Chris J. Russo is a director whose work aims to give visibility to women in underrepresented communities in order to portray them in the power and equality they deserve. Her award-winning short films have screened all over the world, including the Sundance Film Festival, and been broadcast on Showtime, PBS, IFC, LOGO, and Netflix. Russo is also an exhibited fine artist whose documentary photographs have been exhibited at AC Gallery in Hollywood.
“Lady Buds” was scheduled to screen at the 2020 Hot Docs Canadian International Film Festival. A digital version of the fest has been organized due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Hot Docs Festival Online launched May 28. “Lady Buds” opted not to screen in the digital fest.
W&H: Describe the film for us in your own words.
CJR: “Lady Buds” is a story about risk-taking women in cannabis who want to achieve the American Dream while asking the question, “Who are the winners and losers in this new age of legalization?” The film follows the journey of six women who have decided to “come out of the shadows” of the illegal cannabis trade to create businesses for themselves and their communities in the newly legal California industry.
“Lady Buds” brings you into a hidden world of outliers rarely seen with women at the forefront, and reveals the heart and soul of a community that has been passionate about cannabis as medicine for decades. Through the personal stories of small farmers living off the grid in the Humboldt hills, to a medical marijuana activist fighting for social justice in Los Angeles, to a grandmother’s dream of opening a dispensary for seniors in Berkeley, the film explores the struggles and barriers these women must face to enter a market burdened by excessive government oversight and regulations that favor corporate mega-grows.
W&H: What drew you to this story?
CJR: In the 2016 election, cannabis legalization was on the ballot in several states, and I happened to read a statistic that claimed 36 percent of leadership roles in cannabis were held by women, and immediately thought how unprecedented that number seemed in comparison to any other industry. After digging deeper and interviewing 100 women, what’s on screen represents how women have always been an integral part of California’s cannabis culture. I see them as pioneers, activists, and renegades of a counter-culture movement who are now wanting a chance to make their mark in this new industry.
As a queer filmmaker, I could relate to their desire for a lifestyle shift that allowed them to be out in the open after living a hidden and double life for so long. “Coming out of the shadows” is a phrase long-time operators use when they talk about making the leap from the illicit market to the regulated market, and that certainly resonated with me.
Through my immersion into this cautious community, I also uncovered the little-known LGBTQ history that birthed the medical marijuana movement over 20 years ago during the AIDS crisis in San Francisco, and felt like this was a really important piece of history that was getting lost in the narrative of legalization.
As cannabis policies unfolded in California, I witnessed the regulators rescind a promise in the ballot measure that would protect legacy medical marijuana farmers by enforcing a one-acre cultivation cap for five years before big business could come in. Literally overnight, the cap was removed from the emergency regulations and the floodgates opened for mega grows across the state, causing an extinction event for thousands of small farmers who’d been sustaining local economies for decades.
A common misconception is that the cannabis industry is a “green rush” and an easy path to millions. With “Lady Buds,” I wanted to tell the legalization story that focused on the people who built the foundation of the industry, and show how corporate greed co-opted a movement that was built on compassion.
W&H: What do you want people to think about after they watch the film?
CJR: “Lady Buds” reflects our country’s current struggle with corporate capitalism controlling the economy and dominating our democracy, and reveals how hard it is for any small business and local economy to survive. I hope audiences connect to the importance of supporting small and local businesses, especially those run by women.
I also hope the film helps people think about cannabis in a new way so that they can take advantage of the healing properties of the plant if they so choose.
W&H: What was the biggest challenge in making the film?
CJR: The biggest challenge of telling this story was earning the trust of a community that doesn’t normally welcome outsiders. Finding women to meet and share their personal cannabis stories on camera wasn’t easy — they operated in secret for a reason, and talking on record could have implications. It’s a close-knit community, so it was very word-of-mouth how I met everyone in the film, and while listening without judgement and passing joints around, I eventually became a trusted part of the circle.
Another huge challenge was that the rules and regulations around cannabis in California changes on nearly a daily basis. As a filmmaker, it was difficult to keep up with the politics and scandals that were affecting each of the film’s subjects because that story is still unfolding.
W&H: How did you get your film funded? Share some insights into how you got the film made.
CJR: “Lady Buds’” funding has been a combination of self-financing, crowdsourcing, grants, tax-deductible donations through our fiscal sponsor, Film Independent, creative fundraisers, and private equity. I was fortunate to raise a little bit of equity during the first year of production, and in the second year I was awarded grants from the Rogovy Documentary Fund and The Harnisch Foundation, which gave the project great momentum.
Around the same time, I was invited to the Women In Film Sundance Institute Financing Intensive as well as the IFP Documentary Market, where I made valuable connections. The year ended with a successful Kickstarter campaign that raised over $61,000 to help get editorial going.
Community support showed up for a Los Angeles fundraiser where CBD-infused cocktails and appetizers were served, and at a fundraiser at San Francisco’s Alamo Drafthouse where I screened a preview of the film and also met my Executive Producer.
With the invitation to Hot Docs, I was on the very last fundraising push to close the budget gap to get to our festival premiere. Unfortunately, COVID-19 brought everything to a halt, and we are still struggling to find the last remaining finishing funds to complete the film.
W&H: What inspired you to become a filmmaker?
CJR: I took my first photography class when I was ten years old, so I’ve been interested in the visual arts from a very young age. I made super 8mm experimental films in graduate school, and fell in love with the medium because it allowed me to expand my visual storytelling with a script. My short films were getting accepted to film festivals, which was where I realized the power of film to reach large audiences.
I’ve always loved independent films and being a part of a film community fueled my desire to keep making films. I’m committed to telling stories that give voice to women and LGBTQ experiences, and knowing the potential reach of film has made me feel like I could actually change hearts and minds through this medium.
W&H: What advice do you have for other female directors?
CJR: Tell stories that personally resonate and be confident in knowing that yours is an important one to share. Choose your collaborators wisely — your film is your lover, and you’re going to be in this relationship for a very long time.
Stay true to yourself and the kind of work you want to make, and just go for it.
W&H: Name your favorite woman-directed film and why.
CJR: It’s super hard to name one film! When I was in art school, I was very inspired by the experimental films of Barbara Hammer, Sadie Benning, and Chantl Akerman. These directors explored different visual ways to talk about sexuality and feminism and broke with narrative conventions.
The films of Lisa Cholodenko and Kelly Reichardt are also favorites because they allow the viewer to observe female characters you wouldn’t necessarily see on screen in a really interesting way.
W&H: How are you adjusting to life during the COVID-19 pandemic? Are you keeping creative, and if so, how?
CJR: As I shelter in place, I’m trying to stay positive and enjoy the fact that I’ve been able to wear sweatpants and go braless to work for the last 50 days. I’ve had to adjust to the slow down due to the pandemic, and focus on getting the film done remotely.
This includes zoom calls with my composer, recording musicians out of their home studios, sending color correction links back and forth with the post house and overseeing the rest of post from my home. It’s not how I thought I’d complete my first feature film, but I know it will be better in the long run because I had a little more time to finish.
