I first became involved with Night At The Indies when Devotion screened there in 2007. It’s a great venue for independent filmmakers and artists. They are also taking it to the next level by making lots of great artist merchandise available for purchase on line. They have DVD copies of Devotion and a CD by one of my favorite Toronto artists LAL. Indies celebrates their second anniversary at the Gladstone on Tuesday November 25th. For more info http://nightattheindies.com
I’m thrilled that I have been selected the recipient of the 2008 DGC Emerging Television Director Award by Women In Film and Television Toronto. The award will be presented at WIFT’s Crystal Awards on December 1st. I look forward to meeting with my mentor and discussing all the projects that I have in development. Now I’m one step closer to directing my first TV episode.
Today I was interviewed by Fanshen Cox and Heidi Durrow on the Mixed Chicks Chat podcast www.mixedchickschat.com. Fanshen and Heidi are the talented and visionary women behind the Mixed Roots Film Festival in LA. They know all the right questions to ask to get to the heart of what it means to be mixed race. You can check out past episodes on their site. Mine is Episode 74. I interviewed Fanshen for “Looking For Lisa” my doc on biracial actresses. More on that project later.
I arrived in LA two days ago. I’m here for the First Annual Mixed Roots Film and Literary Festival at the Japanese American National Museum. I can’t wait to meet the amazing women behind Mixed Chicks Chat, the only live weekly show about being racially and culturally mixed. I’ll be giving a workshop on screenwriting and personal storytelling on Friday morning. I’m also shooting a few interviews for Mixed Girls, the documentary I’m developing about bi-racial actresses.
Even though I was attached to his hip during the shooting of The Hurricane and I see him at every other CFC BBQ, this is the only picture that I have of us. It was taken with my camera phone at the launch of his book, This Terrible Business Has Been Good To Me. It’s a great book. The launch was awhile ago, but I’m finally reading the book now. It’s like how you find yourself really getting into a book when the time is right to learn its lessons. Thanks Norman, its pretty cool to hear your voice every time I turn a page.
As part of the I WAS HERE video workshops, I have been the video mentor involved in shooting the Video Bridge, a video that creates a dialogue between health care professionals and young parents who have experienced homelessness. It will be launched at this amazing event, the Hand-held Un-Conference, on March 20th and I registered today. For more info check out NFB Filmmaker in Residence Kat Cizek’s blog<a href=”http://www.nfb.ca/filmmakerinresidence/blog”></a>
I have a box of cdr’s in my office with Smoke Stack scribbled on them in black sharpee. They brought me music for a long time. We would kick video ideas back and forth, and then one day we figured out how to make it happen. The joke is that when I directed “mother’s day” I was about six months pregnant with my son. My crew was great. It was the best I was ever treated on set. I actually got to sit in my director’s chair all day. And check out the interview, they give me a shout out.
Tijuana Layne wrote a feature film script that really grabbed me. It’s called Blind Embrace and its about a woman who finds her way out of an abusive relationship and finds love - of dance, of another man and ultimately of herself. The woman, who happens to be of mixed racial heritage, is essentially passing for white (at least in her lover’s mind) when she falls for a black man who treats her with respect. Tijuana has treated the material in a sensitive and artful way which is why I’ve come on board as the director. She recently wrapped shooting her short film Need, which I can’t wait to see.
I directed this music video for Rishma Malik and here it is on youtube. I love the movement in this video. It was the first time I directed with a steadicam and it was so amazing to have that freedom. Enjoy!