Zip Creative

For this week’s Fast Forward Friday, we interviewed award-winning actor-producer Nancy Nagrant. She founded Amenone Productions in 2014 to generate work for film, television, and theater with an emphasis on the female protagonist. Anemone’s films have played at festivals such as: LA Shorts, St. Louis, and Reel Sisters. They have been official selections in 24 festivals thus far, and have garnered eight awards from 17 nominations. To learn more, visit her website.

Q: What are you currently working on? Tell us about it.

I’m currently working on a project tentatively titled American Girlhood. It explores the subtle and not-so-subtle lessons girls learn as they come of age in American society. From “be content with what you get” to “be careful what you wear,” American Girlhood aims to create “shared memories” of growing up that all women can relate to. 

I’m collaborating with a friend from college. She and I used to collaborate on theater projects a lot back at university and also when she lived here in NYC. It’s been a while, and this is our first film project and it’s exciting to be back working with her. We’ve known each other for a long time, and know each other pretty well. It’s nice to collaborate with someone like that because you have such a refined short-hand. 

Q: What was the inspiration and impetus for doing this project?

She and I met in Chicago in 2019 to see another college friend in a show. She mentioned she had this idea for some sort of creative project, maybe a film, but she wasn’t quite sure what to do with it. She went on to share a story from her early-teenage past. It was all so clear to me, almost as if it had happened to me. We talked a lot about the impact it had on her, and I then shared a story from my early-teenage past. Each of these stories was so vivid and visceral. We knew what it looked like and felt like, without having to have had the *exact* same experience. We knew it was subject matter ripe for exploration.

Q: In this current time of unprecedented change and uncertainty, what do you believe your role is in this moment?

I’ve had a couple of big revelations during the last year. I had COVID back in mid-March 2020 right as the massive wave hit NYC. It was a really frightening time on so many levels. I’m very lucky that I had a minor case that didn’t require me to go to the hospital. That said, my recovery took a long time. I suffered from headaches and brain fog for over a year, and still haven’t fully recovered my sense of smell. My not being able to work as I normally do really threw me for a loop.

I’m lucky to have a group of smart women to talk to on a regular basis. An important discovery I’ve had is about following my heart vs letting my mind take charge. “The mind is a wonderful servant but terrible master.” Yeah, I’m thinking about that on a very deep level. For most of my life I’ve really let my brain take charge, as opposed to letting my heart lead. My busy, loud, bully of a mind had been running rampant, and I had lost contact with what my heart was saying.

The last month or so my life has gotten busy again, and all of a sudden I’ve fallen into that same hamster wheel — putting out fires, and working on tasks for others at the expense of what is actually important to me. I’m sure that’s relatable to a lot of folks out there. I just recently listened to my 22-year-old niece talk about this very thing, and it broke my heart a little. It’s very seductive — “being productive” — and so many of us place such high importance on it, but ultimately it just makes us miserable. 

So my intention for life is to get very quiet, listen for what my heart has to say, and let that lead the way. That is my role in this moment. 

Q: Who are your artistic heroes – who have had an impact on you and your work?

I am most interested in experiencing work that puts females at the center of the action. I’ve seen more than my fair share of art from a male point of view. I’m all about the female gaze. That goes across the art world, but let’s specifically talk about film and TV creators.

I’m especially excited when I see something on screen that feels like it’s lifted from my life, but that I’ve never seen portrayed before. It’s so profound and inspiring. That’s the work I’m most excited to watch, not to mention create. 

Here are creators who have given me that experience: Lena Dunham, Issa Rae, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Shonda Rhimes, Jane Campion, Reese Witherspoon, Joey Soloway.

Q: What keeps you motivated and inspired as an artist?

Connection and collaboration. 

Q: What other projects would you like to tell us about?

I have two short films out on the circuit right now. Miracle Baby, which I co-produced and also starred in, is a 19-minute psychological thriller about power and revenge within a troubled marriage. Incurable, which I co-produced, is a nine-minute serious rom-com about love, rejection, and an overactive imagination. I am so proud of both of them. They both premiered in 2020, which was less than ideal obviously, but I just returned from the Julien Dubuque International Film Festival that happened in person, which was absolutely thrilling.

