Sydney Freeland is an Emmy-nominated filmmaker. Her debut feature, “Drunktown’s Finest,” premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, and went on to receive the Jury Prize at LA Outfest and a GLAAD Media Award nomination. She also directed the web-series “Her Story,” which received an Emmy nomination and won a Gotham Award.
“Deidra & Laney” will premiere at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival on January 23.
W&H: Describe the film for us in your own words.
SF: After a single mom gets thrown in jail, two teenage sisters take up train robbing to support the family.
W&H: What drew you to this story?
SF: I came across the script in 2014. Shelby Farrell was the writer and my manager sent it to me. I thought it was an amazing concept for a story.
I grew up in a neighborhood next to train tracks so when I read the script I was instantly transported back to my teenage years. Shelby’s writing is so visual and I could see and hear what the world in this script was like.
Shelby and I paired up and we started shopped the film around. We were ultimately able to get it financed through Netflix.
W&H: What do you want people to think about when they are leaving the theater?
SF: What really resonates with me is that this isn’t a story about robbing trains: It’s actually a coming-of-age story about teenage girls. My hope is that the story resonates with audiences the same way it resonated with me.
W&H: What was the biggest challenge in making the film?
SF: I think it was figuring out how to actually shoot on the train. We ended up creating a rig that consisted of 15–16 train cars. Each section of train cars had a specific purpose or was featured in a specific scene.
We basically ended up with a film set on wheels that allowed us to move up and down the tracks and shoot scenes in different locations.
W&H: How did you get your film funded? Share some insights into how you got the film made.
SF: The film was funded by Netflix. My producers and I pitched it to Netflix and they picked up the film. Netflix turned out to be a great home for the film because they gave us a lot of creative freedom with the project. I don’t think you get this version of the film anywhere else.
W&H: What does it mean for you to have your film play at Sundance?
SF: For me, playing at Sundance has meant being able to have a career. After my first feature, “Drunktown’s Finest,” played at Sundance in 2014 I was able to get a manager, and he’s the person who introduced me this film.
After that I was also able to sign with an agent. Having a team behind you makes a world of difference and I feel extremely fortunate to be going to Sundance for a second time.
W&H: What’s the best and worst advice you’ve received?
Best advice: If you don’t know something just say “I don’t know.” The sooner you admit it, the sooner you can work to finding a solution.
Worst advice: “We’ll fix it in post.” It’s crazy but people still say this.
W&H: What advice do you have for other female directors?
SF: Learn to accept rejection. You will be rejected more than you are accepted. However, try to learn to use it as an opportunity to make your project better.
W&H: Name your favorite woman-directed film and why?
SF: Lynn Shelton is one of my favorite female directors. I would recommend “Your Sister’s Sister.”
I’m also a big fan of Kathryn Bigelow. The original “Point Break” was a favorite of mine growing up.
W&H: 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?
SF: I am very optimistic about the opportunities for women filmmakers. In 2015 I was fortunate to be selected for the Fox Global Directors Initiative. There were 20 fellows and they were all women.
Since then, I believe as many as 10 fellows have gone on to direct episodes of TV. This is such a small sample size but I do find stats like this very encouraging. Hopefully this will soon become the norm.
