Elisabeth Subrin’s critically acclaimed films and video art have screened widely internationally, including at The New York Film Festival, The Rotterdam International Film Festival, The Vienna Viennale, The Whitney Biennial, The Sundance Channel, and The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Her film “Shulie” was selected for the once-a-decade British Film Institute’s Sight&Sound critic’s poll of “Greatest Films Ever.” Her other credits include “Lost Tribes,” “The Caretakers,” and “The Fancy.” “A Woman, a Part” is her feature debut.

“A Woman, a Part” opens March 22 at the IFC Center in New York.

W&H: Describe the film for us in your own words.

ES: A burnt out, workaholic TV actress escapes Hollywood and runs home to NYC, hoping to reinvent herself by reconnecting with the theater friends she had abandoned. Instead, it opens a Pandora’s Box of unresolved conflicts, loves, and choices.

W&H: What drew you to this story?

ES: I wanted to write a film about complex, interesting women over 40 whose problems do not revolve around marriage, children, and romantic relationships.

Thematically I wanted to explore burnout, life changes, and the psychic impact of sexist female representations.

W&H: What do you want people to think about when they are leaving the theater?

ES: “Wow, that felt real and beautiful. I want to think about it more and see it again.”

W&H: What was the biggest challenge in making the film?

ES: Definitely the financing. The bias we encountered in people’s responses to the script was so intense. One potential financier said, “The last thing I’m interested in is a story about a middle aged actor who leaves LA for NY to find authenticity by reconnect with friends in the theater world.” My producer pointed out, “Unless it’s a little movie called ‘Birdman,’ right?” We got many enthusiastic responses to the script, with the tagline: “We don’t know how to market this.”

W&H: How did you get your film funded? Share some insights into how you got the film made.

ES: It was a combination of small private equity investments, grants, and a Kickstarter. But what really got it funded was a deadline.

Maggie Siff, who plays our protagonist, found out her TV show “Billions” had gotten picked up, and so we had to shoot the film several months in advance, or postpone for a year. That really lit the fire and made me far more aggressive and direct about asking for money.

W&H: What’s the best and worst advice you’ve received?

ES: The best advice and worst advice I’ve ever received is the same: “Be nice.” I think it’s fundamental to treat your cast and crew really well — even those only on set for a day — to be sure they feel appreciated, seen, and cared for, and that was the ethics and spirit of our production. And it feels good! That being said, I’m the director, and no one is ever going to say, “You know, the film sucked, but the director was really, really nice.”

W&H: What advice do you have for other female directors?

ES: Don’t make a film about women over 40 for your first feature unless men save the day. I’m kidding, except I’m not. That advice would work. But what I really believe is we have to tell unique, original stories that show us dimensions of women that we never get to see. When there are more of them around, the industry will get less scared of them, and they’ll recognize their success.

Also, do the extra work and hire as many women and people of color for the cast and crew as possible. It has to start with you.

W&H: Name your favorite woman-directed film and why.

ES: Chantal Akerman’s masterpiece “Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles.” I love all her films but this one — a 200 minute portrait often shot in real time, about a widowed housewife who’s also a prostitute to support her son — changed my life. Among many profound achievements it answers the question, what could a film look like if we eradicated the male gaze? Written and directed by Ackerman when she was only 25, her groundbreaking cinematic/conceptual approach has been copied endlessly by male directors.

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.

ES: I started a feminist media blog called Who Cares About Actresses a few years ago, and have been tracking the conversation pretty carefully. I’ve been moved and excited by the all the advocacy, speaking out, critiques, and initiatives, but the reality is that the actual numbers have not changed significantly in Hollywood, only the conversation.

I was most hopeful about the EEOC investigation into systemic discrimination in hiring practices, but now am concerned about the new administration’s impact on the agency.

Nothing is really going to change until it change across the board — more inclusive hiring practices in every area, and not just in production, but in exhibition, festival programming, and especially film criticism. This isn’t about unconscious bias. There is explicitly conscious bias when you can see that your team is comprised almost entirely of white men.

What gives me hope and keeps me inspired are the amazing films written and directed by women filmmakers that keep coming out, despite it all.