I have also been brought on to help produce, and potentially act in, a new television series called Kangaroo Flat. It’s a half-hour magical-realism dramedy set in 1960s rural Australia and present-day NYC about finding your place in this world. 

Q: What is one instance of knowing you are living in your vision?

As an actor it happens when I get lost in what I’m doing and forget that I’m performing — in fact I’m not really performing anymore, I’m just living. As a producer it happens when I anticipate and solve problems — taking care of the people and the project. Oh and when I’m on my way to set — I tend to feel very at peace and empowered in those moments. 

Q: If there were no barriers to entry, what is one thing you would be doing?

Developing and executive producing work that features women behind and in front of the camera. And of course, I’d have to star in some of it!

Q: What has been your biggest obstacle in achieving your vision?

Not being clear enough in my vision. Not having a mentor. 

Q: What do you do to stay connected to your creative self?

I’ve been practicing Vedic Meditation 20 minutes twice a day for eight years. It’s been a huge game-changer in my life.

Q: If you could let go of something that has held you back, what would it be?

Trying to make myself fit into what I think someone may want as opposed to just being my authentic self. 

Q: What is your favorite piece of art?

I love wandering around a museum, discovering new things along with old favorites. I’m not sure I have a favorite piece of art though. The Winged Victory of Samothrace at the Louvre takes my breath away. I’ve recently discovered Lee Bontecou’s sculptures, and they give me all the emotions. 

Q: What person do you most admire, living or dead?

I admire Meryl Streep very much. Her talent is an inspiration, and she’s just so classy. Confident, kind, present. 

Q: If you could be known and celebrated for one thing, what would it be?

Broadening our story-telling spectrum by driving forward stories that feature female protagonists, and uplifting and championing female and other under-represented humans as I do.

Q: If you could describe yourself in one word what would it be?

Grounded. Empathetic. Fierce. 

Q: What is your guilty pleasure?

I love sleeping in. I also watch an awful lot of TV, the “guiltiest” of which is competition reality shows — RuPaul’s Drag Race, Top Chef, Project Runway, America’s Next Top Model. 

Q: If you could sit down with yourself 15 years ago, what would you say?

I’d probably share the lesson about letting the heart be the master and the mind be the servant. Beyond that I’d say prioritize self-care: meditate, floss, wear sunscreen. 

Q: Where would you most like to live?

I really do love living in NYC. But I would like to live where I could see a body of water. I’d like to be able to witness something that large and impressive on a daily basis. To be able to observe its cycles. I think it would be very educational and inspirational.

Q: What is your idea of success?

A balanced life. 

Q: What is your idea of happiness?

Living in the present moment.

Q: Final Thoughts?

Thank you for inviting me to do this, and for these thought-provoking questions.

For this week’s Fast Forward Friday, we interviewed writer-director-producer Elizabeth Page. Olympia Dukakis produced one of Elizabeth’s first plays, Spare Parts, which moved Off Broadway to Circle in the Square Downtown and brought her into television where she won six Emmy awards and four Writers Guild awards and fell in love with the camera which brought her to film school and on to making award-winning shorts and online content for artists like Melba Moore. Page is the founder of From Script to Preproduction, a lab for women filmmakers.  For more information, visit www.elizabethpage.org.

Q: What are you currently working on? Tell us about it.

I’m working on a narrative feature film about an exuberant, ambitious 18-year-old woman who wakes up after a raucous campus party and discovers she may have been sexually assaulted – she has no memory of what happened and everyone at the party has a different story.  The film follows her efforts to get help, find the truth, and ultimately reclaim her life, jumping out to retell what happened in that dark room six different ways and never telling you what really happened. 

We explore the impacts on everyone involved – the young man who’s initially accused, his so-called best friend who may be more involved than he claims, his teammates who have reasons to hope she never remembers, and her roommate who has her own secret.  While the film is certainly issue-driven, it also aims to attract its core audience – high school students looking to college, college students, survivors and their friends and family – by leaning into classic movie tropes: mystery, suspense, courtroom drama, romance, and friendship.

Q: What was the inspiration and impetus for doing this project?

My daughter is an only child and grew up tagging along after another only child in our building.  When this slightly older girl headed off to college, we cheered her on, only to discover a few months in that she’d been raped at a frat party.  She was devastated and her life derailed. 

