Helena Coan is a writer, director, and musician. Her first documentary feature, “Chasing Perfect,” was produced by Salon Pictures and distributed by Lionsgate. The documentary is a portrait of legendary car designer Frank Stephenson and his mark on the automotive industry, and is currently available on Netflix. Her first narrative short film, “Keepsake,” premiered at last year’s Underwire Film Festival and scored a nomination for screenwriting. Coan is also a musician. Having previously been the front woman of band Dios Mio, she has now started a solo career, with her first single “Baptise” premiering on BBC Radio 1.
“Audrey” is now available on DVD and Blu-ray and hits VOD and Digital January 5.
W&H: Describe the film for us in your own words.
HC: It’s the story of Audrey Hepburn’s search for love.
W&H: What drew you to this story?
HC: Audrey is such a great person to make a documentary about because she is someone that everyone knows, but no one really knows. She is one of the most celebrated film stars of all time, one of the most photographed people to have ever lived, and yet I’ve felt that the general public’s perception of her is largely superficial. I wanted to look at why she is so loved to this day and remains at the forefront of our public consciousness.
For me, she’s a star that filmmakers haven’t really tackled before, because she doesn’t have that real tragic story — there’s not a lot of dirt on Audrey Hepburn. She wasn’t a Hollywood star controlled or destroyed by the system as other actresses of the time infamously were. She retained a real control in her career that others didn’t.
She suffered greatly in her life but she overcame her struggles and transformed them, always leading her life with love. I think a lot of filmmakers shy away from stories like that but I wanted to tell a story of hope — one filled with love.
W&H: What do you want people to think about after they watch the film?
HC: I’d like people to have a newfound appreciation for Audrey, and understand her more as a person, and not just as a 2D portrait plastered on a tote bag. I want people to understand what a phenomenal person she was and really understand the vast extent of her humanitarian work, which set a real precedent for those after her. She wasn’t just a pretty “waif” — she was a powerful woman who had a deep, genuine love for humanity.
I also hope the film allows people to reflect on their own lives, their own struggles and difficulties, and maybe even feel comforted by her story — how she took her trauma and transformed it into love, gratitude, and giving.
W&H: What was the biggest challenge in making the film?
HC: This film was very, very, very hard to make. Very!
Firstly, Audrey was notoriously private, so getting her nearest and dearest to trust me and open up to me was a real challenge, but we got there and feeling those closest to her start to trust me was a very emotional and rewarding experience. I always made sure people knew my intentions for telling her story were genuine, and I let them know I was just always looking for the truth. Having her son Sean trust me to tell his mother’s story really meant a lot.
Just figuring out how to tell her story was a challenge because it’s been told before in various TV projects, docs, and books. It was so important to tell her story in a new, fresh way. Using Audrey’s own voice to guide the film was at the heart of this, along with the dance sequences choreographed by British choreographer Wayne McGregor. We have so many cuts of this film, I don’t even know how many, and to top it all off, we finished the edit of the film over Zoom in lockdown with my editor Mark Keady.
Another huge challenge was the cost of archive footage — footage of Audrey can be very, very expensive and we had to chop and change many times to get somewhere close to our archive budget! It was a really close call some days, but we got there in the end!
W&H: What inspired you to become a filmmaker?
HC: I think it’s just my desire to connect with other people. As Pablo Neruda said, “All paths lead to the same goal: to convey to others what we are.” Filmmaking for me is all about connection with others. Why else make films, or any form of art? It means so much to me when I get messages from people, some I know and many I don’t, saying how moved they were by “Audrey.”
W&H: What’s the best and worst advice you’ve received?
HC: The best advice I’ve received was from an editor called Hendrik Faller, who told me that it is everyone’s job in the film industry to push as hard for what they want. As a young woman in the industry, I can often feel like I should basically just be quiet and behave, and not push my luck, but he helped me to realize that is my job as a director — to fight for what the film needs, and I really did that with “Audrey”!
I don’t know if I’ve ever received bad advice. If I have I’ve just blanked it out of my memory!
W&H: What advice do you have for other female directors?
HC: Trust your gut, but filmmaking is a team sport — find your collaborators and trust them too. Don’t create from your ego or for validation, just make films because you think you have something important to say and you’re the best person to say it.
W&H: Name your favorite woman-directed film and why.
HC: “Morvern Callar” by Lynne Ramsay. It’s a very nuanced, devastating, and beautiful depiction of the strangeness of trauma and grief.
W&H: How are you adjusting to life during the COVID-19 pandemic? Are you keeping creative, and if so, how?
HC: I’m making my next film! It’s a feature documentary on boxer Nicola Adams, who was the first female boxer to win a gold medal at the Olympics. She is a pioneer of the sport, and the most inspiring and empowering person I have ever met. I’m so excited about it.
I’ve also just secured funding for a short narrative film, and I’m just wrapping up post-production on a short film I directed in between lockdowns called “Death and Dog Walking.” It’s about a dog walker having an existential crisis.
W&H: Recent protests in the U.S. and abroad have highlighted racism and anti-Black police brutality. The film industry has a long history of underrepresenting people of color onscreen and behind the scenes and reinforcing — and creating — negative stereotypes. What actions do you think need to be taken to make Hollywood and/or the doc world more inclusive?
HC: There needs to be real, fundamental change both in the stories that are told and the people telling them — and not just virtue signaling. I think collaboration is the key for real, lasting change. Intersectionality is so important to any movement. We have to work together to create beautiful, complex characters from diverse backgrounds.
We have to speak out when we feel something is wrong, and directors like myself have to be mindful of making sure our cast and crews are diverse in every way across the board — and not just to tick a box, but because diversity makes for better stories. Diversity creates empathy, and that should be the driving motivation. Diversity makes art better!
