Katie Green and Carlye Rubin have directed three feature documentaries together: “The (Dead Mothers) Club,” “The Family I Had,” and “1275 Days.” Together, the pair also founded the production company Smoke & Apple Films, where they are currently developing new projects.
“1275 Days” will premiere at the 2019 DOC NYC film festival on November 8.
W&H: Describe the film for us in your own words.
KG & CR: This film follows the case of Blake Layman of The Elkhart 4 after being convicted of felony murder when he was just 16. For us, this film is about what you would do for the ones you love.
We saw first-hand how incarceration impacts not only the one inside prison walls, but their families as well. In this case, Layman’s mother and his young girlfriend go to the ends of the earth to do all that they can to overturn a sentence they believe to be unjust.
In documenting their uphill battle, we witness the emotional and financial toll it takes on a family who was struggling to make ends meet before finding themselves going up against the prison system and their local government.
W&H: What drew you to this story?
KG & CR: America has a major problem when it comes to incarceration and in no way is this more evident than in how the criminal justice system deals with juveniles. In looking at different cases within a wider conversation about extreme sentencing of youth, we were struck by the profound impact it has on entire families.
Thematically, we’ve always been very drawn to stories surrounding loss and how families overcome trauma. While on the surface this is not a story about loss, this family allowed us to look at a different type of loss — a boy losing his adolescence, a mother abruptly losing her son, and a girl losing her first love. We wanted to show the ripple effects of such draconian practices.
W&H: What do you want people to think about when they are leaving the theater?
KG & CR: People have never been more informed and engaged, so to be making films at this time is truly a privilege that we never take for granted. We see “1275 Days” as a cautionary tale with an outcome that we as filmmakers never could have predicted.
While this story has a clear-cut beginning, middle, and end, the majority of similar cases do not. We want viewers to be asking questions about accountability. Blake and his family never lose sight of his responsibility for the crime, but the court system certainly has a duty to find a just and appropriate sentence, especially when it comes to minors.
In many ways this case is unremarkable when it comes to juvenile offenders: Blake acted in a group, while under the influence, and impulsively without regard for consequences, as most juveniles do.
We’ve all made mistakes when we were teenagers and vulnerable to peer pressure. Imagine being defined by your worst mistake for the rest of your life. These are the types of ideas that we hope viewers will take away from the film.
W&H: What was the biggest challenge in making the film?
KG & CR: Like making most documentary films, funding has been — and continues to be — the greatest challenge. This film had a very unique trajectory — the story of Blake and The Elkhart 4 was part of a larger film we were attempting to make regarding the profound impacts juvenile incarceration has on entire families.
Three years into making that film — then titled “No Place for Children” — we hit a wall. In fact, the wall could not have been more public as we stood on stage at Points North Pitching Forum knowing full well that we were making two films.
One would go on to be “The Family I Had,” which we completed in 2017, and the other is “1275 Days.” Shifting gears so late into production put us at a real disadvantage in applying for funding. This film took longer to make because we had to focus on each film individually.
In terms of story, the struggle was trying to get other voices involved like the prosecutor and the homeowner. We arrived on the scene shortly after the initial crime and tragic death of Danzele Johnson, so emotions and tensions were still very high. This was a small town, completely divided on which side they stood.
From the beginning, Blake’s family was open and on board, allowing us to really immerse ourselves within Blake’s world. While we would have liked to have had more diverse voices discuss the case, we decided to focus on telling this story from the perspective of this one family.
In doing so, we gained a more intimate understanding of their experience that may have been lost had we cast the net wider.
W&H: How did you get your film funded? Share some insights into how you got the film made.
KG & CR: We received a grant from The Jerome Foundation early on in the process. Funding is always a challenge, so we always try to think creatively about how to raise money for our films.
After participating in Sheffield Doc/Fest: MeetMarket while we were still in development, we did a Kickstarter campaign, where we managed to raise enough money to get out and film and begin editing.
This campaign also allowed us to raise awareness about the project and to cultivate relationships with the countless organizations who advocate for prison reform and juvenile justice to help us spread the word. Documentaries in the social justice arena have been powerful and successful in shifting mindsets and helping bring attention to these issues.
This is our second collaboration with FilmRise, who have come on board as Executive Producers. Without their support, this film would have taken a lot longer to complete, and for that we are extremely grateful!
W&H: What inspired you to become a filmmaker?
KG & CR: As a filmmaking team from two different countries, we had our own individual trajectories that lead us to making films and making them together. That said, we both lost our mothers during our formative years, which we believe left us with a drive to want to explore certain issues or tell stories that make people feel something — whether it be anger, sadness, or joy.
Documentaries can and should move people in some way. At least once during every project, we inevitably acknowledge our ability to be able to immerse ourselves in different places with interesting people who are often moving through defining moments in their lives.
It is often intimate, difficult, and challenging, and we never take that for granted. While we do not remotely take credit for the outcome, there is a part of us that believes, with this film in particular, that Blake and the other boys would have been just another case of juveniles serving a virtual life sentence had there not been that presence of a documentary crew “watching” this case and adding pressure to the powers that be.
Perhaps it had no bearing at all, but if we did play any role in the outcome — well, then there is nothing better than knowing you helped shift the pendulum in the right way. That is what continues to inspire us to make films.
W&H: What’s the best and worst advice you’ve received?
KG & CR: Best advice: Just start filming. And you only get one shot — with producers, networks, funding bodies, festivals — so make sure you are ready. This is something we often need to remind ourselves of; we tend to get really charged up about new ideas and on occasion have gotten ahead of ourselves there.
We have no bad advice to share.
W&H: What advice do you have for other female directors?
KG & CR: Be kind to yourself. Share your work. Find an amazing team that you can consistently work with — we have worked with many of the same people on all of our films, beginning with our editor/co-producer, Tina Grapenthin. Find your people and stick with them. It will come back to you tenfold.
W&H: Name your favorite woman-directed film and why.
KG & CR: We are always inspired by how matriarchal documentary film in particular is. We love the fact that we are part of an industry where women are at the helm in so many aspects of the process.
There are too many amazing docs to name made by female filmmakers. As a filmmaking team, we really look up to Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady. Having heard them speak to their process, we saw many parallels in how they collaborate — with mutual respect for one another and how they let humor guide them in the same way that we do.
W&H: What differences have you noticed in the industry since the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements launched?
KG & CR: While we appreciate the existence and power of such movements, we would be lying if we said that they have directly impacted us as documentary filmmakers. That being said, it is encouraging that such significant and long overdue issues are finally being acknowledged in such a public and meaningful way.
We continue to be inspired by women who speak out and welcome the sometimes difficult conversations these movements have brought to the surface. We are hopeful that this will trickle down to fairly paid opportunities for independent female documentary filmmakers.
