Stacey Tenenbaum is an award-winning creative producer and director who started her career in factual television 18 years ago. In 2014 Tenenbaum founded H2L Productions, a Montreal-based boutique film and television production company. “Shiners” is her first documentary feature.
“Shiners” will premiere at the 2017 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival on April 29.
W&H: Describe the film for us in your own words.
ST: “Shiners” chronicles a day in the life of shoe shiners around the world — but it is really so much more than that. It is a film about not being afraid to choose your own path in life despite what society might think. It is a film about how every profession deserves dignity and respect.
It is about how people doing a seemingly little job can have a big impact upon society, and it is a film which I hope will get people to think about how they treat the people they meet in their daily lives.
W&H: What drew you to this story?
ST: I love getting my shoes shined and have always thought it must be an incredibly satisfying profession — but when I would talk about shoe shiners with people their reactions were almost always negative. I found out that people are really uncomfortable with the whole idea of having somebody else shine their shoes and many think it’s a terrible and degrading job, so I thought that was something interesting to explore in a film.
I wanted to find out from the shiners themselves how they felt about the job, and it turns out I was right: Almost every shiner I interviewed told me they loved their job. It was pretty universal. How many professionals can say the same?
W&H: What do you want people to think about when they are leaving the theater?
ST: I want them to think about their own prejudices and preconceived notions about those who do manual labour. I also want them to think more about how they connect with people they meet every day.
We are all so disconnected from each other and I think shoe shines are one of those rare opportunities to connect with a person you would not normally meet. So I really want to encourage people to get their shoes shined, to chat with their shiners, and to just enjoy the whole experience of being with somebody who has this incredible service to offer.
W&H: What was the biggest challenge in making the film?
ST: The biggest challenge for me was filming in Bolivia. The altitude almost killed me! The stories there were also really sad, so that was hard emotionally. At the same time, what I loved about Bolivia was that you have these people working in awful circumstances yet there is a real camaraderie and strength of character there.
Even in situations where self-pity would be warranted — like with my shoe shiner Sylvia for example — I found instead this incredible strength and optimism. That was really inspiring to me.
W&H: How did you get your film funded? Share some insights into how you got the film made.
ST: I am Canadian so there is a lot of government support for the arts here. I was mostly funded by my wonderful broadcaster documentary Channel who gave me some money to do the research and also partially financed the film. The rest of my budget came from TV5 Quebec-Canada, the Rogers Cable Fund, Canada Media Fund, and Canadian and Quebec tax credits. I know I am incredibly lucky!
W&H: What does it mean for you to have your film play at Hot Docs?
ST: I am absolutely thrilled to have my film at Hot Docs! It is my first feature and this is such a huge festival for documentaries. The people who run the festival really love docs, and documentary filmmakers, so it has been this very welcoming and supportive experience so far. I’m over the moon excited to screen my film there.
It will be my world premiere — so the very first time I will be in a theater with people watching my film — and actually the first time I will see it on a big screen myself! It will also be the first time my shiners see themselves on screen. All of the shiners from A Shine and Co. in New York are coming to my premiere, as is my shiner from the Nite Owl barber shop in Toronto, Vincent. So yeah — excited doesn’t even begin to describe the feeling.
W&H: What’s the best and worst advice you’ve received?
ST: The best advice I got was actually from Sparky Greene, this guy who made a short film called “American Shoeshine,” which was nominated for an Oscar in 1976. He is kind of this reclusive filmmaker, but I tracked him down when I started working on “Shiners” and I called him up.
I figured he must be a kindred spirit! There aren’t many people out there making shoe shiner films. He was really kind and encouraging. He told me that when he came back from his shoots his editor pulled him aside and told him to give up on the idea of making the film.
He didn’t give up, obviously, and now he has an Academy Award nomination. Sparky told me to stay true to my vision and to not let other people get me down or compromise what I want for the film. I used that a lot along the way. My film might not be perfect but it is the film I wanted to make and I feel good about that.
W&H: What advice do you have for other female directors?
ST: Hire a female crew! Women technicians don’t get enough respect in this industry and I think we should all be working to support each other. That being said, my crew was all male on this film. I hope to change that in the future.
W&H: Name your favorite woman-directed film and why.
ST: I am actually a big fan of Maya Gallus who is being honored at this year’s Hot Docs. I worked with her on a film called “Dish,” which is screening at Hot Docs as part of a retrospective on her work. It is a film about waitresses and it partly inspired “Shiners.”
She kind of proved with “Dish” that you could make a film about a specific job and have it be political while still being touching and human. I also like how she works with a small team on her own passion projects. That is kind of the model I am developing for my company.
W&H: There have been significant conversations over the last couple of years about increasing the amount of opportunities for women directors yet the numbers have not increased. Are you optimistic about the possibilities for change? Share any thoughts you might have on this topic.
ST: This is something I feel very strongly about. I really believe there is a lot of subconscious sexism that goes on in our industry. Women always have to work twice as hard to get directing jobs and they have to keep proving themselves every time. I had a cameraman jokingly tell me he was starting to not like working with women directors because they worked harder, longer days then the men.
I was floored by that comment. I think he meant it as a compliment. Yes — we still have a long way to go. That being said, I know the Canadian government, and others around the world, are taking steps to improve gender parity — so that does give me some hope. I am really proud to be a female director.
