Laura Nix is an award-winning director, writer, and producer whose work has screened at Sundance, TIFF, Berlinale, and Outfest and has aired on HBO, PBS, CBC, and New York Times Op-Docs. Nix was named a 2018 Chicken & Egg Breakthrough Filmmaker. Her credits include “The Yes Men Are Revolting,” “The Light In Her Eyes,” and “Whether You Like It Or Not: The Story of Hedwig.”
“Inventing Tomorrow” will premiere at the 2018 Full Frame Documentary Film Festival on April 7.
W&H: Describe the film for us in your own words.
LN: “Inventing Tomorrow” is about young and passionate innovators from around the globe who are creating cutting-edge solutions to confront the world’s environmental threats — found right in their own backyards — while navigating the doubts and insecurities that mark adolescence.
We follow inspiring teens from India, Hawaii, Indonesia and Mexico as they prepare their projects for the largest convening of high school scientists in the world, the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF).
W&H: What drew you to this story?
LN: I fell in love with the kids. They are super smart and inspiring, and also vulnerable and human. I found youth perspectives on sustainability to be unique because they believe change is not only possible but also inevitable, and they reject cynicism in favor of optimism.
I wanted to tell an environmental story that was emotional, personal, and hopeful. As a filmmaker, I’ve never encountered a world that gave me as much hope as spending time with these young scientists, and I wanted to share their passion with a wide audience.
W&H: What do you want people to think about when they are leaving the theater?
LN: I hope audiences will be moved to action by our students’ bravery and tenacity as they tackle complex problems at a young age, with such clarity of purpose.
What we’re facing on this planet is quite serious, but we have options and choices to make, and we can and should support innovative solutions to preserve clean air and water and transition to a sustainable economy. Hopefully watching a 16-year-old take on the challenge will spur others to believe change is necessary.
W&H: What was the biggest challenge in making the film?
LN: The hardest challenge was the schedule. We started principal photography in March of 2017, and finished the film in time for Sundance in January 2018. It was the fastest film I’ve ever made, and also the one where I covered the most territory. We filmed in Indonesia, Mexico, India, Hawaii, and eventually Los Angeles where they held the science fair last year.
The combination of a very challenging casting process, shooting internationally in several different languages, and then filming the actual fair itself, which has 1800 student finalists, was a marathon. It was quite difficult to complete in that time frame, not only in terms of logistics, but editorially.
W&H: How did you get your film funded? Share some insights into how you got the film made.
LN: Our film was fortunate to participate in the Catalyst program at Sundance in the fall of 2016. In the end, the film’s financing was a combination of private equity, grants, and philanthropic donations, but the majority of our funding was raised from Catalyst.
W&H: What does it mean for you to have your film play at Full Frame?
LN: I am thrilled to have “Inventing Tomorrow” play at Full Frame — I’ve always wanted to attend, but never played this festival before!
W&H: What’s the best and worst advice you’ve received?
LN: Best advice: Let it go.
Worst advice: Let it go.
W&H: What advice do you have for other female directors?
LN: Stand your ground. Choose your collaborators carefully. Find a mentor.
W&H: Name your favorite woman-directed film and why.
LN: Too many to narrow it down to one, but recently I loved “Toni Erdmann” by Maren Ade. It’s the best mix of serious, funny and emotionally astute I’ve seen in a long time. And for a recent documentary, “Motherland” by Ramona Diaz. It’s a beautifully observed and crafted documentary about the busiest maternity hospital in the world.
W&H: Hollywood and the global film industry are in the midst of undergoing a major transformation. Many women — and some men — in the industry are speaking publicly about their experiences being assaulted and harassed. What are your thoughts on the #TimesUp movement and the push for equality in the film business?
LN: If #TimesUp is able to challenge and end assault and harassment in the industry it will be a huge coup. But I hope it doesn’t stop there.
We need a commission to continue to challenge the industry’s systemic lack of diversity, in terms of race and gender, both in roles of authorship and roles in power. Right now the industry embodies the inequality and injustice that defines the U.S. — my hope would be for the industry to become a model of equal representation for the rest of the country to follow.
