To The New Girl
10 monologues from women scored who directly address their exes' new lovers.
Interview with Producer Hunter Drago
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Congratulations! Why are you making your film?
Our film, To The New Girl, is based on a play of the same name that one of my good friends, Samantha Macher, wrote. We've been talking about turning it into a movie for several years now. We realized it would be the perfect project to create using only women in the cast and crew, because the play already dictates a cast full of women.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
I think that the primary reason to watch is that the script is excellent. We tell 10 vastly different women's stories, using humor, drama, and a wide array of subject matters. It is a very unique piece, and I think there's something in the stories for everyone. Beyond that, supporting this film means supporting a group of up-and-coming women, not just in the cast, but in crew positions where women are often even more underrepresented than they are on screen.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
Each of the monologues in our script covers a very different topic, so as I mentioned I think there's something specific for everyone to connect to. One character is a young woman who's ex-fiance is a drug addict, another is an elderly woman who's husband suffers from Alzheimer's disease and no longer remembers who she is.
The film covers a wide spectrum. For me personally, I think there's a piece of each monologue that I connect to on a personal level and I think many other people will feel the same way.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development and production?
We've really stuck to the original play's script. Each of the monologues will be filmed in a theater space, and then we'll have a group of ten female directors each work with one monologue to create a short film to go along with it. This series of shorts will make up our final feature-length film. So, we expect that there will be a lot of creative choices from our directors, and that the finished version will be something fresh and exciting to see.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
What's been really exciting at this point is getting feedback from our cast and crew, who are so excited to read the script and delve into these fully-developed female characters. That's something that, unfortunately, isn't so common in Hollywood and so I think everyone is very excited by that. We're still running our Kickstarter campaign, and that has also been exciting because so many strangers have reached out to say how excited they are about the prospect of an all-female film.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
In general the feedback to the concept of the film has been really wonderful and inspiring. I love seeing other women (and men too!) reach out to us to say they want to support women in film. There are some excellent communities on Twitter, for example the Women Occupy Hollywood account, that are doing so much to help creators like ourselves get the word out.
We have also had a few naysayers come along. A couple of people have said that our film is inherently sexist because we're "excluding men." I think that's silly, because we're just one small project that is trying to make a statement. We certainly don't have anything against the contributions of men in the entertainment industry, we'd just like to see more women in these roles as well. This film is our way of contributing to that conversation and movement.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
I'm always excited to connect with a new group of people, especially those that support the arts, and I think what you all have put together is wonderful!
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
We're absolutely still seeking women to take on behind-the-scenes positions, in all areas. Right now, our Kickstarter campaign is running until August 9th, 2016, what we really need is more visibility in the media, so connections with journalists would be extremely welcome.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
Our intention is to make a strong statement about women in the industry, and how having more women in behind-the-scenes positions impacts a film. Beyond that, I believe our film has a great series of stories to tell and more than anything I'd love to see those stories reach a wider audience. The play version of To The New Girl has been performed at theaters all over the country to great reviews. It would be wonderful to see it expand its reach.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
What impact does a female perspective have? If a film is telling women's stories, shouldn't women be steering the wheel in major aspects of its production?
Would you like to add anything else?
We'd be very grateful if your readers would check out our Kickstarter Campaign (www.bit.ly/tothenewgirl) and help us spread the word, so that we can make this movie happen!
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We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series and music video. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
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To The New Girl
Length: TBD
Director: Laura Brunkala, Ambika Leigh, Adriana Gonzalez-Vega, Amanda Lippert (still seeking 6 additional directors)
Producer: Samantha Macher, Hunter Drago, Ariel Trocino
Writer: Samantha Macher
Key cast: Lynn Chen, Skyler Vallo, Alexandra Boylan, Helenna Santos, Hunter Drago, Lauren Castle, Lauren Francesca, Lavetta Cannon
Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists): All of the above.
Funders: Kickstarter Campaign at www.bit.ly/tothenewgirl
Release date: TBD 2017