What film do you think everyone should watch?
Totally unfair question! I’m an omnivore when it comes to stories. A luscious doc I recently screened was Dusty Groove: The Sound of Transition a film by Danielle Beverly about records, music, love and loss. Don’t laugh, but I’m in love with Star Trek Discovery, which I watch with my husband and our teenage son. Their global VFX team does amazing world-building, and how great is it to see multi-dimensional Black and Asian females as well as gender non-binary characters! I finally got to watch Gina Prince-Blythwood’s Love & Basketball, where you see her directing talents emerge, especially through high-velocity sequences on the court intercut with intimate dialogue moments. And I loved the series Ozark, with its dark and often surprising sound design by Nick Forshager and his brilliant re-recording team. (I’m very focused on sound and storytelling as my new book came out recently Nonfiction Sound and Story in Film and Video with co-author WIFV member Cheryl Ottenritter.)
What’s your favorite part about living and working in the DC/MD/VA region?
We have an incredible diversity of people and organizations here, which is wonderful from a storyteller perspective. I can interview nonprofit volunteers and CEO’s, Senators and aerospace experts–all in my own back yard! And three airports makes travel to more stories and international conferences (back in the day) easy.
Who inspires you?
I’ve always been inspired by our WIFV members–one of the reasons I got involved so many years ago. The list-serve shows the breadth of projects people are tackling, and the many challenges we are able to overcome–from technical to budgetary to subject matter. There’s always someone I can turn to for advice or support.
What story do you wish someone would tell?
Many people don’t know the story of Italian-Americans locked in internment camps during World War II. This is not to minimize the far larger number of Japanese Americans interned. But I think the Italian-American story can also shed light on our constant battle with who is “other” in this country. It’s a story I’m hoping to tell with fellow WIFV member Lauren Cardillo.
What’s your favorite place to celebrate success with your crew?
Normally I’m on the road a lot, so we celebrate wherever we are. I’m looking forward to getting back to those heady days on the road soon!
To celebrate WIFV’s 40th Anniversary, we reached out to the community to nominate the colleagues they admire. We are honored to have these filmmakers in our community as mediamakers, advocates, and mentors.
