Sonia Kennebeck is a Malaysian-born, New York City-based independent filmmaker and investigative journalist with 17 years of directing and producing experience. Her most recent documentary thriller, “Enemies of the State,” premiered at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival. Her first feature-length film, “National Bird” premiered at the Berlin Film Festival 2016, was selected for Tribeca, Sheffield, and IDFA festivals, won the prestigious Ridenhour Documentary Film Prize, and received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Current Affairs Documentary. Before she became an independent filmmaker, Sonia Kennebeck directed eight television documentaries and more than 50 investigative reports for German public television.
“United States vs. Reality Winner” is screening at the 2021 SXSW Film Festival, which is taking place online March 16-20.
W&H: Describe the film for us in your own words.
SK: “United States vs. Reality Winner” tells the story of 25-year-old NSA contractor Reality Winner who blew the whistle on Russian election interference and became the number one leak target of the Trump administration.
It’s a timely film that discusses whistleblower protection, election security, and the future of investigative journalism through the story of one courageous woman, Reality Winner, who is currently still in prison for disclosing information in the public interest.
W&H: What drew you to this story?
SK: I’ve been covering national security and whistleblower stories for many years, and when Reality Winner was arrested I immediately paid attention to her case. National security whistleblowers are very rare because the stakes are extremely high — the disclosure of one classified document can mean 10 years in prison under the draconian Espionage Act. That’s what Reality Winner was facing during the sensitive pre-trial period that we covered.
Yet, the disclosures of national security whistleblowers are among the most important revelations in the history of the United States: The truth about the Vietnam war, mass surveillance and government torture, the U.S. drone war, and foreign election interference were only made public because of whistleblowers.
I had to document the story of Reality Winner and her family to preserve it as a historical record.
W&H: What do you want people to think about after they watch the film?
SK: My main hope is that people will support Reality Winner, who is currently in prison and extremely vulnerable. She has already spent nearly four years in prison – for a five page document that The Intercept news outlet published about foreign election interference. She contracted COVID-19 in prison, had been under extended lock-down, was sexually assaulted, and has been suffering from eating disorders and depression.
She has been through enough for sharing information that was of great importance to election officials and the public. Her family has an active clemency petition and even former high-ranking government officials such as J. William Leonard have spoken out for a pardon for her.
Once Reality Winner is safe, I hope that people who see the film will continue to pay attention to whistleblower cases and the work investigative journalists do. They play a key role in a strong democracy.
W&H: What was the biggest challenge in making the film?
SK: We were facing various challenges. First of all, this is a true independent film based on original research. We are filmmakers from regular families, so we had to fundraise every dollar we spent, which has been especially challenging during the pandemic.
Our films are also very research-intensive, which requires even more resources and time. We spent a lot of time working with attorneys and got wonderful pro bono support from the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. They really helped us to accomplish some of our research successes, which make this film an important document.
W&H: How did you get your film funded? Share some insights into how you got the film made.
SK: “United States vs. Reality Winner” is a true independent film and based on my director’s vision, producer Ines Hofmann Kanna’s and my fundraising efforts, and the creative talent and skill of our exceptional team.
We knew what we wanted to do with this film and our funders supported us with incredible trust, financially and also morally. We received major grants from the Reva and David Logan Foundation, XTR, Fork Films, Nancy Blachman, Roger Waters, Chicken and Egg Pictures, Berkeley Film Foundation, International Documentary Association Pare Lorentz Grant, The Fund for Constitutional Democracy, and The Keep the Lights on Fund.
W&H: What inspired you to become a filmmaker?
SK: I come from a working class family. I was born in Malaysia but grew up in Germany. As a teenager and young adult it never crossed my mind that I could become a film director. That was completely outside of my realm of possibilities. I wanted to be a journalist, which was already an unusual career path for my community.
Looking back at myself as a child, I always loved seeing movies and telling stories. I was a ferocious reader of everything I could find in the library: newspapers, comics, fantasy, science fiction, and horror books. I also constantly wanted to write and create myself. Going into investigative journalism was natural for me and from there the path to film wasn’t far.
As a storyteller, I am drawn to movies. For me, film is the most beautiful and complex medium that exists, allowing you to transport stories and information with deep emotion, nuances, and subtlety.
W&H: What’s the best and worst advice you’ve received?
