In 2005, Jennifer Deschamps directed “Is God in Rwanda?,” which focused on people who lost their faith after the Rwandan Genocide. As an editor of documentaries since 2015, Deschamps is of the conviction that journalism can bring a lot to creative documentaries, and thereby attempts to bring more investigative practices into the documentary field. In 2018, she produced “Facing Carlos the Jackal,” about the titular global terrorist.
“Inside Lehman Brothers” will premiere at the 2018 DOC NYC film festival on November 10.
W&H: Describe the film for us in your own words.
JD: “Inside Lehman Brothers” is an autopsy of a crime, made from the perspective of those who tried to prevent the crime from within.
W&H: What drew you to this story?
JD: In 2007, I directed a report in California on subprimes, loans granted to people unable to qualify for conventional mortgages, which have a higher interest rate. One evening, I was the one to tell a woman that her house was being foreclosed. I had read the notice of it in the local newspaper–but she had no idea that it had happened. Ten years later, I wanted to go back to the roots of this disaster and help get justice for those who tried to prevent it.
W&H: What do you want people to think about when they are leaving the theater?
JD: I want people to be reminded that though this story is of the past, it speaks of the present and the future. We must protect whistleblowers in our society.
W&H: What was the biggest challenge in making the film?
JD: The biggest challenge was finding a way to make a feature-length film that was able to differentiate itself from other movies about finance, and pushing myself to think about the movie in a different light.
W&H: How did you get your film funded? Share some insights into how you got the film made.
JD: I toured my film around to financers and broadcasters in Europe and the U.S. to pitch the documentary to them. National funds have also been very helpful in getting my project off the ground.
W&H: What inspired you to become a filmmaker?
JD: I was inspired to have an opportunity to inform the world.
W&H: What’s the best and worst advice you’ve received?
JD: The best advice I’ve received was to never give up! The worst was the exact opposite–to give up because I wasn’t made for this work.
W&H: What advice do you have for other female directors?
JD: Focus on women’s stories: they give you a different, advantageous way of looking at the world.
W&H: Name your favorite woman-directed film and why.
JD: “The Piano” by Jane Campion is my favorite because of the power of its male and female characters, the beautiful story, the fantastic actors, its understandings of liberty and modernity, its magical imagery, its poetic music, and for its impact. Everything about the film is perfect.
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?
JD: In France, the impact of the movements has not been as significant as in the U.S., but we have seen subtle changes: women in the industry are attaining more power as things have started to change. But this is only the beginning.
