Lanie Zipoy
February Filmmaker of the Month
Lanie Zipoy is a Memphis-born, Brooklyn-based director and producer. The Subject marks her feature film directorial debut. The film has won 20 awards during its festival run, including top honors at the Stony Brook Film Festival, Catalina Film Festival, Lighthouse International Film Festival, DC Black Film Festival, BronzeLens Film Festival and the Art of Brooklyn Film Festival, as well as the Best Actor award for Jason Biggs at Breck Film Fest. Lanie was also named the Best Director at the Newark International Film Festival and The Art of Brooklyn Film Festival, and she received the Mira Nair Rising Female Filmmaker Award from the Harlem International Film Festival.
She directed the short film Kid Sister as well as the play, which starred Zazie Beetz (Joker, Atlanta) and Dominique Fishback (Judas and the Black Messiah, The Deuce) in their first roles. She has produced indie narrative and documentary features. Her short film 17 Things I Wish I Could Tell You Since You Died played at Mini Fest in spring 2020. She produced for Recent Cutbacks the Audible Original parody Master Lecture Series: History of the 3rd Robot War (release date April 2021).
Filmmaker Interview
Tell us your backstory. How and why did you get into filmmaking?
I love filmmaking. I always have. As a young girl, my favorite films were dramas, not cartoons. Films, such as Norma Rae, moved me in tears when I was six-years-old. As a teenager, I made a couple of socially relevant short films about recycling and other issues. Those were for class projects.
While I was in my early 20s I made three deeply-personal, experimental shorts in 16mm, but those films were stolen before I digitized them. It was a heartbreaking loss. It took me years to make films again though I did spend some time behind-the-scenes for a local TV show, learning the ins-and-outs.
I lived other lives, working in fashion and theater, before returning to filmmaking. I first returned to line producing and producing feature films, both narrative and documentary. I made a couple more short films and then, leaped when I got the chance to direct The Subject.
What are the specific qualities that, in your opinion, make a film great?
A film is great when the method of storytelling and the story brilliantly coalesce into a cohesive whole, or in some cases, the two fight against each other in the most perfect way.
Often, a film soars when the vision of the director is locked in, guiding you firmly from start to finish. But, there are occasions where letting the story breathe and develop works better.
A great film is nearly hard-to-define and often due to the very personal taste of the viewer. My favorite indicator is when in a movie theater the audience sits in stunned silence through the end credits, taking in the feeling of the film that just unspooled.
What films have been the most inspiring or influential to you and why?
Many films rattle around in my brain all of the time. Here are a few that have sustained and inspired me since I first watched them.
Angela, directed by Rebecca Miller, is seared in my memory forever. Two young girls try to rid their mom of sin, going to extreme links to ensure a happy home life. The sisters’ relationship in the film reminded me of my younger sister and me. Throw in a haunting angel, religious overtones, and a powerful river. I knew this story inside out, yet was surprised by its emotional depth and arresting images.
Valley Girl, directed by Martha Coolidge, is known for being Nicolas Cage’s first lead role and its undeniable Valley Girl-speak. The film is about female teenage desire, romance and shopping. It’s easy to watch over and over, and I marvel at Coolidge’s shots and the heartbreaking and heart-racing performances she gets from her leads. Valley Girl pulses with a killer soundtrack (including hit track Melt With You) that serves as the film’s score. I cook dinner while blasting the soundtrack at least once a week.
Days of Being Wild, directed by Wong Kar-wai, is mesmerizing in its intensity. A period drama set in the 1960s in Hong Kong and the Philippines, the film follows the trials and tribulations of a group of young people as they navigate romantic relationships. The film is sensuous and sensual. You can practically feel the humidity while watching this film. A true visceral experience.
What’s harder? Getting started or being able to keep going? And what drives you to continue making films?
Keeping going is more challenging for me. I possess endless energy and ideas for the beginnings of creative projects. Ideas sprout daily. I have notebooks full of them. I share them with colleagues, who may be able to help them cross the finish line. Most film projects–indie film projects, that is–are years in the making. Literally. There are ebbs and flows…times when they receive all of our attention and times where they are tucked away in the corner of our desk or in the back of our minds. Finding my way back to them takes some energy, but can be the most delightful and invigorating activity. It’s like meeting an old friend again and being reminded how much you enjoy being in conversation with them.
How do you know when your story’s finished, when to walk away?