It enraged me and upset me, and when my daughter was also cornered at a party – and mercifully escaped – I began to research what was going on and discovered that while sexual assault had always happened at colleges, it had now become a “thing” – that in fact 1 in 4 college girls were being sexually assaulted.  Colleges administrations had no idea how to handle it and then when the Trump administration began rolling back the few protections and processes in place, I felt compelled to do something. 

And so I wrote this script, convinced that only by raising questions and challenging students to take the issue into their own hands, would real change happen.  The plan is to make the film with students and then to take it to colleges and high schools and finally release it where students consume their content – on streaming platforms.

Q: In this current time of unprecedented change and uncertainty, what do you believe your role is in this moment?

At the moment I’m doing what is possible.  

I pitched a weekly column about the impacts of COVID-19 on the community to a string of Hearst newspapers in Connecticut last March and they loved it. I’ve been doing that for the past year.  It may end up as a book – if we get a happy ending. In the column, I am able to talk about how the virus is impacting all aspects of our lives, and also help persuade people to trust the science and follow the recommendations.

I also took my lab, From Script to PreProduction, online when COVID hit.  The lab helps level the playing field by helping women filmmakers create all the materials they need to attract financing and producing partners.  We choose up to eight filmmakers and work with them collaboratively for six months to create loglines, synopses, pitches, lookbooks, reels, social media imagery, websites, preliminary schedules and budgets, and business plans.  I know it’s been of great comfort to the women in our cohort to be able to meet weekly and continue to work on their projects – in other words to have a community and to feel like they are progressing as artists.  While I usually only do this once a year, I decided to do it again this spring to help as many filmmakers as I can during this pandemic. Applications are open until February 15th on Coverfly and thereafter by reaching out to me.

I’m also preparing to go back out to continue raising financing for About That Night as soon as the vaccine is more available and it’s safer to meet.  I think it’s very important to have faith in ourselves and our work and keep going.

Q: Who are your artistic heroes – who have had an impact on you and your work?

Way back when I was of course inspired and influenced by every great writer out there – in particular Shakespeare, who still dazzles me; Dylan Thomas, who’s always been my boyfriend; and Fugard, who never fails to break my heart. 

Right now I’m swept away by Chloe Zhao’s Nomadland, Eliza Hittman’s Never Rarely Sometimes Always and Kitty Green’s The Assistant.  Fantastic films.  Can’t wait to see what they do next.  And can’t wait to see Kelly Reichardt’s First Cow – love her work.

I am also very inspired by the women out there today who are giving back to the film community. Tema Staig, who founded Women in Media and is focusing on training women below the line and getting them hired. Leah Meyerhoff, who founded Film Fatales and has built it into a huge resource for women directors. Naomi McDougall Jones who, along with Joanne Zippel, reinvented indie film distribution, put together a film fund and wrote a brilliant book, The Wrong Kind of Women, that takes down the film industry for its misogyny and short-sightedness.  All of them have been very supportive of my lab and their example motivates me every day. 

Q: What keeps you motivated and inspired as an artist?

I have a prayer and meditation practice that keeps me grounded and inspired.  Also my work often centers on a social issue so I feel a real obligation to get the work made and out there.  Finally. my work with other women filmmakers in my lab inspires me every day – there are just so many brilliant women out there making amazing work.

Q: What other projects would you like to tell us about?

I have been making notes on two screenplays – a tragi-comedy called In Your Dreams and a romantic thriller called Fever set 100 years ago.  I hope to make both films with friends.

Q: What is one instance of knowing you are living in your vision?

Any time I walk onto a set – especially if it’s to direct something I’ve written – I know I’m living in my vision.  I just love it. 

Q: If there were no barriers to entry, what is one thing you would be doing?

The barrier I face – and most women filmmakers face – is money.    If I were able to have ready access to the money I need, I’d be making a film. 

Q: What has been big your biggest obstacle in achieving your vision?

Money.

Q: What do you do to stay connected to your creative self?

I consume art.  Whether it’s reading scripts or novels, watching films or plays, listening to music, looking at paintings or sculptures. I really love great art and it always inspires me.

Q: If you could let go of something that has held you back, what would it be?

It’s kind of hard to argue with the facts – that it is in fact much harder for women to get financed and distributed.  And yet on another level, I think it’s necessary to let go of that “truth” and go for it with the expectation that it’s going to happen.

