Women’s Panel (SBIFF, 2012) : USA

Review by:  Bethany Burns. Viewed at the 2012 Santa Barbara International Film Festival, Lobero Theater.

I attended the 2012 Santa Barbara International Film Festival Women’s Panel at the Lobero Theater on January 28, at 2:00pm, and my what a room full of amazing powerful women it was.  I felt so inspired and empowered listening to these women talk of the trials and successes of their careers. Madelyn Hammond also did an excellent job moderating the panel, and kept a smooth flow of dialogue throughout the hour.

On this panel was Julia Louis Dryfus, producer of Picture Paris. DeDe Gardner producer of  Tree of Life. Melissa Cobb producer of  Kung Fu Panda 2. Leslie Urdang producer of Beginners, and Denise Ream producer of Cars 2.

Here are some of the issues discussed during the panel.

-Why are women excelling at producing?

“It’s a lot of multi tasking, and patience” DeDe Gardner

“We are responsible for wrangling many different kinds of personalities” Julia

“We draw strength from being responsible for others” Melissa

-How do  you keep your vision in tact when producing your own independent films?

“Following your instincts” Julia

“Don’t do stuff for any other reason than you love it” DeDe

“All you’ve got is your instincts and your passion” Leslie

When asked to comment on her current television venture “VEEP” a show in which Julia plays the Vice President of the United States, she commented ” there are many parallels between show business and politics” In preparation for her role Julia has even spent time at the White House, to ensure she respectfully portrays the role of the VP as accurately as possible.

This panel wen on to discuss that in the face of any obstacle, one should always look for an opportunity. They shared with us their perspectives Hollywood  and the vast differences between the “Hollywood way” to produce a film and the independant way to produce a film.  Not every story is right for the big screen, and not every screenplay is right for Hollywood.  Picture Paris was Julia Louis-Dreyfus entry in the SBIFF. This film was written and directed by her husband Brad Hall, and was independently  produced by the couple.  Julia spoke of the many freedoms she had because this film was not produced by a Hollywood studio, and how much easier it was to stay true to the story.

The aspect of film that every woman seemed to agree with was the important role that marketing, networking, and film festivals play when you are trying to produce and release a film.  They recommended online video sources such as Youtube and Vimeo for amateur film makers to start getting their work out into society.

After all the schmoozing is said and done, it appeared to me s though all of these women had 1 thing in common, passion for what they do. Which has lead them all on the path to success.

 

 

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Published:
02.07.12 / 4pm
Category:
Films, Santa Barbara Film Festival 2012, Tributes, Panels, Q&As