An actor, director, distributor, and producer, Miranda Bailey makes independent films through her company Cold Iron Pictures. Her directing credits include “The Pathological Optimist” and “Greenlit.” She produced the Oscar-nominated feature “The Squid and the Whale” as well as “The Diary of a Teenage Girl,” which won an Independent Spirit Award.
“You Can Choose Your Family” will premiere at the 2018 SXSW Film Festival on March 11.
W&H: Describe the film for us in your own words.
MB: “You Can Choose Your Family” is about a 17-year-old boy who finds out his father has a secret family and blackmails him. It is a quirky father-son coming-of-age story set in the early 1990s, which explores the complicated relationship we all have with telling the truth about who we are and accepting who we are.
W&H: What drew you to this story?
MB: I was drawn to this story because I related to the character of 17-year-old Phillip. He is the same age I was when my own father left my family. The complexities of learning that your parents are real people and not just issuers of authority was an extremely appealing topic for me, particularly when good people do bad things. I am always interested in the “in between” of black and white, and showing what’s good in things that can seem bad.
W&H: What do you want people to think about when they are leaving the theater?
MB: I want them to hold on to their family and be reminded to tell them they love and respect them.
W&H: What was the biggest challenge in making the film?
MB: Finding the right actor for the father Frank was probably the most challenging creative aspect of the film. I needed an actor who could get the film greenlit, but I didn’t want an actor that people were too familiar with and already had opinions about. That’s why having Jim Gaffigan was so perfect for us. Jim is incredibly likable even when he’s saying things on stage and screen that can be absurd. Jim is also the quintessential family man, so giving him two families seemed to be a perfect fit.
The financial challenges of making this film really came with the fact that we needed a place where there was a tax incentive. The California tax incentive is basically non existent for indie films now which is really a bummer. So we ended up in New York. Luckily, New York had the “lake” community vibe just outside the city, yet still within the union zone, and we were still able to make the film on the budget we had.
W&H: How did you get your film funded? Share some insights into how you got the film made.
MB: Cold Iron Pictures financed the entire budget of the film. This is my own company. So essentially, I backed myself this time. Fingers crossed it works out. Either way I had a great time and learned a lot.
W&H: What does it mean for you to have your film play at SXSW?
MB: When we were developing this film and shooting this film the producers and I were always talking about how SXSW was the perfect fit for the audience we wanted to show it to for the first time. So I am so thankful that they felt the same way. I really didn’t have a back up plan. Ha ha.
W&H:What’s the best and worst advice you’ve received?
MB: I don’t believe in bad advice, but the best advice I’ve ever received about directing was from Brian Dennehy. He said to me “Kid, don’t take any shit from anyone, unless you absolutely have to, and if you have to, swallow hard and gargle immediately — the taste goes away in a few days.”
I still have that text message from him saved on my phone.
W&H: What advice do you have for other female directors?
MB: My advice for any filmmaker is to just hang in there. And keep making films any way you can. Be on sets — get jobs of all types on sets. Take acting classes, so you can know what it’s like as an actor. Learn how to shoot, so you can know what it’s like as a cinematographer. Produce, so you know what it’s like for producers.
Making a movie is a collaboration between so many departments that the more of them you can experience, the better the communication will be. And clear communication is key to having a well-oiled team.
W&H: Name your favorite woman-directed film and why.
MB: My favorite film directed by a woman is “A New Leaf” by Elaine May. I have seen it so many times, and it’s one of the films that made me realize I could make movies too.
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?
MB: I’m all for it. I’ve heard so many times that studios want female directors, but there just aren’t enough out there. I think we can all call BS on that now. SXSW has proved that. We are here. We always have been. And we are just as good as the male directors and deserve the same opportunities and pay as them.