Q: What is your favorite piece of art?

The desert island question – what would I bring…  anything by Johann Sebastian Bach.

Q: What person do you most admire, living or dead?

I have to say that in my lifetime, I most admire the Obamas.  The courage it took to walk into the buzz saw of the presidency given the racism in this country – in the world! – and how they did so much to move the country forward, and did it with such grace, good humor and excellence was just astounding.

Q: If you could be known and celebrated for one thing, what would it be?

That my work has helped women.

Q: If you could describe yourself in one word what would it be?

Imaginative.

Q: What is your guilty pleasure?

First, “guilty” and “pleasure” should never be in the same sentence. That being said, I love the water – I love looking at it in every light, in every season. I love smelling the salt. I swim and sail every day as soon as it’s warm enough.

I also like to cook and I like to garden. As a writer and filmmaker, I spend so much time in my head, I just love taking a break and working with my hands.  And in both cases – cooking and gardening – the rewards are immediate.  I love to eat and after an hour or so of cooking, I get to sit down to wonderful food.  And with gardening it’s even simpler – I get to dig in the dirt!

Q: If you could sit down with yourself 15 years ago, what would you say?

It gets better.

Q: Where would you most like to live?

I’m very lucky.  I have a little house by the water that we rebuilt slowly but surely over two decades and I just love it there.  We also have a place to stay in the city.  So I get to live in my two favorite places.  

Q: What is your idea of success? 

Being paid to do my own work.

Q: What is your idea of happiness? 

Doing my own work. 

Q: Final thoughts?

Thank you so much for asking me to do this.  Thinking through all these questions was really rewarding.

For this week’s Fast Forward Friday, we interviewed entertainer-MC-host-Interviewer Richard Skipper. He has conducted more than 700 interviews celebrating people in the arts. This past year, Richard completed an artist in residence at the Laurie Beechman Theater in New York City where he presented a monthly talk-variety show produced by Russ Woolley. His one-man show The Magic of Believing will be ready for booking when pandemic restrictions are lifted. For more information visit www.richardskipper.com.

Q: What are you currently working on? Tell us about it.

Since the pandemic hit, I have focused solely on interviewing others. It is really nothing new, but the platform has changed. For years, I’ve done in store interviews for Barnes & Noble, red carpet events, and blogs. One of my goals this year was to launch my own podcast. I live stream on Facebook and YouTube, and then it is syndicated through my podcast, which is syndicated on more than 25 platforms.   

Q: What was the inspiration and impetus for doing this project?

Richard Skipper Celebrates, my brand, came about several years ago when I started my blog. When I first began my blog, it was called Richard’s Rants and Raves. A good friend pointed out that I was always raving but seldom, if ever, ranting. He was right and I came up with Richard Skipper Celebrates because I believe every day is worth celebrating. I also want to be the antidote to all of the negativity in the world today.  

Q: In this current time of unprecedented change and uncertainty, what do you believe your role is in this moment?

To uplift. Building upon what I said before, there is enough negativity in this world. Why build upon it? I don’t know why we became a snarky nation.  

Q: Who are your artistic heroes – who have had an impact on you and your work?

My first artistic hero was Miss Florence. She was my first mentor. She instilled in me a reverence for those that have gone before me. She told me that every time I step in front of an audience (either physically or virtually), that I carry the mantle of all that have gone before me, and to this day, I take a moment to pause in gratitude for those that have paved the way for me. My other artistic heroes are Ed Sullivan, Merv Griffin, James Lipton, and Graham Norton!   

Q: What keeps you motivated and inspired as an artist?

By my very nature, I’m a very optimistic person. Even with what we are going through at the time of this interview, I’m looking forward to what I believe will be an even greater future. I love the creative process. After I do my morning pages and meditation, I’m open to the possibilities of what every day holds. I think of myself as a vessel and am open to the possibilities ahead of me. I try to say YES when I can. I think of each day, especially now, as its own entity. I also only think about what I can accomplish in the next 24 hours.

Q: What other projects would you like to tell us about?

I am very busy with my interview series. One of my goals going into 2020 was launching my own podcast. They stream live through Facebook and YouTube and then are syndicated on to more than 25 platforms. I’ve also launched a bi-monthly program with Dr. Judi Bloom called  Creativity In The Age of Covid.  

