women in film
These WOMEN Have Stories to Tell
Four female filmmakers share their movie-making experiences WRITTEN BY CINDY SCHWEICH HANDLER PHOTOGRAPHY BY MITSU YASUKAWA
The seventh annual Montclair Film Festival— soclose we can smell the popcorn— includes discussions with actors Rachel Weisz, Jeff Daniels and Ethan Hawke, all moderated by Stephen Colbert; adiscussion with actor Nick Offerman moderated by Patrick Wilson; and aperformance bylarger-than-life creative hyphenate Taylor Mac. Many ofthe films featured this year challenge viewers to consider what they have in common with individuals whose narratives differ, sometimes wildly, from their own. Documentaries include Far from the Tree, anadaptation of the bestselling book by Andrew Solomon about parents and children who struggle to accept each other, and The Gospel According to Andre, about the legendary Vogue editor Andre Talley, who grew upinthe Jim Crow South and became aglobal tastemaker. Dan Reynolds, afounder of rock band Imagine Dragons, is the central figure in Believer, adocumentary about his efforts to change the culture of the Mormon church inwhich hewas raised. Solomon, Talley and Reynolds will be interviewed and answer questions after their respective film screenings.
For 11 days, Montclair will be amecca for people who love the movies. But anumber of the featured filmmakers won’ t have along commute, because they live here. Inspired by the( belated) recognition Hollywood has given this year to women inthe industry, we decided to interview four local female filmmakers. They share with us how they got afoothold in their competitive line of work, and how they think women are changing the field.
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MONTCLAIR MAGAZINE MAY 2018
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