Paige Goldberg Tolmach founded The Little Seed in 2007, an eco conscious store in Los Angeles which helped raise awareness about the dangers of toxic chemicals in households. In 2009, The Little Seed partnered with Seventh Generation to help launch their “Million Baby Crawl” which demanded that Congress change federal laws to keep toxic chemicals out of homes across the country. A leading expert on environmental toxins and their effects on children, Tolmach has been featured in CNN, The Los Angeles Times, and People. “What Haunts Us” is her feature directorial debut.
“What Haunts Us” will premiere at the 2017 DOC NYC film festival on November 13.
W&H: Describe the film for us in your own words.
PGT: “What Haunts Us” is a true crime story about the sexual abuse of many boys in my elite, private high school in the 1980s in Charleston, South Carolina and about the cover-up of that abuse by my school.
W&H: What drew you to this story?
PGT: This story has haunted my friends and my town for decades. It’s so chilling that we never talk about it — even to this day. As a result, the ripples of the crime and the silence that surrounds it are devastating.
I am a mother now and I thought it was important to start a dialogue about this event so it never happens again.
W&H: What do you want people to think about when they are leaving the theater?
PGT: I want them to understand that every one of us plays a role in preventing child sex abuse. We are responsible for the children in our lives and we must pay attention to the people who are paying attention to our kids.
W&H: What was the biggest challenge in making the film?
PGT: The continued silence from the school, the town, and even some of my friends. Many people are so angry at me for bringing this up again because they had worked so hard to push it away.
I’ve had people yell at me and even spit in my face. That has been extremely hard for me emotionally. But as my friend and survivor Guerry says, dealing with all of this horribleness is like trying to hold a beach ball under water and that takes so much energy! The only way to release it is to allow it to rise to the surface.
W&H: How did you get your film funded? Share some insights into how you got the film made.
PGT: I applied to the IDA for fiscal sponsorship and then went to executive producers who were interested in child advocacy. I pitched my heart out in rooms and over the phone and raised money the old-fashioned way!
W&H: What does it mean for you to have your film play at DOC NYC? ?
PGT: DOC NYC is one of the most important platforms for serious documentaries, so to be selected and to have “What Haunts Us” shown and showcased here is a truly important acknowledgement as a documentary filmmaker.
W&H: What’s the best and worst advice you’ve received?
PGT: The worst advice was when an agent told me that my film bored him and that I should just quit before I wasted more money and maybe I should just go hand out free DVDs to schools.
The best advice came the next day when, in tears, I told my dear friend who is another documentary filmmaker what the agent had said and he told me that he had gotten the same advice on one of his films years ago that went on to win an Academy Award. He said to never give up and never let anyone else tell you when you are done — only you will know that. He was right.
W&H: What advice do you have for other female directors?
PGT: Initially, I was so scared to have my voice be the loudest in the room. I let others make decisions for me because they had more experience. But I could tell that the film was heading in a direction where it was not reflecting my vision. I realized that was absolutely my fault for not having the guts to make my voice heard.
So I did some serious soul searching and dug in and made the film I wanted to make. I knew that if the end result was amazing, it was because of the contributions of so many and if it was terrible, it would all be on me. But that would be OK because at least it would be mine.
W&H: Name your favorite woman-directed film and why.
PGT: “Seven Beauties” by Lina Wertmüller. When I saw the film I was a college student starting to get interested in film theory and was so shocked that a woman had made such a misogynistic film! But then I realized how liberating that was —Wertmüller wanted to make movies about whatever the hell she wanted to make movies about and that was the true meaning of feminism.
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.
PGT: Conversations are one thing, moving the needle is another. Sure, Patty Jenkins directed “Wonder Woman” and it was one of the biggest and best movies of the year. But the fact remains that female filmmakers are woefully and grossly underrepresented when it comes to directing opportunities. Period. End of story. The numbers don’t lie.
TheWrap did a survey and I am quoting here “…of the 149 movies currently slated for a wide release from the six legacy studios over the next three years, only 12 have female directors. That means a whopping 92 percent of the major motion pictures due in theaters through the end of 2019 will be helmed by men.”