Q: What is one instance of knowing you are living in your vision?

Setting an “intention”  and following it through to fruition. When I apply myself wholeheartedly to my goals and they happen! Every time I hit the “end” button at the end of every interview, I know I’m living my vision.  

Q: If there were no barriers to entry, what is one thing you would be doing?

Exactly what I’m doing now. I have found my true calling in life. I truly love interviewing others and finding what makes them tick. My focus on others takes the focus off me, which is very gratifying especially nowadays. 

Q: What has been big your biggest obstacle in achieving your vision?

The word ‘no’. I’m a ‘yes’ man and unless the yes is going to be met with tension, I try to be open to that. The more I’ve studied the lives of others, I’ve discovered even with the greatest successes, there are those that go through life wanting to obstruct rather than being open to most opportunities.  Imagine a world of YES instead of NO!

Q: What do you do to stay connected to your creative self?

I’m a huge follower of Julia Cameron, The Artist’s Way.

 Q: If you could let go of something that has held you back, what would it be?

Projecting negative thoughts about an outcome when they are not warranted.

Q: What is your favorite piece of art?

That is truly a difficult question. I try to look at art through the eyes of those that create it. I’m always interested in the backstory. What are the circumstances that brought this piece of art to us? 

Q: If you could be known and celebrated for one thing, what would it be?

Being thought of as someone who is interested in others and always being present to their needs or helping them to be able to tell their story.  

Q: If you could describe yourself in one word what would it be? 

Empathetic.

Q: What is your guilty pleasure?

Believe it or not, my work is my guilty pleasure. I LOVE what I do!  

Q: If you could sit down with yourself 15 years ago, what would you say?

That was 2005, I was 44. I went back and looked at that calendar year. It was a very busy year for me workwise. I would say: enjoy the day to day process. Take the time to smell the roses. I also look at the people who were in my life at that time who are no longer here. Appreciate the people that make the fabric of your life. Show gratitude to all they bring to the table.  

Q: Where would you most like to live? 

Depends on the outcome of this year’s election!  

Q: What is your idea of success?

Being able to do what I desire to do when, where, and how I desire to do it without the permission of others.

Q: What is your idea of happiness?

My home life, my career, my pets, my husband, music, sitting in the audience of a great entertainer, being in the spotlight, sharing the spotlight, seeing those that I love succeed.  

Q: Final Thoughts?

Please go out and do something nice for someone else without expecting anything in return. Go to your Friend’s list on Facebook and call the seventh name on your list and tell them that you love them and what they mean to you! “We are all in this together, but not in the same boat!” -David Friedman 

 

For this week’s Fast Forward Friday, we interviewed  actor-director-writer-producer Morgan Millogo. Morgan spent five years as part of the Seattle Indie film scene as an actor and director, and was also a burlesque performer and emcee. Her recently released web series Tabs & Clea marks her first project as a writer, actor, director and producer since the passing of her father in 2010.

Q: What are you currently working on? Tell us about it. 

I just released my web series Tabs & Clea about a psychic going through a crisis of faith and her audacious ex-roommate showing up to help uncover the truth of a tragedy that was unforeseen. It’s six short episodes, which can all be found at tabsandclea.com. 

Q: What was the inspiration and impetus for doing this project? 

Tabs & Clea is an exploration of spirituality and death. What we get to know, what we don’t get to know, how there are reasons and a plan beyond our understanding. Being a spiritual person who does ancestral work and works with spirit guides, I have learned that even those of us who are in tune and work to help people, don’t get to know everything. Also, we aren’t always meant to save people, which is a harsh lesson for any hero journey and something that I wanted to explore with Tabs. How can you have a gift that is meant to help people, and death can still result? What is it like to have a spiritual gift and go through a crisis of faith? 

I decided to make a web series because I had an acting partner to play Tabs, and I initially was going to play Clea, until I discovered I was pregnant. I knew I could pull off making and completing this series with next to no money. I also have a love for television and decided this would be a fun, doable experience. I’ve made short films and I’ve worked on independent feature films. A web series format was exciting to embark on and there was a great freedom to allow the episodes to be the length that felt organic to each individual one. 

