Awareness Film Festival - Visit 57
Today is Kat’s 57th trip to the fertility doctor. Today’s going to be different, she’s
sure.
Interview with Writer/Director Kate Phelan
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
I’ve spent the last 25 years working on other people’s films- as an electrician/
gaffer and then as a cameraman (woman) but after I had trouble conceiving my
daughter 4 years ago, I decided I wanted tell this story. I’d never seen a woman
go through fertility onscreen and as a female cinematographer and now a
writer/director, I felt I had a unique perspective on the experience.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
In my world of NYC, I know countless women who’ve done fertility and yet we
rarely talk about it, even with each other. My goal was to tell what was true for me
and maybe hit some universal truths in the process. It’s a strange experience to
share your reproduction with a team of doctors.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
The illusion of control is a theme I thought quite a lot about. Kat is constantly
trying to control her experience from loud music to who gets on the elevator first -
even hiding her underwear during her exam but the thing she most wants is
beyond her reach. She can’t control if she becomes pregnant.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development and
production?
I worked on the script for about 18 months before settling on a shooting script of
10 pages. Even after we shot the film, I continued to refine and shape the story. I
had many more interactions at the office, profiling other women but ultimately the
story was Kat’s- everything else got cut.
The most important moment to me was always the conversation in the elevator.
Once I knew what I wanted that scene to do I built Kat’s character arc to get
there.
Katie Mantell, my incredible editor and I spent a few weeks trying to figure out the
opening title sequence. We knew we wanted Kat’s failures to linger onscreen,
just like they linger in her experience. And once Leo Gibbs came onboard and
started building sequences, the graphics pushed the story along in a way that I
couldn’t have imagined.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
I’ve gotten great responses from women who’ve been through the process. It’s a
tough thing to get through and I think so many women don’t share what it’s like.
The film has done well on the festival circuit, winning a screenwriting award at
Women’s Indie in LA, screening at Awareness and Hamptons. I’m happy so
many people have connected to it.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
I’ve been so touched by the women I’ve met who’ve shared their experiences.
For so many it’s been a very private matter so to be the first stranger theses
women have opened up to about it has been humbling.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible
on www.wearemovingstories.com?
I think fertility and women’s reproductive health in general is often oversimplified
into a sound bite. Thousands of women face challenges in reproduction and we
just don’t hear their stories. It’s as if pregnancy blots out what can be a multi-year
financial and emotional journey.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers,
distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
I’d love this film to continue to reach audiences both in film festivals and through
distribution. I think it could also begin a conversation in fertility offices about
the patient’s goal and expectations when starting the process. Everyone wants to
have a baby but the process can be a crippling one- financially, emotionally and
physically. From the day I started I thought, ‘How do I end this without feeling like
a failure?’ While I was going through it I wished for more resources to deal with
the emotional toll it took.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I hope people leave with a better understanding of what the experience is like.
And for women who are going through it, I hope they understand that they aren’t
alone.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation
about this film?
How do you think it ended?
What are the key creatives developing or working on now?
I just finished a pilot about a woman in an improv comedy group who puts her life
on hold, waiting for career success. It hits on a number of themes of VISIT 57
while mixing in some humor. I’m also directing an original pilot, The Big O with
Stephanie Kurtzuba.
Interview: September 2016
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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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VISIT 57
Today is Kat’s 57th trip to the fertility doctor. Today’s going to be different, she’s
sure.
Length:
12 minutes
Director:
Kate Phelan
EPs:
Tony Phelan & Joan Rater- Creators of CBS’ drama DOUBT
Rebecca Brower & Louis Venezia- PilotNYC
Producer:
Jenny Lee
Veronica Balta & Martin Nowlan
Writer:
Kate Phelan
About the writer, director and producer:
Kate Phelan gaffed GIRLFIGHT, PIECES OF APRIL and SUNSHINE STATE,
before becoming a director of photography. She’s shot promos for CBS, VH1,
TBS, Amazon & E! and pilots for MTV & VH1. Kate’s a part-time camera operator
on MADAM SECRETARY.
VISIT 57 won best screenplay at ’16 Women’s Indie Film Fest and will screen at
Awareness Fest and Hamptons Film Fest.
Key cast:
Tricia Paoluccio as Kat
Ursula Abbott as Handbag
Jorge Cordova as Dr Flores
Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors,
journalists):
YES!
Funders:
Kickstarter!
Made in association with:
Co-Pilot Films
Release date:
Festival premiere was 6.16