Jenn Wexler is a writer-director and a producer for NYC’s Glass Eye Pix. Her producing credits include “Darling,” “Like Me,” and “Most Beautiful Island.” “The Ranger” is her directorial debut.
“The Ranger” will premiere at the 2018 SXSW Film Festival on March 12.
W&H: Describe the film for us in your own words.
JW: Punk kids from the city clash with an overzealous park ranger in a candy-colored, retro-style horror/thriller.
W&H: What drew you to this story?
JW: I’m a huge fan of ’80s punk movies like “The Return of the Living Dead,” and “Class of 1984,” and the teen slashers of the late ’90s are largely responsible for my personality, so I wanted to create a comic-book-style slasher film that encapsulated these influences.
W&H: What do you want people to think about when they are leaving the theater?
JW: On one level, “The Ranger” is a fun popcorn movie. But there are deeper themes — most notably about finding your own authentic self in a world that’s quick to tell you who it thinks you should be — that I hope viewers engage with too.
W&H: What was the biggest challenge in making the film?
JW: Every part of making a film is challenging, but on “The Ranger” we had a literal mountain to climb, too: on our final shoot day, we hiked two hours on an incline that was too steep for vehicles, so we had to carry all of our gear.
When we finished shooting that day, and started our descent, the mountain felt like a metaphor for everything that had come before it — all the work in development, financing, pre-production, and the shoot itself!
W&H: How did you get your film funded? Share some insights into how you got the film made.
JW: “The Ranger,” was accepted into the Frontieres International Co-Production Market at the Fantasia Film Festival, which is a fantastic program that brings together new genre projects with producers, sales agents, and distributors.
We connected with producer Andrew van den Houten at the market — I was a huge fan of his movies “The Woman,” “All Cheerleaders Die,” and “Jug Face” — and the company I produce for, Glass Eye Pix, teamed up with his company, Hood River Entertainment, to raise private financing for our shoot the following spring.
W&H: What does it mean for you to have your film play at SXSW?
JW: It’s an absolute dream! SXSW was the first film festival I ever attended — circa 2011 — and it blew my mind. I’ve returned several times as a fan, and came last year with two films as a producer. I made “The Ranger” with SXSW’s ready-for-anything Midnighter audience in mind. I can’t imagine a better place for the world premiere of my first feature as a director.
W&H: What’s the best and worst advice you’ve received?
JW: Best advice: Find small ways to pursue what you’re passionate about every day until it becomes your main focus.
Worst advice: You need to take an unfulfilling desk job in order to get your first break in film. Not true!
W&H: What advice do you have for other female directors?
JW: Don’t wait for permission. Find like-minded filmmakers and just get out there and create stuff.
W&H: Name your favorite woman-directed film and why.
JW: “American Psycho.” I love that Mary Harron turned the source material into a feminist film. In terms of “The Ranger,” Penelope Spheeris’ under-seen “Suburbia” was also a major influence, and inspiration.
W&H: Hollywood and the global film industry are in the midst of undergoing a major transformation. Many women — and some men — in the industry are speaking publicly about their experiences being assaulted and harassed. What are your thoughts on the #TimesUp movement and the push for equality in the film business?
JW: It’s exciting to see things beginning to change in the name of greater equality and diversity, and the shutting down of abusive individuals and the systems designed to protect them. It’s not just good for those of us in the industry but for audiences, too, who deserve stories that reflect their lives, and not just those of a privileged subset.
