What film do you think everyone should watch?
Capturing the Friedmans. It’s my favorite documentary of all time. There is not one moment in that film when you’re sure who to believe. It’s brilliant.
What is your favorite part about living and working in the DC/MD/VA region.
I live in Takoma Park and it’s like living in a small town. Everyone knows everyone else, I can walk to the farmers’ market and the post office, kids grow up together as if in a large extended family. There’s a real sense of belonging that I wouldn’t trade for anything. Same goes for my working relationships. Over the years, I’ve built a community of people who I trust implicitly. It’s not a large community, but it’s solid.
Who inspires you?
Beethoven. His work covers every emotion in the human experience.
What story do you wish someone would tell?
They say that there are only 10 real ideas for stories and that we’re all just rehashing the same story over and over again, just in a different form. I’d like to hear that 11th story. But we don’t know what it is yet because no one has figured it out. It’s a unicorn.
What’s your favorite place to celebrate success with your crew?
There is nothing like the afterparty when your film premieres at its first festival. It’s usually the only time when everyone who’s been involved gets together and sees the fruits of the normally years-long labor. It’s the only moment that I know of when crew finally breathes a sigh of relief. And accomplishment.
