Alyssa Bolsey began and writing short films as a kid. While still in high school, she directed a short documentary entitled “Wild Horses.” This work was screened at various art galleries in the U.S. While attending San Diego State University, her fictional short “I. Hero” was featured in rotation on the San Diego TV show “The Short List.” Bolsey spent the next two years working at Creative Artists Agency, starting in the mailroom. She left CAA to direct a feature documentary about her great-grandfather Jacques Bolsey, the inventor of the iconic Bolex camera.

“Beyond the Bolex” will premiere at the 2018 DOC NYC film festival on November 8.

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

AB: “Beyond the Bolex” starts with the realization that my great-grandfather Jacques, someone who died before I was born and whom I knew little about, had invented one of the most iconic and long-lasting movie cameras of all time, the Bolex — a camera that helped build the foundation of amateur cinema. I was very fortunate to interview several filmmakers for the documentary who were inspired by the Bolex including Barbara Hammer, Wim Wenders, Jonas Mekas, and Bruce Brown, who all shared their stories and helped contextualize the camera and its impact.

As a young filmmaker myself, I set out to uncover Jacques’s story through the slew of boxes filled with documents, photographs, films, and his journal that he left behind. These artifacts were clues that led me to learn that he left his home in Russia and landed in Switzerland on the eve of WWI. Because he invented the Bolex in Geneva in the 1920s, I embarked on a journey of my own there to retrace his steps.

Losing his Russian citizenship during the Russian Revolution and unable to become a citizen in Switzerland, he would end up a citizen of no country. The film follows Jacques’ struggle to create while being an outsider and foreigner in Europe, then follows him to the U.S., where he finds his roots and sets his sights on a new future.

W&H: What drew you to this story?

AB: I had always thought that I was the only filmmaker in the family until Jacques’ film reels were found. At the same time, I was learning about 16mm film in film school after spending my childhood growing up with video and digital formats. I had heard the word Bolex before, but film was still a new world to me. From talking to people, I started to realize how important the Bolex really was and how obscure Jacques had become.

It felt like my duty to uncover his story. I wanted to know if I could get to know my great-grandfather from what he left behind. For a while, I wasn’t sure if it would be possible to get a clear picture, but the puzzle pieces started coming together. The longer I worked, the further I got sucked in. It was an on-and-off process that I just couldn’t let go.

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

AB: Depending on whether audiences have read anything going in, “Beyond the Bolex” might seem like a story about a camera and its impact on filmmakers. Everyone has a different understanding about the Bolex — maybe it has had a great impact on their life, or maybe they’ve never even heard the name before. Either way, I feel that audience will be able to understand the legacy of the Bolex and its impact on groundbreaking filmmakers through this documentary.

But it also goes further than simply filmmaking. It’s also about passion, an immigrant’s struggle to find worth in society, overcoming the odds, and how a seed of an idea can reverberate for decades. To me, that’s inspiring.

In an age with the global refugee crisis at a boiling point and with immigrants being marginalized, Jacques’ story shows that being an immigrant isn’t about taking away from others. Many immigrants of the past, present, and future give great gifts to society. Not only did Jacques believe in his mission, but he also believed in humanity. I think this film shows the importance of belief in human possibility at all costs. Otherwise, how do you push forward to find solutions in times like these?

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

AB: The hardest part for me was the surprising amount of time and struggle with financing and red tape, which ballooned the process into 13 years. I know the same struggles occur in many industries, and I certainly encountered it with this film. I just kept trying to keep focused on the creative while piecing together the funding along the way. I was told it should be a story about the camera, but I felt that it was a story about a man which included the camera. I hit dead ends and even thought of quitting several times throughout the years. I think it helped telling myself that I could quit if I wanted to — but I didn’t want to.

One thing I took from my great-grandfather’s story was to never give up. As tempting as it was at the time, I couldn’t fail him like that. I’m very fortunate to have finished the film with the help of an incredible team and so much support from family and friends, but there were certainly many times I wondered how it was ever going to come together.

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

AB: Funding was really what took the longest. It was a lot of trial and error. I can’t tell you how many U.S. grants I applied for, many repeatedly. They are really competitive here and go through phases of focus. For instance, the social issue documentary was what most of the grantors emphasized for a time. Finding the right fit was tough. My family is not wealthy, but they provided me with enough for a camera, tripod, and mic in the beginning. This kept me going and shooting exploratory interviews until I could find financing.

Years later, our Kickstarter campaign really got us going, and provided us with the funding to start shooting. I’m so thankful to everyone who believed in the story so early on and helped us to get footing.

Eventually, since the story had some strong European ties, I partnered up with a couple of production companies in Switzerland, which opened up new opportunities in Europe. One was pitching the documentary to commissioning editors at IDFA. We were rejected the first time we applied to pitch, as it is very competitive. But the second year we applied, we were invited to pitch, which was another turning point. That was only the halfway point for our financing saga, but to tell it all would turn this interview into a novel.

Overall, the initial support of my family, the funds from Kickstarter backers, and then exhausting every avenue related to the film and its subjects are all slowly but surely helping us reach the finish line.

W&H: What inspired you to become a filmmaker?

AB: It’s hard to pinpoint one person, time, or thing that inspired me to get into filmmaking specifically. I think it was more about character traits: a load of curiosity and a bit of bossiness mixed with a creative upbringing made film an appealing choice. I’ve always been very empathetic, and something about this medium I think subconsciously created a way to explore that: I’ve bounced around behind the scenes in both film and music over the years, but I leaned into film because it allows for you to create the experience of seeing the world through someone else’s eyes.

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

AB: I think taking risks and not being defined by what others think or project onto you is important. Personally, I’m good at the former, not so much the latter. I’m not saying not to listen to advice or surround yourself with people with more experience than you because those are absolutely key. In the end, you have to believe in yourself so you don’t lose your way.

Though that goes for both genders, it is extra important for female filmmakers. It is easy to get stomped down in this business where people inadvertently sense a “weakness” in women. For a long time, I was wearing my vulnerability on my sleeve and being open and honest about wanting to learn along the way. Most people were wonderful and supportive, but other times it was an open door for others to take advantage of that vulnerability. When someone says something that inherently feels wrong and is at odds with your vision, you have to protect your project.

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

AB: Penny Marshall’s “A League of Their Own” was on repeat when I was a kid. I loved seeing so many strong women onscreen. A new documentary I’m really excited about seeing is Pamela B. Green’s “Be Natural,” about the first female director, Alice Guy-Blaché, I read in an interview that women directors were more common in early cinema than they are today. I’m excited to get a glimpse of that world and learn more about Alice.

W&H: Hollywood and the global film industry are in the midst of undergoing a major transformation. What differences have you noticed since the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements launched?

AB: I think they both brought longstanding issues to the forefront of conversation, which is good. People in power who have been abusing their power are being punished. But there is still a long way to go in changing the system itself. I’ve been editing for the past year and haven’t been within the system to experience any changes firsthand. But I think it’s important to keep the momentum moving forward.