Tiffany Bartok worked consistently as an actress but soon discovered a talent for makeup artistry. She began to sharpen her makeup skills on celebrities and film crews. Bartok made the decision to direct and produce original films including her award-winning documentary “Altered By Elvis” and the short film “Little Pumpkin,” which screened at SXSW.

“Larger Than Life: The Kevyn Aucoin Story” will premiere at the 2017 DOC NYC film festival on November 16.

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

TB: “Larger Than Life” is a feature documentary about the extraordinary life of the first celebrity makeup artist, Kevyn Aucoin. Overcoming all obstacles laid before him in his small town of Lafayette, Louisiana, Kevyn rose to fame transforming faces into extraordinary art pieces all while examining who he himself truly was.

W&H: What drew you to this story?

TB: As a makeup artist, I was always inspired by Kevyn Aucoin and he was always an icon in our industry. I discovered one day that earlier generations of makeup artists did not even know who he was! It became clear that this new generation desperately needed to be educated about Kevyn. He was truly ahead of his time and created the path that all makeup artists tread upon today.

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

TB: I want people to realize that Kevyn was about more than makeup — that he was a human being and he saw that everyone was worthwhile.

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

TB: The biggest challenge in making this film was to tell the story in a short amount of time. Kevyn’s life contains more material than two movies could hold.

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

TB: Getting the film funded was incredibly hard. We had investors — AKA angels — and we were a co-production with Matador Content, which was a wonderful experience.

W&H: What does it mean for you to have your film play at DOC
NYC?

TB: It is an tremendous accomplishment to be playing at DOC NYC. The SVA Theater was a dream that [Kevyn’s protégé] Troy Surratt and I dreamed about and visualized because Kevyn has a permanent footprint in NYC and Chelsea was his neighborhood. I was very emotional when I received the notice that our venue was the SVA Theater.

I feel very proud to be a part of this festival.

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

TB: There is so much amazing advice that I received on this journey! When I would get footage from networks, b-roll, and behind the scenes it was overwhelming to pick what we would use for the film. I remember very early on exec producer Jack Turner told me, “Go first with anything that makes us feel that Kevyn is here with us and alive.” That was tremendously helpful for narrowing things down.

The worst advice I ever got? Well, if I had a dollar for every piece of bad advice I got I could’ve funded my film a lot faster.

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

TB: It is not a popular opinion, but my advice is always to show up, take a seat at the table, and get to work. There are no rules, no excuses, no tricks, and no strategies to surviving in this industry, and if you focus on all of that, you can’t focus on your film.

I don’t care what gender you are — if you are collaborative and generous with your talents and creativity, the rest falls away.

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

TB: “Wasp” by Andrea Arnold. It changed my life. It made me want to make films and is perfect. The camerawork and performances are unforgettable.

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.

TB: How can we be optimistic about anything in this industry? Take a stand for what you believe in, never back down, and only do what you absolutely cannot live without doing. You just have to tell your story and work with the people who get you. When you find your tribe, never let them go. You just have to keep going. What other choice is there?

I don’t know what to say on this because I happen to be married to a man who writes incredible roles for women. Incredible. I looked on the set of his directorial debut one shooting day and there were three female producers, a female DP, and two powerhouse leading women doing a scene together.

He’s a male director. Should I be angry that he was directing because he was a man? He was giving all these women awesome experiences, myself included as producer. And he produced my directorial debut. Not all men are the worst.

Yes, the industry can do much much better. And I do believe our voices are finally being heard. Next they will be answered, possibly.