Collaborators in life and work, the husband/wife team of Stéphan Beaudoin and Sophie-Anne Beaudry join The Independent’s 10 Filmmakers to Watch in 2016 for their upcoming feature Yankee, which explores the idea of a woman entering traditionally male-dominated domains of violence. Here, they talk about Yankee, self-financing a film, and shooting on location.
The world never seems to lack from an interminable violent conflict, where the level of barbarism wears down the most…
At the intersection of community organizing, design, hip-hop, electronic music, architecture, film, and theater, Complex Movement’s latest project Beware of The Dandelions is a science fiction parable in which the audience plays the role of post-apocalyptic survivors and unlocks the untold stories of their community. This talented group of artists joins The Independent’s 10 Filmmakers to Watch in 2016 for their immersive visual and sound experience that incorporates science-fiction, projections, songs, and interactive game elements.
Julia Child may have been pioneered cooking show humor, but co-creators and co-performers Kate McCartney and Kate McLennan have taken cooking hilarity to the brilliant level it deserves with their series The Katering Show, chronicling the journey of an “intolerable foodie” and her anti-foodie food intolerant “friend.” Hence, they join The Independent’s 10 Filmmakers to Watch in 2016.
In 2011, Evan Glodell and Joel Hodge partnered up to make the film Bellflower, with Glodell writing, directing and acting, and Hodge working as DP. With a budget of about $17,000, the film became acclaimed for its stunning action-packed cinematography, resulting from their own hand-made camera built exclusively for the film. Now, Glodell and Hodge make The Independent’s 10 Filmmakers to Watch list for their upcoming feature Chuck Hank and the San Diego Twins.
Whose Streets, a documentary from filmmakers Sabaah Folayan and Damon Davis currently in post-production, chronicles the lives of activists in Ferguson, Missouri and the surrounding St. Louis area following the controversial killing of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown by white police officer Darren Wilson on August 9, 2014. Folayan and Davis focus on the aftermath of the incident and the evolving social movement surrounding it. Their hope is to bring awareness and clarity to this racially-charged, constantly unfolding narrative. The directing duo make our 10 filmmakers to watch list for 2016.
Paisley Smith first found her niche in Virtual Reality working with the “Godmother of VR” Nonny de la Peña and the Emblematic Group. Smith now makes The Independent’s 10 to Watch list for her most recent project, an animated Virtual Reality documentary Taro’s World based on the story of Taro, an exchange student from Japan who lived with Smith and her family for his teenage years, but at age 17, took his own life.
In each of his short films, Andrew Ahn explores the dynamics of an Asian American family living in the United States and the very nature of family itself. Now, he makes our 10 Filmmakers to Watch list for his debut feature film, Spa Night, a film that continues to explore these themes and recently premiered at Sundance 2016 in US Dramatic Competition.
Abatemarco, who spent nearly seven years making Kivalina, advises first-time documentarians to recognize that some of the hardest work of making a film is not technical or financial, but interpersonal. “It’s about your relationship with your subjects over time. That is the real work and the real difficulty. Somehow you’ll find the money but the most difficult work is to carry the story for however long you have to carry it, because these are heavy subject matters.”