Hollywood's Finest
Three mothers fight to create a family: McKenzie, a young woman in recovery who became pregnant while living in a tent; Cat, her nomadic mom; and Leslie, the social worker with her own history of addiction, housing insecurity, and losing children to foster care.
Interview with Director Claire Hannah Collins
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
I moved to Los Angeles right after college to start working at the Los Angeles Times, which does a lot of coverage of the city's housing crisis. I was curious about what the experience was like for people who became pregnant while living on the streets, and it turned out the paper had not covered that issue directly. I teamed up with reporter Gale Holland, who became a producer on the film, and after a few months of research, we received a call from Cat Trahan. Her daughter, Mckenzie, was seven months pregnant, living in a tent in Hollywood, and has just had all her belongings taken in a street sweep by the city. We connected that day. She was ready to share her story, and we were so fortunate to be able to follow her and film over the next few years.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
Housing insecurity is one of the most pressing issues in America: Hollywood’s Finest reports on it in a way rarely seen. By focusing on the intimacy of the relationships between mothers and daughters, we recognize that homelessness has never been an isolated problem. Through immersive verite and brutally honest interviews, we chronicle some of the most joyful and painful moments of Mckenzie and Cat's lives. We tell the story of women at the intersection of our shifting response to our gravest social problems: intergenerational poverty, homelessness, child neglect, mental health, foster care and addiction. We also explore the ways in which people find meaning and connection in their lives, even in the most difficult circumstances. Mckenzie is a talented musician, artist, and fiercely loyal friend and protector of her community. I think people will enjoy getting to know her through this film.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
At its core, I believe this is a story about family and the shifting identities one holds in becoming a mother. Mckenzie said it well: "It all starts with a mom. You have a mom, I have a mom."
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
The story was unfolding in real time as we filmed, and a number of things happened that we didn't initially anticipate. We also didn't begin working on this project intending to make a feature film! We thought we were making a short documentary or a web series. But the three women we focused on, Mckenzie, Cat and Leslie, were all extraordinarily generous in allowing us into their lives over a long period of time, and eventually, we realized that a feature documentary was the best format for their stories.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
Many people have shared that this story has opened their eyes to the importance of understanding poverty through an intergenerational lens. Mother-daughter relationships are so complex, and so I think a lot of people have connected with the challenge of creating a supportive network of chosen and biological family. Cat shared that this film has helped her feel less invisible, and Mckenzie told me that watching it has helped her process the challenges she's been through and overcome.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
I grew up outside the United States, and I think some of the politics around homelessness here feel very specific to this country. I imagined that this story would mostly resonate with American audiences, but I've been so moved to hear from people living all over the world who connected with the story and are rooting for Mckenzie.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
We are excited to share this film with as many people as possible! I'm hoping this connects with audiences interested in stories about people who are often excluded from the mainstream.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
We are just beginning our film's distribution and would love to partner with people interested in sharing it with a wider audience.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I'm hoping this film helps people engage with some complex topics through a more personal lens and feel more compassion, both for themselves and those with experiences that have felt distant. I'm also hopeful that this story can help spark some ideas on better ways to support people who are struggling with issues like housing insecurity and mental health.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
What kind of support is required to create a family?
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
I am in production on an intimate, coming-of-age documentary about juvenile prison abolition.
Interview: February 2023
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
Hollywood's Finest
Three mothers fight to create a family: McKenzie, a young woman in recovery who became pregnant while living in a tent; Cat, her nomadic mom; and Leslie, the social worker with her own history of addiction, housing insecurity, and losing children to foster care.
Length: 1:18:00
Director: Claire Hannah Collins
Producer: Erik Himmelsbach-Weinstein
Writer: Claire Hannah Collins and Gale Holland
About the writer, director and producer:
CLAIRE HANNAH COLLINS is a freelance video journalist and documentary filmmaker based in Los Angeles. Their work focuses on issues of incarceration and mental health. Hollywood's Finest is their first feature film.
GALE HOLLAND covers homelessness and poverty for the Los Angeles Times. Starting in 2005, she edited the cops and courts beat, wrote news columns and covered higher education. A series about college construction abuses that she wrote with Michael Finnegan won a 2012 investigative reporting award from the Nieman Foundation. A Los Angeles native, she has worked for USA Today, Copley News and L.A. Weekly and wants to understand the consequences of urban inequality.
ERIK HIMMELSBACH-WEINSTEIN is a senior director/video for features, sports and long-form videos. The UC Berkeley graduate has been an editor at Spin, Los Angeles Reader, Orange Coast and other publications. His work as a documentary writer and producer has appeared on VH1, ESPN, Food Network, Biography and TLC. His short story, “Fried Chicken,” was included in the anthology “Another City” (City Lights, 2001). He started his career on The Times’ prep sports desk.
Key cast: Mckenzie Trahan, Cat Trahan, Leslie Kerr
Looking for: sales agents, distributors and film festival directors
Website: www.hollywoodsfinestdoc.com
Made in association with: The Los Angeles Times
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month?
Big Sky Documentary Film Festival/Missoula, Feb. 24th in person and Feb. 25th-March 1st online.