Mattie Do launched her career in the movie industry working as a makeup artist. Do is an alumni of the Cannes’ Fabrique des Cinemas du Monde talent lab, the TIFF Director Talent Lab, and the Bucheon International Film Festival’s Fantastic Film School. Her directorial debut, “Chanthaly,” was the ninth feature film produced in Laos, and the country’s first horror film.
“Dearest Sister” will premiere at the 2016 BFI London Film Festival on October 10.
W&H: Describe the film for us in your own words.
MD: “Dearest Sister” is a dark and suspenseful film that deals with terrors both supernatural and tangible. It’s a very truthful and unrestrained look at the intricate struggles of women and class in Laos, a country and culture foreign to many, but rich and unique to Asia.
W&H: What drew you to this story?
MD: Having had the opportunity to become a filmmaker in Laos, I was extremely drawn to this story because I have the fortunate position to give the world an insider look at Laos’ stories and culture, but also what happens behind closed doors and the impact of Lao’s social and economic disparity.
W&H: What do you want people to think about when they are leaving the theater?
MD: I want people to leave the theater feeling like they not only got to see and experience a bit of Laos, but had the chance to be a part of a Lao family and face the same adversities and frustrations that Lao women face.
W&H: What was the biggest challenge in making the film?
MD: Since we totally lack infrastructure for film in Laos, we have hardly any equipment, no trained local personnel, and no professional actors. The challenges of making a film are super overwhelming and daunting, but one of the issues new to our country was actually the co-production aspect of our film! It was very exciting, but of course quite difficult to work with foreign co-producers who not only had to learn how to work in a completely foreign culture with different language barriers, but to also adjust to the environment and strange surroundings!
We brought crew that were coming from 0° of ice and snow into 40° of humid jungle heat! It was quite crazy! Our European crews also had to encounter for the first time an atmosphere of true DIY resourcefulness in a country with so little to no access to modern equipment and comforts.
W&H: How did you get your film funded? Share some insights into how you got the film made.
MD: Initially I started funding my film using Indiegogo, which is super great with its strong focus on film and arts. I found so many people with common interests who contributed and inadvertently became a part of our film family while supporting our “Dearest Sister” project, and it was awesome for them to see the project develop and grow. We don’t have any government funding in our country, so yeah, it’s a pretty crazy challenge to get the film funded.
I was super fortunate to have “Dearest Sister” selected as one of ten projects in development at Cannes Film Festival for La Fabrique Les Cinemas du Monde. That program, supported by L’Institut Francaise, changed our status completely! After having the opportunity to pitch to and meet interested co-producers and investors, I was able to partner with my amazing French co-producer (whom I first met at an American film festival called Fantastic Fest) and Estonian co-producers from the program. It was a huge step for Laos since we had never had a European co-production in our country before!
W&H: What does it mean for you to have your film play at LFF?
MD: It is so amazing and astounding to me to have our film play at a festival as venerable and prestigious as LFF! It is the first time a Lao film has ever played in not only London, but an event as fantastic as LFF that is so carefully curated. What an honor to be a part of their selection! It’s difficult to even begin to express the emotions of pride, gratitude, joy, and shock to be a part of LFF! It’s truly a historic moment for Laos and Lao films!
W&H: What’s the best and worst advice you’ve received?
MD: The best advice I’ve ever received was to be flexible and resourceful and to always find an alternate solution to any problems at hand. Also, awesome advice is to always be mulling over multiple projects so that as I finish one film, there will always be another in development ready to go.
The worst advice I’ve ever had is, “Don’t listen to anyone else. You are the artist and visionary, so nothing anyone else says about your film matters.” For myself, I find that completely untrue, and I feel strongly about having close collaboration with my team and crew to execute my vision in a manner that preserves what I originally envisioned, but is even more fruitful from the insight and involvement of my team.
W&H: What advice do you have for other female directors?
MD: Grow a very thick skin, because there will be a lot of abuse in this work. Film is already extremely tough regardless of your gender, but to be able to stand up and get noticed in film as a female director, you’re going to have to be able to stand strong on your own and know how to defend your own work against voices that may already be predisposed to being condescending towards you.
Know if your work is in need of improvement and don’t be afraid to make those improvements.
W&H: Name your favorite woman-directed film and why.
My favorite film directed by a woman this year was “Raw” by Julia Ducournau. I loved that it was a genre film that could so intimately weave the complications of growing up and becoming an independent woman in university with the loneliness of dealing with a sibling whose relationship is teetering on the edge of destruction.
I adored how “Raw” was a coming-of age-story about two women finding their place in their university world and immediate family, peppered with the horror elements to almost show that as horrifying as blood and cannibalism can be, sisterhood and family can be even more so. It was amazingly touching, and very intimate.
10. Have you seen opportunities for women filmmakers increase over the last year due to the increased attention paid to the issue? If someone asked you what you thought needed to be done to get women more opportunities to direct, what would be your answer?
I do feel like I am living in a really interesting moment where awareness and desire for female filmmakers have really increased. I can see a concerted effort to create more opportunities for women and sense more interest in hearing stories told by women. How this awareness will continue to affect our careers as females, I am still unsure, as it all seems so nascent and new.
What I think can be done is that perhaps producers, festivals, and pitch markets could make more of an affirmative step to actively seek out and discover more talented female directors and to start eliminating the stereotypes and tropes associated with females in our field. I see the change beginning, and hope for more of it, but at the moment I am unsure how our industry will carry on with the current initiatives being put into place for discovering more female talent.
