For the last 25 years, Lauren Greenfield has made documentaries about consumerism, youth culture, and gender. Her feature film credits include “Thin,” “The Queen of Versailles,” and “Generation Wealth.” In 2012, “The Queen of Versailles” won the Best Documentary Director Award at the Sundance Film Festival. Her 2015 Super Bowl ad for Always, “#LikeAGirl,” earned her 14 Cannes Lions and the Most Awarded Director by Ad Age. She was the first woman to top the list. This inspired her to launch Girl Culture Films in 2019, in order to address the lack of gender diversity in the advertising industry.

“The Kingmaker” will premiere at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival on September 9.

W&H: Describe the film for us in your own words.

LG: “The Kingmaker” is a documentary about the former First Lady of the Philippines, Imelda Marcos, as she attempts to bring her family back to power and redeem the Marcos name after they were accused of stealing $10 billion from the Filipino people and exiled in 1986.

As a “kingmaker,” first with her husband, the late dictator, and then with her son, Bongbong, who runs for the vice presidency, Marcos wields a unique brand of female power.

Neither biopic nor historical film, “The Kingmaker” examines the way revisionist history and fake news can threaten democracy and cause history to repeat itself through this indomitable character.

W&H: What drew you to this story? 

LG: In my documentary photography about wealth I have always been interested in Imelda Marcos as an iconic historical figure. When I discovered that she had created an island of African animals in the South China Sea — an island that serves as metaphor through “The Kingmaker” — it was my dream to film her and the animal island.

I was fascinated by the way she was able to return to the Philippines and become a Congresswoman after being thrown out of the country in 1986, and the fact that both she and the animals had survived despite their circumstances.

W&H: What do you want people to think about when they are leaving the theater?

LG: I want people to think about how this story resonates within our own fragile democracy in the Trumpian Era, when manipulated information affects elections.

W&H: What was the biggest challenge in making the film?

LG: There were so many challenges — it was definitely the hardest film I have ever made. It was extremely difficult logistically to work in the Philippines and the island of animals had no electricity, plumbing, water, food, or cell service. All supplies had to be brought in, and we slept and organized production out of an open safari tent.

We often had to wait days to get access to our subjects and few plans could be made in advance of being on the ground, so shoots went much longer than anticipated. I expected it to be a two-year project and it turned into a five-year one, with an [editing process] that exceeded 18 months.

But it was the changes in the story that happened on the ground and in history that made the subject so exciting — so the challenges also turned into the highlights. Weaving the past with the present — and working with archival material and a very complex historical story — was also challenging in the edit room, but ultimately a very creative part of the process and a brand new development for me as a filmmaker.

W&H: How did you get your film funded? Share some insights into how you got the film made.

LG: The seed funding came through the Sundance Catalyst program, which is a unique Lab that brings together film projects and investors. That important early investment allowed us to film the first shoots and create a presentation reel that compelled Showtime to join us as a partner.

W&H: What inspired you to become a filmmaker?

LG: I came to filmmaking through my documentary photography. I studied visual anthropology and sociology and have always been interested in telling documentary stories about culture and the way it impacts human behavior.

Filmmaking was a natural extension of my narrative photography, but one that challenged me creatively and expanded my storytelling through collaboration and by giving me tools for a deeper and more empathetic narrative.

W&H: What’s the best and worst advice you’ve received?

LG: The best advice I received was from my first photography teacher who told me to “follow my heart.”

The worst advice I received was from another photographer who said I needed to change up my subject matter because I “had already done that.”

W&H: What advice do you have for other female directors?

LG: Persist, persist, persist. Trust your voice and tell your story.

W&H: Name your favorite woman-directed film and why.

LG: There are so many films that have influenced me that I can’t just name one. I loved Catherine Hardwicke’s “Thirteen,” Sarah Polley’s “Stories We Tell,” and Kathryn Bigelow’s “The Hurt Locker.” All play with reality and subjectivity in ways that make you see the world differently.

W&H: What differences have you noticed in the industry since the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements launched?

LG: As female filmmakers, we are more aware of the challenges, and at the same time, have more opportunities because the reality of the discrimination is in the open and the industry wants to change that.

After making a spot called “#LikeAGirl” about how being a “girl” meant something derogatory and disempowering, I started a company called Girl Culture Films that represents a slate of female directors to give women a bigger voice in the important cultural sphere of advertising.

We created the company because less than eight percent of commercials are directed by woman, while 86 percent of consumer decisions are made by women. The statistics are daunting but also inspire me to work to change the paradigm.

Girl Culture Films recently produced a campaign [“#EqualityCantWait”] for Melinda Gates, directed by Natasha Lyonne, about how it will take women 208 years to achieve equality at the current rate of progress!

A clear-eyed look at the reality is a catalyst for change and motivates creativity, collaboration, and mentorship.