sexism in the industry. We really need to start having more of these conversations in a constructive way. To support women’s films, don’t forget we’re all going to see The Secret Life of Bees this weekend in NYC (Sunday, late afternoon, TBD later today)

Paula Wagner partial co-owner (with Tom Cruise) and CEO of UA is leaving the studio. She will reportedly be returning to producing and will no longer be partnered with Tom Cruise who also recently left his long time agent Rick Nicita who happens to be Paula’s husband.

Here’s Wagner’s statement.

“I’ve truly relished working with my longtime partner Tom Cruise to revitalize United Artists, and I am proud of all that we’ve accomplished in the past two years, reinvigorating the brand and developing such a strong slate of films,” she said. “But I always tell my sons, ‘Follow your passion’ — and I’ve got to follow that advice myself. As much as I’ve enjoyed my time as an executive, I have longed to return to my true love, which is making movies, so that’s what I’ve decided to do. I still believe in our vision for UA, and I am confident that Harry Sloan and our colleagues at MGM will see that vision through to reality.”

Here’s the reporting on the issue

Paula Wagner leaves UA (Variety)
Paula Wagner departs United Artists studio (Hollywood Reporter via Reuters)

Am I surprised that there is a woman on Judd Apatow’s team who has produced most of his successful comedies? No. Those guys clearly need someone who can get shit done cause they seem totally stoned the whole time. She’s a “guys girl”, cute and seeming non-confrontational. (We all know those women and girls)

Shauna Robertson seems to be the perfect enabler for Judd Apatow’s juvenile comedy team. She takes care of all the details as illuminated in Rachel Abramowitz’ recent LA Times piece. (BTW Abramowitz doesn’t do her any favors with her condescending tone describing her as “tiny and looking 12.”)

Here’s how Judd describes her value:

“She is the rare woman who always wants to take the joke farther than any man wants to go. All nudity in my films is a result of Shauna pushing me and calling me a wimp. If it wasn’t for her I would be making ‘Bratz 2.’”

I think that Judd would do great making Bratz 2.

Her thoughts on whether Knocked Up was sexist. (Why bother asking her the question, she works with Apatow.)

“I don’t share that opinion. I feel like we have very strong women in our movies.”

Has she seen any of these movies?

But it’s this last quote that troubles me the most and illustrates why we need to continue to push for more women directors. (If I were a female producer I would give her smack down about she has completely demeaned the role of the producer.)

Robertson appears relatively ego-free about what she does except to say that it’s essentially an extension of how she started out, as a director’s assistant. The title has changed; the function has not. “I always do the same job. I don’t always remember what the credit is.”

It’s great, now every director’s assistant can dream of being a producer of misogynistic comedies.