Melissa Haizlip is an award-winning filmmaker whose credits include the short film “You’re Dead to Me,” which she produced, and her directorial feature-length debut, “Mr. SOUL!” The latter won the Audience Award as a work-in-progress at the 2013 Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival. A Chaz and Roger Ebert Producing Fellow and a PGA Diversity Workshop alumna, Haizlip has received awards from the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Black Programming Consortium.
“Mr. SOUL!” will premiere at the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival on April 23.
W&H: Describe the film for us in your own words.
MH: From 1968 to 1973, America got “SOUL!” — television’s first Black “Tonight Show” aired. “Mr. SOUL!” is a feature documentary celebrating the groundbreaking PBS series from its genesis to its eventual loss of funding against the backdrop of a swiftly changing political and social landscape, while profiling Ellis Haizlip, the charismatic man behind one of the most culturally significant and successful television shows in U.S. history.
W&H: What drew you to this story?
MH: I’ve always been drawn to tell this story. I have wanted to make this film for my entire life, having a deep personal connection to the story. Ellis Haizlip was my uncle and a huge inspiration to many others and me. I was a little girl when Uncle Ellis moved into our Upper West Side home in New York City, around the time “SOUL!” was born. I remember eating oatmeal at midnight with my uncle and the guest stars he would bring home after taping the show. I would bask in the glow of all these intelligent, glamorous Black people, mesmerized by my uncle’s coterie of magical friends. It would be years before I would learn that it was James Earl Jones who had pinched my cheek, or the orphaned children of Malcolm X, whom Uncle Ellis was babysitting, who were brought over for a play date.
I’ve wanted to tell Ellis Haizlip’s story, and examine how culture shapes movements of change. I was also drawn to the duality of our main character, who, at a tumultuous time in history, navigated the worlds of being Black and openly gay against the backdrop of a swiftly changing American landscape.
W&H: What do you want people to think about when they are leaving the theater?
MH: When people are leaving the theater, I want them to think about and celebrate how far we’ve come and yet remember how far we have to go to achieve fairness and representation in America. I want people to be inspired to speak their truth to power and never compromise their freedom of expression or their art. I want them to know that Black has always been beautiful.
W&H: What was the biggest challenge in making the film?
MH: The biggest challenge has been fundraising, since we are entirely funded by federal grants and nonprofit organizations.
W&H: How did you get your film funded? Share some insights into how you got the film made.
MH: We wanted to make the film for the people and by the people. Since the original “SOUL!” show was publicly funded, we’ve spent years writing grants, building relationships with funders, and applying for fellowships.
“Mr. SOUL!” is funded by grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Ford Foundation, the International Documentary Association, Black Public Media, Awesome Without Borders, ITVS, Firelight Media, the Roger & Chaz Ebert Foundation, and the Puffin Foundation.
We also did several crowdfunding campaigns in the beginning to help build an audience and awareness.
W&H: What does it mean for you to have your film play at Tribeca Film Festival?
MH: We are over the moon to have “Mr. SOUL!’s” World Premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival. We can’t think of a finer place, since ours is such a quintessential New York story, and many of the subjects, funders, and artists who appeared on the show are New York-based.
We are beyond honored to tell the story of Ellis Haizlip and the “SOUL!” show, which filmed live at WNET, Channel Thirteen, in the former Studio 55, which is now the site of the Joan Weill Center for Dance, home of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.
W&H: What’s the best and worst advice you’ve received?
MH: The best advice I’ve received was to never give up my desire to direct — to hang on to my title and not to settle or compromise my vision as a director by thinking I hadn’t earned the right to helm a production.
The worst advice was to wait for someone else to make my film before just jumping in and making it myself.
W&H: What advice do you have for other female directors?
MH: My advice to other female directors is to always remember you’re a director first, not just a “female director.” Times are changing, but not fast enough. So never give up either your vision or your title, especially if you’re helming a project with another director who happens to be male.
Women have been taught to over-apologize and over-accommodate, and it’s time to reset the narrative. There’s room for all of us. It’s time to make our voices heard, so keep rising.
W&H: Name your favorite woman-directed film and why.
MH: That’s impossible! I’d rather name all of my favorite women-directed films, because there are so many women directors deserving of a shout out, not to mention hugs and high-fives. My top, lucky 13 are: “Daughters of the Dust” by Julie Dash; “13th,” “Selma,” and “I Will Follow” by Ava DuVernay; “Circumstance” by Maryam Keshavarz; “Belle” by Amma Asante; “Night Catches Us” by Tanya Hamilton; “Love & Basketball” by Gina Prince-Bythewood; “The Piano” by Jane Campion; “Mississippi Masala” by Mira Nair; “Eve’s Bayou” by Kasi Lemmons; and “Pariah” by Dee Rees; and Jessie Maple’s “Will,” a masterpiece of simplicity.
All of these films are uniquely positioned to amplify women’s voices and talents. But they’re nothing new. Women directors are out here. It’s just that our work within the industry has finally become visible. I’d like to think that the upsurge of women directors has now become the tide that raises all boats: we’re all the better for it.
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?
MH: The #MeToo and #TimesUp movements are more than just hashtags. America is finally ready to stop abuse, whether it be assault or discrimination. We are finally helping women find their voices. The push for equality and inclusion is long overdue and sorely needed now more than ever.
