Pan African Film Festival / Pasadena International Film Festival 2020 – God Bless The Cook
Chef Roslyn Spence trained at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, but her biggest critic remains her mother, a 94-year-old self-taught cook for Hollywood’s biggest stars.
Interview with Directors Zoe Malhotra and Annalise Pasztor
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
God Bless The Cook started as a journey into the restaurant industry’s treatment of women. I (Zoe) was interested in how food––an inclusive and traditionally feminine craft––had translated into a cold and discriminatory male-dominated industry. I interviewed local female chefs who seemed to reiterate the same thing: a general frustration with the way women are regarded in this profession but with no clear proposal to end it.
Then, I met Roslyn Spence.
Roslyn recalled similar sexist kitchen stories but spent most of the time detailing a passion for cooking and how that stemmed from her mother. If her mother invigorated such a passion for the craft and introduced such a clear way to involve respect and love in the process, could she inspire others to do the same? After seeing Roslyn and Edith together, it was clear that this mother-daughter pair deserved their own film.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
It’s a fun, food-filled film about a mother-daughter pair of chefs. Grits, gumbo and good home cooking are important for this family, whose lives remain heavily infused with their New Orleans roots all the way in Los Angeles. We hope audiences fall in love with these strong women and their rich relationship the way we have.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
We became captivated by the power of food in defining relationships, culture, and personality. Food wasn’t just sustenance, it was how Roslyn told us her story. We saw the attention to detail with every delicate flower she painted on a cake, fierce leadership skills while briskly whisking eggs in her classroom, and a devotion to her mother as she cautiously stirred grits.
As daughters, what we saw in Roslyn and Edith felt completely parallel to our own relationships with our mothers--uniquely heightened by their shared profession. Edith is the mother we know all too well: tough and relentlessly criticizing, but out of a place of love and guidance. Roslyn is the daughter we see in ourselves: stubbornly trying to make our own way in the world, but ultimately realizing just how much we owe to those who raised us.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
We made this film over a structured timeline of three months. While we knew what characters and broader themes we had at hand, it took hard work and many, many long days and nights in the editing room to land on the ultimate structure. We were very fortunate to work with such a talented team who helped us shape the film, from editing to our incredible score to coloring.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
The feedback overall has been positive! I think audiences everywhere can relate to the tension involved in parental relationships and the healing power of food.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
We haven’t had anything surprising, but it’s been fun to see everyone react to a different part of the film––the music is often a big point of interest, and people are usually surprised to hear that it was an original composition, all done by talented students!
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
This is a relatable film that reminds us of all of the relationships we value and how food can bring more than just nourishment to the table. It’s a moving piece for anyone who watches, and we hope to eventually bring this film to a larger audience.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
As we finish up our festival tour, we’re looking for a final resting place for our film. We’d love to be connected with buyers, sales agents, distributors or anyone who has recommendations for a home for the film. Please reach out if you're interested!
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
We hope this film will inspire others to value the connective quality food brings to our relationships. We all have stories that stem from a recipe or good meal, and we hope this film serves as a reminder of the healing power food can bring. At the very least, we hope this film motivates audiences to cook, laugh and dance together.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
How has food impacted your life? I think we take the connecting power of food for granted - we all have strong memories or associations with food, and underestimate how we can impact people’s lives with a good meal.
Would you like to add anything else?
We hope you enjoy the film, and we hope it inspires you to cook something for someone you love.
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
Zoe Malhotra is a filmmaker based in Los Angeles, currently working at Picture Motion, helping films to enact real-world social change.
Annalise Pasztor is a filmmaker and photographer based in Washington, DC, where she is currently the documentary fellow at The Atlantic.
Interview: February 2020
We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. 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
God Bless The Cook
Chef Roslyn Spence trained at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, but her biggest critic remains her mother, a 94-year-old self-taught cook for Hollywood’s biggest stars.
Length: 20:25
Director: Zoe Malhotra and Annalise Pasztor
Producer: Soraya Simi and Angela Webb-Pigg
About the writer, director and producer:
ZOE MALHOTRA is an Indian-American storyteller with 5+ years of production experience ranging in mediums from narrative to documentary to VR. She is currently working at Picture Motion, helping films to enact real-world social change.
ANNALISE PASZTOR is a filmmaker and photographer based in Washington, DC, where she is currently the documentary fellow at The Atlantic. Her work has been published at the Austin Chronicle and screened at Slamdance, AmDocs, Nashville Film Festival, DocLA, NFFTY, and the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival.
Zoe Malhotra and Annalise Pasztor co-directed God Bless the Cook as their thesis documentary at USC's School of Cinematic Arts.
SORAYA SIMI is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and environmentalist. She has produced a wide range of projects, from branded content to commercials to short films focusing on all different kinds of people, places, and stories. Her knack for problem-solving, sense of humor, and love of collaborating with filmmakers who are driven to make positive change with their work put her in good company with this amazing team.
ANGELA WEBB-PIGG hails from the beautiful lands of northern California. She is currently pursuing an MFA in directing & producing at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts. She came to cinema by way of experimental filmmaking which she studied at her undergraduate university, UCSD. She absolutely loves people, working with them, learning about them, and feels film is the best way to live out this passion.
Key cast: Roslyn Spence (herself), Edith Bell (herself)
Looking for: sales agents, distributors, film festival directors, buyers
Hashtags used: #godblessthecook
Other: IMDb
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? PAFF, Los Angeles - 02/21/19; Pasadena International Film Festival, Los Angeles - 03/14/19