Maryland Film Festival 2019 – Deborah Harry Does Not Like Interviews
Blondie’s Debbie Harry endures years of superficial, tedious, and demeaning questions from journalists until she devises a brilliant way to turn interviews on their head.
Interview with Writer/Director/Producer/Editor Meghan Fredrich
Watch Deborah Harry Does Not Like Interviews here:
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
I had the idea to make an archival documentary based on interviews, and my initial thinking was to pay attention to the way interviews are conducted in the media: who asks the questions, what kinds of questions are asked, and the power structures inherent between interviewer and interviewee.
Deborah (aka Debbie) Harry is someone who has always fascinated me, so I began watching the interviews she has given over the past several decades, starting with the launch of her career in the late ‘70s. After watching hours of footage of Debbie giving interviews, two things struck me: the belittling and misogynist questions she was asked and the deft and clever way she dealt with that treatment. Making this film was a process of bringing all those moments together so the audience could see what I had seen in the footage, and be able to put themselves in Debbie’s shoes.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
This is not your typical, staid documentary. This film is 17 minutes straight of shocks, laughs, and absurd situations met with even more absurdity. Debbie is endlessly entertaining as she parries and deflects the questions she is asked by journalists.
Because we all need to laugh about how strange sexism is. And it is helpful to pay attention to the temperature of our culture as we all boil inside of it.
Also, there is a musical montage about Debbie’s hope for a feminist future featuring a stuffed monkey!
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
I think most women have experienced feeling belittled or underestimated because of their gender. And I think all of us can identify with being asked intensely personal or just outright bizarre questions that are impossible to satisfy with any answer.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
Initially, I had conceived this as a much shorter film! I thought I’d string together a supercut of interview questions and the musical performance she gives at the end of the current film.
Instead, as I worked with the materials, I realized I needed to include more of Debbie’s biography – what she did in her career, the challenges she faced in her personal life – in order to show clearly how obtuse some of these questions were.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
The feedback I have received in both public and private screenings has been overwhelmingly positive! The audience connects with Debbie and her experience – they laugh, they wince, they cheer her on.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
The only thing I have found surprising is how differently men and women react to the film – and not in the way you’d expect! Men are much more shocked and disgusted by the sexism Debbie encountered. Women less so – perhaps because they experience it more directly in their day-to-day lives.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
I would like for people to watch the film. Deborah Harry Does Not Like Interviews premieres online on Monday, June 10th on NoBudge.com.
(Additionally, this film is still on the festival circuit, and I hope to screen it at more festivals this fall.)
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
It would be fantastic to have film critics and journalists embrace the film, to review and/or share with their audiences.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I would like for this film to be loved by all! All kidding aside, this film appeals to a broad and general audience, and so it would be great to have as many people as possible know about it and get the opportunity to see it.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
During the musical performance at the end of the film, Debbie sings “Here comes the 21st century, it’s gonna be much better for a girl like me.” As the audience now watching this film in the 21st century, we have to ask ourselves: Is it?
Would you like to add anything else?
Nope.
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
I am developing a short doc that explores how neoliberalism affected advertising messages directed at Millenials as kids.
I am also developing a longer, multi-part documentary film about the history of Manhattan’s East Village as an arts epicenter, a site of radical thinking and experiments in urban living, and a community of resistance against the financialization and privatization of our lives.
Interview: June 2019
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Deborah Harry Does Not Like Interviews
Blondie’s Debbie Harry endures years of superficial, tedious, and demeaning questions from journalists until she devises a brilliant way to turn interviews on their head.
Length: 17:19
Director: Meghan Fredrich
Producer: Meghan Fredrich
Writer: Meghan Fredrich
About the writer, director and producer:
MEGHAN FREDRICH is a documentary filmmaker. Her first film, Deborah Harry Does Not Like Interviews, held its World Premiere at Maryland Film Festival 2019. She is a Massachusetts Cultural Council 2019 Film Fellow. Her advertising work has been recognized with Cannes and D&AD awards. She lives in Somerville, MA with one human and three feline companions.
Key cast: Deborah Harry, Chris Stein
Looking for: film festival directors, journalists
Facebook: Public Interest Productions
Twitter: @megfred
Instagram: @meghanfredrich
Website: www.publicinterest.io
Other: Vimeo
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? To be released online on NoBudge.com - Monday June 10th 2019