With all of my limitations and resources in mind, I wrote the series to fit what we could do. The majority of the scenes take place in the same location that I had access to, and I used the support of friends and family and local businesses to make the little things happen, such as DIY lighting, meals for the shoot, and art direction. The cast and crew came together based on everyone reading the script and wanting to do it. I am incredibly grateful to everyone who donated their time, energy, resources, talent and skills to tell this story. 

Q: In this current time of unprecedented change and uncertainty, what do you believe your role is in this moment? 

There are dual roles happening: an individual role and community role. For myself, I was laid off in April because of COVID and have been spending the months since running my household, doing deep work on myself, and looking for a job. My understanding is that this is my time to transform and evolve into the next chapter of my life. It is time for me to step up and embrace my dreams head on and not to give up. As a storyteller, I have a lot to offer this world, and I need to truly own and trust that. 

For my community role, being a true ally is my current focus. Within the work I do, I fight for diversity and inclusivity, and I tend to take on and support taboo or dark subjects that need to be explored and discussed. I listen to BIPOC about what good allyship looks like, and I work to be that ally. Supporting BIPOC through their projects and building diverse teams are top priorities for me as I move forward. I believe what many white people need to understand is there is room for all of us to share our unique voices. Just because a BIPOC person gets a job or gets funding for their project, doesn’t mean you will not. Oppression and racism are born out of fear, including fear of “the other” getting what you have or what you want, and then you don’t get to have it. This fear is not based in truth and can even be unconscious. It’s time to make it conscious and step up to release it. Now is the time for white people in the industry to do the hard work and not simply continue to hire their white friends and colleagues. Take the extra time to seek out true diversity, not tokenism, for your writer’s rooms, casts and crews. There is room for all of us, and we can support each other and lift each other up. 

Q: Who are your artistic heroes – who have had an impact on you and your work?

During my 20s, my greatest influences were Rebecca Miller, Miranda July, and Amanda Palmer, all incredible independent spirits with a DIY drive and intriguing experimental elements with their storytelling. 

As I have been in my 30s, I find myself inspired by anyone who bravely shares their voice and tackles difficult subjects. I am currently in awe of Michaela Coel and the brilliance of I May Destroy You.

Q: What keeps you motivated and inspired as an artist? 

Interviews where people go into the process of how they created something inspires me. I love hearing their thoughts, journeys, and feelings about it all. What were they trying to accomplish? How do they feel about it? What did they struggle with? I love every detail, and it gets my own thoughts and ideas stirring. 

Q: What other projects would you like to tell us about? 

I have a feature length, female driven, supernatural thriller screenplay that I am working to get into the hands of an agent in hopes to sell it.

I am also evolving Tabs & Clea into a full supernatural thriller series titled Missing. The series introduces an additional lead character who is a Native American woman deputy and goes into solving what has happened to multiple missing Indigenous women. The greater purpose of the series is to bring more attention to the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and GIrls (MMIWG) epidemic that is currently happening in the United States and Canada. Currently, I am doing research and seeking out a Native American woman writing partner to co-create this with me. 

Q: What is one instance of knowing you are living in your vision?

This last summer I directed a short film capturing the choreography and poetry of Meg Affonso, who is an incredible artist and was doing a show in Albany, NY, titled Body: An Experiential Art installation It was her expression of the separation of the body and soul and included her expression of being a black woman. The day we filmed was absolutely incredible. It was a small crew and two dancers, including Meg. There were no egos that day, and we all worked so beautifully together. Everyone contributed their ideas and the footage was gorgeous. I felt in my power and in my joy the entire shoot. That was living my vision and is my goal for every project. 

Q: If there were no barriers to entry, what is one thing you would be doing?

I would be fully financed for developing my own series. 

Q: What has been your biggest obstacle in achieving your vision?

Financial stability and being able to balance having a young family while working in film and TV. Working six days a week for 12+ hour days is not sustainable in general, let alone if you are a mother. I believe productions do not have to be run the way they are, and with the right mindset amongst the producers, a healthier work lifestyle can be formed. There are other ways to do production if we are willing to be open to it. 

Q: What do you do to stay connected to your creative self? 

I take walks in nature. This is where I feel grounded and magical. My thoughts can work themselves out, and I can open up to let new ideas rise. 

Q: If you could let go of something that has held you back, what would it be?

I would let go of self-doubt and worry.