For me, it’s instinctual. It’s when in that moment of time, you feel a completeness–that all the elements (story, sound, color, editing) work beautifully together. It is, of course, an ephemeral feeling because years later, you could (and possibly want) to make changes to the film. That’s the thing about art. It is a time stamp of the moment it was created. Hopefully it speaks to the future and offers an understanding of the past too. But it is an artifact/a memory of who we are at the time of its creation and the world we live in at that moment. As much as it feels finished, it never truly is.
During the pandemic, I’ve rewatched popular 1980s movies with a group of cinephiles I’ve met on Twitter. And these films mean something different to me as an audience member than they did when I first watched them in my youth. They also resonate differently because 2021 isn’t the same as 1987. We are always changing, and the film’s meaning changes along with us.
Where do you get your inspiration from?
Inspiration comes from every place and is often incidental–a ride on the subway, a line from a film, a baseball game, late night conversations with friends, a joke, a momentous play, the wag of a dog’s tail, a hike, a terrific cup of tea, a bold work of visual art, a dream, and so many others. I try to be open and alert in case inspiration strikes. Listening deeply and being present are certainly helpful for this.
If I’m looking to jostle the creative juices, I read poetry or attend a poetry reading. Particularly in the early days of the pandemic, virtual poetry readings were the salve for my soul. Now, every night before bed, I read at least one poem and journal about it–the meaning, the images, the lyricism, its rhythm. All of these poems coalesce in helping me see the world in a new way, from a different perspective. Reading poetry often leads to enchantment as well as the hard truths of life. Some of the recent collections I’m reading right now include: Night Sky With Exit Wounds by Ocean Vuong, There Are More Beautiful Things Than Beyoncé by Morgan Parker, blud by Rachel McKibbens, and Finna by Nate Marshall.
What is your favorite aspect of film production?
In truth, I love it all. My favorite part is the creative conversations with cast and crew–the prep, the inspiration and the exploration. Drilling into the script to figure out how inventively to bring it to life. It starts when working with the DP (Darren Joe on The Subject), obsessively discussing how to film the scenes as well as its visual arc. It moves on to figuring out production design and costume design, and continues with in-depth talks with the actors. That is such joy, fountains of creativity where the script comes to vibrant life.
Then, I really adore exploring the sound design, composition and color. The conversations with The Subject’s colorist Oliver Ojeil were invigorating. I formerly worked in color within the fashion industry, and am obsessed with how much color affects our worldview and mood. For The Subject, I realized a life-long goal in working with composer Doug Wamble, whose work (Central Park Five and many Ken Burns’ documentaries) is extraordinary. We are also high school friends. Growing up together in Memphis means we have such a shorthand when working on the score. That was very edifying.
Why did you choose to submit to the Breckenridge Film Festival? What do you look for in a festival where you hope to show your film?
I submitted to the Breck Film Fest because I had heard from other filmmakers what a wonderful festival it is. And, they were right. The festival’s long history and beautiful locale were bonuses. I also love film festivals that celebrate nature and the outdoors. As a New York-based filmmaker, my world is filled with images of the urban landscape, which I adore. But, it’s also lovely to explore part of the world that isn’t as familiar to yourself–whether through travel or through film.
Being part of the 2020 festival was amazing. I loved connecting with the wonderful team behind the festival, and also being invited to give feedback to the winning high school filmmakers, whose films were stunning.
What are the next project or projects you are beginning work on?
I have a few feature films in the pipeline. They include a docu-fiction that follows a group of folks in their 70s and 80s who still have a passion for line and couples dancing. The film will be shot documentary style and star my aunt, mother and their friends, whose lives revolve around weekly dances. Another is a horror film written by a dear friend of mine and his collaborator. It’s based on a very true story and is quite chilling.
I also work in theater and comedy. With the group Recent Cutbacks, we have an Audible Original scheduled to premiere on April 1, 2021. Master Lecture Series: History of the 3rd Robot War features inventive storytelling, new worlds, human-created foley sound design and the riotous parody our live stage shows are known for. I’m excited for the world to experience this!
If there is one or more thing you think would make the film industry better, what would it be?
We need to take care of each other better. When making The Subject, I made sure that we worked reasonable hours, had good craft services and listened to what our cast and crew needed in support of our individual and collective artistry. What we experienced on set was just as important as the final film, especially because our film highlights a young man being taken advantage of. How could I advocate for one thing in the film, but not live it in reality?