Born in Jerusalem, Michal Aviad is an award-winning feminist filmmaker. Her films include “Acting Our Age,” “Jenny and Jenny,” “Invisible,” and “Dimona Twist.”
“Working Woman” will begin screening at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival on September 11.
W&H: Describe the film for us in your own words.
MA: Orna, a young mother of three, lands a job as an assistant to Benny, a powerful realtor. She is extremely successful at work and becomes her family’s main wage earner. Benny flatters and promotes her but he’s also attracted to Orna, alternating between being charming and harassing her. While rejecting Benny, Orna struggles to continue until life at work becomes unbearable. Her world is shattered but she has no choice to fight to save her job, her family, and her self-esteem.
W&H: What drew you to this story?
MA: I wanted to better understand what the boundaries are in sexual harassment at work and how harassment can influence a working woman’s relationships with their husband, family, and ability to work.
W&H: What do you want people to think about when they are leaving the theater?
MA: I’d like viewers to learn about the complexities of sexual harassment at work by identifying with the heroine and her life.
W&H: What was the biggest challenge in making the film?
MA: The biggest challenge in making this film not have the story revolve around the extreme facets of the issue but to tell a realistic, nuanced story.
W&H: How did you get your film funded? Share some insights into how you got the film made.
MA: The film was mainly funded by one of the two Israeli public film funds. We had just 20 shooting days, and thankfully I was able to work with top industry professionals as my collaborators to realize my vision on such a short schedule. I had to have a very clear plan and make as few mistakes as possible.
W&H: What inspired you to become a filmmaker?
MA: At first, I wanted to become a documentary filmmaker, idealistically believing that my films could change the world. I made female-driven documentary films for two decades and traveled around the world to shoot them.
Ten years ago I ventured into fiction, finding that a lot of what I wanted to communicate could be better achieved in a narrative structure.
W&H: What’s the best and worst advice you’ve received?
MA: The best advice I received was to listen to everybody but to do only what rings true for yourself. The worst advice I received was to give up and come up with a more commercial idea.
W&H: What advice do you have for other female directors?
MA: You must be more creative, more driven, more diligent, and more realistic than the men around you.
W&H: Name your favorite woman-directed film and why.
MA: My favorite woman-directed films are Jane Campion’s “An Angel at My Table,” Claire Denis’ “Friday Night,” Keren Yedaya’s “Or (My Treasure),” and Andrea Arnold’s “Fish Tank.”
W&H: Hollywood and the global film industry are in the midst of undergoing a major transformation. What differences have you noticed since the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements launched?
MA: I’m delighted that many of the abuses of power and sexuality are finally being exposed in the industry, but wish that the abuses women face in all professions would be exposed as well.