Q: What is your favorite piece of art? 

La Sagrada Familia by Antoni Gaudi. I visited in 2011, and it has stayed with me. It felt like walking into a fairy tale. All of his work felt that way to me. The magic in his work vibrates through you and sparks your own inner magic. I’m in love with it.

Q: What person do you most admire, living or dead? 

My father. I reflect a lot on who he was as a person, the layers of complexities. I try to see him as a full human being, what he had to battle and overcome in his shortened life. I admire the interesting choices he made for himself and how he loved, for better or worse. He was open to everyone and kind to everyone, no matter their race or sexuality. His best friends were immigrants, whom he supported in any way they needed. I am who I am because of what I learned from him, how he treated others, and how he loved me. His openness and encouragement of all of my whims made me believe that I could do anything. 

Q: If you could be known and celebrated for one thing, what would it be?

A human being with an incredible mindset and willpower to make things happen. 

Q: If you could describe yourself in one word what would it be? 

Genuine. 

Q: What is your guilty pleasure? 

Spending time by myself either going out or staying in to be engrossed in something be it art, nature, or a movie or series. 

Q: If you could sit down with yourself 15 years ago, what would you say?

Cherish these moments, even the dark ones. Spend time with those you love. Trust yourself. Believe in yourself and your path. It’s going to be really rough, but there is purpose to it all. Never give up. Follow your intuition and use your voice. 

Q: Where would you most like to live? 

In a house wherever it is safe for my bi-racial family. 

Q: What is your idea of success? 

Work/life balance with my work as a filmmaker and having financial freedom. My child(ren) growing up to be kind, respectful human beings with an incredible inner strength. My husband pursuing and living his dreams. 

Q: What is your idea of happiness? 

Happiness is being in the present moment free from over analyzing the past and worrying about the future. 

Q: Final Thoughts?

Our country is in chaos and it is hard to navigate that while navigating what we are each going through personally. Don’t give up hope. Find hope in the small things. A small kind gesture from a loved one or even a stranger. A child laughing. The sweetness of a piece of fruit. The little things can add up to get us through each day. When it all gets too hard, go outside or look out a window. Take in the air, feel how big nature is, the earth is, and feel yourself a part of it. We are bigger than just this one moment. We can overcome this rock bottom as a collective, heal, and find our way to a better future for all. We may not know how we will get there or how long it will take, but trust that even the hard, terrifying times are part of the path. Wishing health, love, and safety to everyone.

For this week’s Fast Forward Friday, we interviewed award winning filmmaker Zeva Oelbaum. She recently co-directed and produced the NEH supported documentary Letters from Baghdad, which showed theatrically in over 150 theaters in the U.S. and U.K. and premiered on PBS in 2018. The film is voiced and exec. produced by Tilda Swinton. Oelbaum also produced Ahead of Time, a feature length documentary about journalist Ruth Gruber, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival before garnering six Best Documentary awards.  Click here to learn more.

Q: What are you currently working on?  Tell us about it.

I’m working with my producing partner  Sabine Krayenbühl, on a documentary film about the visionary artist and performer Loïe Fuller. The film is titled Obsessed with Light.  Fuller was the American creator of modern dance and a trailblazing inventor who became an overnight sensation in Paris in 1892. Electricity was still in its infancy, yet she invented remarkable lighting techniques, taking out numerous patents on these techniques, as well as stage design and costuming, as early as 1893. She even wanted to incorporate fluorescent materials into her costumes and worked with Thomas Edison on this project.  She was close friends with Marie Curie and Auguste Rodin, and her inventions became the foundation of today’s most elaborate multi-media productions. Fuller was one of the most famous performers in the world at the turn of the 20th century and although few people know her name, her legacy is remarkably strong. She has inspired or influenced luminaries including Taylor Swift, Alexander McQueen, and numerous other artists and designers. Both Dior and Valentino have referenced her in their recent collections.

We are thrilled that we just received a media production grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities for this film project! We previously received grants from the New York State Council on the Arts and Artemis Rising, so we’re feeling very optimistic about the potential of this project to reach a broad audience.

Q: What was the inspiration and impetus for doing this project?