SK: Years ago, my editor Maxine Goedicke shared what she learned in her work with Wim Wenders: “Don’t make people smaller than they are.” We have honored this advice throughout our work, acknowledging the accomplishments and courage of the people we film. I think about this statement in the context of pitching and fundraising when people ask for conflict, often meaning personal drama. I feel it is especially common to hear this question about films that document the lives of female lead characters and people of color.
The worst advice was from a person who told me that I should give my original research on drone warfare to a male journalist with the comment: “He can get it done.” If I had listened to that advice, my film “National Bird” would not exist.
W&H: What advice do you have for other women directors?
SK: Assemble a great creative team, people you trust, admire, and enjoy making films with. Creative collaborators who support you and your vision, and have excellent art, craft, and style are invaluable. Try to find good, talented people and build your body of work with them. Intuitive communication and mutual support will help you direct films and deal with all the challenges of our industry.
I’ve worked with my director of photography, Torsten Lapp, for over 15 years. His cinematography is incredibly beautiful and is full of layers and meaning. He has a distinct visual style and can capture his stunning images under the most difficult circumstances, including in war zones.
Editor Maxine Goedicke is multi-talented: she is an excellent storyteller and artist with perfect rhythm and pacing, and the most skillful editor I have met. Most recently she has been creating amazing animated collages in AVID for our new film “United States vs. Reality Winner.”
Composer Insa Rudolph builds and modifies her own instruments to record natural sounds for her haunting scores and even writes and performs classical music and rock songs.
My crew has supported me throughout the ups and downs of independent filmmaking, and what I admire most about them is their deep compassion for the people whose lives we document.
W&H: Name your favorite woman-directed film and why.
SK: I don’t have a single favorite film. Generally, I like movies with political themes and science fiction. I remember that I really enjoyed watching Mira Nair’s “Monsoon Wedding” when it came out.
I would like to see a big-budget sci-fi movie that’s directed by a woman. In fact, it’s my dream to direct one myself some day.
W&H: How are you adjusting to life during the COVID-19 pandemic? Are you keeping creative, and if so, how?
SK: I have been completing not just one, but two independent feature films during this pandemic. And it has been incredibly difficult. Some of my family and friends have been impacted by COVID-19 and I have also been concerned about my documentary protagonists. Reality Winner tested positive for the virus. She had already been struggling for months under strict lockdown conditions in prison after her request for compassionate release was denied. It has been very difficult for her and her family.
Beyond that I am as creative and productive as you can be. “Enemies of the State” is currently on its festival tour and we will announce wider distribution soon, and the festival copy of “United States vs. Reality Winner” is ready to go.
It has been an extremely difficult time to raise funds, which has always been a challenge for independent documentary producers, but not to the extent that we are seeing now. Now my production partner and I fear for the future of independent film and artist-driven works, especially the ones produced by people without independent wealth. What will this mean for our culture and history if most documentaries are conceived, shaped, and owned by powerful individuals and corporations?
W&H: 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?
SK: We can only dismantle systemic racism and stop violence against Black people with radical, systemic change. That includes the film industry that has had a major role in shaping our culture and perception for so many decades. We need people of color in leadership and creative positions — as company heads, executives, funders, festival directors, producers, film directors, writers. This will not happen without effort because some people – white men – have benefited from preferential treatment for very long and will oppose adjustments that will make this industry more fair and accessible.
True and deep change will take time to achieve and require strong political will because hundreds of years of exploitation have created extreme imbalances in generational wealth, education, and networks that have manifested these unequal structures — in society and in film. And again, there will be substantial opposition to any form of wealth or power redistribution by parties and people who are profiting from the current system.
Unfortunately, systemic change requires time and many people. So while I believe that we should aspire to live in a just society with universal human rights, dignity, and the same opportunities for everyone, we also have to push for incremental changes.
Some people and organizations have been doing extraordinary work in demanding equity within the documentary industry. They include Firelight Media, founded by two exceptional filmmakers, Stanley Nelson and Marcia Smith, and Brown Girls Doc Mafia, an organization that supports women and non-binary film professionals of color and is driven by the multi-talented Iyabo Boyd and other accomplished filmmakers. And there are many, many more great organizations by and for filmmakers of color who are doing the strenuous work of educating and making a difference.
