SBIFF
2024 SANTA BARBARA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL WOMEN’S PANEL – MODERATED BY MADELYN HAMMOND
PANELISTS FEATURED:
Maite Alberdi (THE ETERNAL MEMORY) – Director/Producer
Karen Hartley-Thomas (GOLDA) – Hair and Make-up
Laura Karpman (AMERICAN FICTION) – Composer
Diane Warren (FLAMIN’ HOT) – Songwriter
Julie Zachary (NIMONA) – PGA and Head of Production at Annapurna Animation
Below are some highlights from the Panel:
JULIE ZACHARY – Nimona
- Speaking to the notes her team received about the LGBTQ+ themes and content in the film, Julie shared that, “We had received many notes along the way to ‘talk about the gay thing’ or to take it out, which we were never going to do…It’s so seamlessly integrated, because for Nimona specifically…we wanted to make the world reflect the world that we live in. And guess what, there’s gay people in the real world, there’s trans people in the world.”
- On writer ND Stevenson’s feelings on the film, Julie said, “At the end of the day, when we showed him our final version, we screened it in Burbank, he turned around and said ‘You guys made the movie I didn’t even realize I was trying to tell 10 years ago.’”
- On her new role as an executive at Annapurna, Julie expressed that, “As a filmmaker, understanding the business and understanding the process, I almost feel like it’s a perfect marriage.”
LAURA KARPMAN – American Fiction
- Talking about the representation of women in the composing world, and more specifically the percentage of women represented in the top films of the year, Laura noted that, “In 2014, it was 2% of the top 250 box office films. Now, 10 years later, we have advanced, we had 14%. But people, 50/50 by 2030. Enough with incremental change. It’s time to go for it.
- On the jazz undercurrent of the score, Laura stated that, “They were looking for people who were well-versed in jazz and people who had a tremendous amount of experience in film scoring…I grew up playing jazz and classical music, I learned them almost simultaneously, so for me, they’ve always been present in my work, even if it’s not as evident as it is here.”
- On the emotions involved with getting nominated, Laura shared, “What do you say, I literally still can’t believe it. I just never, ever thought it would happen. It’s something that I dreamed for so long, that one day I just stopped myself from dreaming it.”
MAITE ALBERDI – The Eternal Memory
- Speaking to the subjects of the film Maite explained that, “Both of them are very important figures in Chile. He was an important journalist, he made clandestine reports, things that wouldn’t appear in the official media. And when the dictatorship was finished, he was the main journalist, creating all of the programs that exist in the cultural memory… She’s a very important actress for television and theater, and she was the first minister of culture that we had in Chile.”
- On first seeing the two after hearing about Augusto Góngora’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis, Maite said, “It was unbelievable, they seemed very happy in this context. It was the first time I saw a person with Alzheimer’s not isolated or alone, and neither was his caregiver…And from there I knew I wanted to make this film.”
- Maite also shared a bit about what makes her film distinct, explaining, “We are so used to the fiction, dramas about Alzheimer’s, that it’s always tragedy, difficult, but they’re the perfect example that the way you manage and live are what make the difference.”
KAREN HARTLEY-THOMAS – Golda
- Karen shared a bit about her hesitations in joining the film with only 6 weeks to prepare, saying “You never want to do that kind of film Helen, an iconic woman, and Golda, an iconic woman, you never want to do it poorly.”
- Karen also talked about the specifics of the look she and her team created for Helen, explaining, “I think Helen had it in her mind that she’d have her face totally consumed, but we did the piece in a way different than most people usually do, we had eye bags, cheeks, separate pieces, so we could decide to do as many pieces as we wanted.”
- In terms of the process, Karen also shared a bit about the specifics of the application process: “It’s 2.5 hours to put it on, but 1 to take it off. And you have to be so, so careful when taking the pieces off.”
DIANE WARREN – Flamin’ Hot
- Addressing the reasons why she decides to do a project, Diane shared that “It’s not about money for me, it never was. If I feel like I can do something great for it, if I can get inspired by it. It doesn’t matter if it’s a doc or a huge movie, if I think I can do something great, I’ll do it.”
- Diane also talked a bit about the song itself, sharing that “The fire inside is about passion. And when you have that fire in your belly… As I was watching the movie, I was going ‘I’m Richard Montañez.’”
- Talking about the emotions she brought into the song, Diane said, “Everybody can slam doors in your face, but the fire inside burns all of them down.”
About the Santa Barbara International Film Festival
The Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit arts and educational organization dedicated to discovering and showcasing the best in independent and international cinema. Over the past 39 years, SBIFF has become one of the leading film festivals in the United States – attracting 100,000 attendees and offering 11 days of 200+ films, tributes and symposiums, fulfilling their mission to engage, enrich, and inspire the Santa Barbara community through film.
SBIFF continues its commitment to education and the community throughout many free educational programs and events. In 2016, SBIFF entered a new era with the acquisition of the historic and beloved Riviera Theatre. After a capital campaign and renovation, the theatre is now SBIFF’s new state-of-the-art, year-round home, showing new international and independent films every day. In 2019, SBIFF opened its own Education Center in downtown Santa Barbara on State Street to serve as a home for its many educational programs and a place for creativity and learning.