After the distribution of our film about Gertrude Bell, we were looking for another remarkable woman whose name has been forgotten, but whose accomplishments still resonate today. When we looked  deeply into Loïe Fuller, we found an unconventional woman who achieved success on her own terms. She disrupted conventional ideas of femininity and gender identity and had enormous respect for the power of science to transform lives. We feel that her story is surprisingly contemporary.

Q: In this current time of unprecedented change and uncertainty, what do you believe your role is in this moment?

Loïe Fuller was an outlier in many ways and her story is an inspiring one. Bringing an inspiring story to an audience is always gratifying, but during these crazy and uncertain times, inspiring stories are, perhaps, even more valuable.

Q: Who are your artistic heroes – who have had an impact on you and your work?

I began my career as a still photographer, so I have been most influenced by painters and photographers. So many have influenced my work — from Cy Twombley to Anna Atkins to the incredible photojournalist Robert Capa. A zillion years ago, I was an intern at the International Center of Photography and have immense respect for photojournalists. I was very fortunate that Rizzoli Int. published a monograph of my cyanotypes, which I did as an homage to Anna Atkins. Atkins was the first person to publish a book illustrated by photographs in 1843. Documentary film is actually the perfect union of my love for both photojournalism and fine art.

Q: What keeps you motivated and inspired as an artist? 

The feeling that I have something potentially meaningful to contribute to the contemporary conversation keeps me motivated. I feel inspired by the subjects of my films and photography projects to get their stories across.  I hate the idea of people (especially women) being forgotten and written out of history.

Q: What other projects would you like to tell us about?

Our previous film Letters From Baghdad tells the story of another incredible woman, British explorer and diplomat Gertrude Bell. Bell was sometimes called the female “Lawrence of Arabia” but she was actually much more influential than her colleague T.E. Lawrence, helping to reshape the Middle East after WWI.

Q: What is one instance of knowing you are living in your vision?

When we were originally pitching our film on Gertrude Bell, we were told by one British broadcaster “why would we be interested in a film on Gertrude Bell, since she was only a footnote to history?” I’m happy that we proved him wrong. As a result of the press for the film, Gertrude Bell finally has a Blue Plaque installed at her London residence; and her archive at Newcastle University, which we used extensively, is now on the UNESCO Memory of the World Register, in recognition of its global significance. It is one of the few archives with this designation in the UK.  Bell has now been profiled in television segments, books and plays and we are very gratified that we have contributed to bringing Gertrude Bell back into the history books.

Q: If there were no barriers to entry, what is one thing you would be doing?

Exactly what I am doing.

Q: What has been big your biggest obstacle in achieving your vision?

Allowing myself to become discouraged, if I don’t succeed right away. Too many projects are still in my drawers!

Q: What do you do to stay connected to your creative self?

I never leave my creative self!

Q: If you could let go of something that has held you back, what would it be?

Being timid about expressing my vision.

Q: What is your favorite piece of art?

Too many to choose from.

Q: What person do you most admire, living or dead?

I most admire my grandmother who passed away when I was 16 years old. She was the first person in my family to come to this country. She arrived in 1905 from the pogroms in Lithuania with a cousin when she was only 14 years old. They made their way to St. Joseph, Mo. and were soon followed by the rest of their families. My grandmother and grandfather owned several buildings, but my grandfather developed a heart condition, so the upkeep of the buildings fell to my tiny 4’10” grandmother (along with raising 5 children). During the Great Depression, there were frequently men who would get off the train looking for work and my grandmother would always have chores for them, in exchange for a hot meal. She was grateful for their help and never turned anyone away. My grandmother sent both sons to medical school, two daughters to nursing school and one daughter to teachers college. She had grit and determination and was an incredibly generous soul.

Q: If you could be known and celebrated for one thing, what would it be?

Generosity of spirit.

Q: If you could describe yourself in one word what would it be?

Curious.

Q: What is your guilty pleasure?

Going to the Metropolitan Museum of Art … I’ve really missed going there this summer. It is deeply spiritual and nourishing to me.

Q: If you could sit down with yourself 15 years ago, what would you say?

Not to be intimidated by people who I think know more about what I am doing than I do

Q: Where would you most like to live?

Lots of places! I like Montclair, NJ ! (where I live now)

Q: What is your idea of success?

To be productive and continually engaged in creative pursuits

Q: What is your idea of happiness?

That my family is healthy and doing well and that I am able to pursue my passions.