The Queer Film Review // swenkemedia.com

Bruce LaBruce, director of OTTO; OR, UP WITH DEAD PEOPLE took a moment to speak with QFR about Maya Deren, nonconformity, Queer culture, and the craft of filmmaking. Bruce has a unique vision and fearlessly fused beauty and horror to create a truly captivating, honest story. Beneath the gruesome appearance of Otto, the potential zombie, is a fascinating character and a must see movie. OTTO; OR, UP WITH DEAD PEOPLE screened at the Sundance Film Festival this year. Bruce, thank you for your insightful words.

director Bruce LaBruce

QueerFilmReview.com: Why gay zombies? What was the inspiration for the film?

Bruce LaBruce: I kept on running into kids in their late teens/early twenties who told me they were dead or felt dead inside. Not just gay kids, but kids in general. They seemed to be disaffected and disassociated from the world. I figured it had something to do with a feeling of hopelessness and helplessness in the face of an increasingly corporatized world, and also perhaps something to do with the brainwashing and alienation that results from a world full of tech gadgets and corporate media saturation. Also in terms of gay teens, the suicide rate is high, and they often feel oppressed and alienated from the broader culture. So I wanted to make a movie about teen angst expressed in a modern horror idiom, which would be zombies. The horror tropes of the past, like vampires and werewolves, are about the individual against society, about nonconformists on the fringes who don’t fit in. The modern monster, the zombie, is the ultimate consumer and conformist. Zombies are interchangeable and they all act the same. So I wanted to shift the paradigm and make a zombie who is a nonconformist and a rebel. I think a lot of kids feel that way.

QFR: As a writer, where do you go to get your ideas?

BLAB: I try to read the zeitgeist. I talk to people in both the real and virtual worlds and try to figure out what’s in the ether. I also try to take myths and movies from the past and reinterpret them. I also like to use movies as a soapbox to relay certain political messages, although I try to do it in an entertaining and paradoxical way so as not to be too literal or preachy.

QFR: Do you find your characters change from page to screen?

BLAB: Some do and some don’t, but it’s more complicated than that. In Otto, for example, the character of Medea was partly based on Katharina Klewinghaus, the actress who plays her. I met her socially in Berlin before I wrote the script, and then I partially based the character on her. (Although not a lesbian, she is a female filmmaker with strong political views who loves the work of Maya Deren, etc.). I cast Jey Crisfar, who plays Otto, after meeting him on MySpace. He had the quality I was looking for, someone young and a bit blank and hypersensitive. (He also had to be very young to still look young and cute after putting on all that zombie make-up!) I had my storyboard artist, Dr. Wunder, base his storyboards of Otto on photographs of Jey that I gave him. So these characters were really very much what I had in mind on the page. Of course both of them brought something unique to their roles, something very personal.

Photo from OTTO; OR, UP WITH DEAD PEOPLE

QFR: What was your favorite scene from the movie? Why should people go see this movie?

BLAB: I love the scene in which Medea and her brother Adolf bury Otto in a grave and then film him emerging from the earth as Medea gives him direction. She says the following:
“Action! Now raise your hand up out of the grave. That’s it. Raise it as a protest against all the injustices perpetrated against your kind. Raise it in solidarity with the weak and the lonely and the dispossessed of the earth, for the misfits and the sissies and the plague-ridden faggots who have been buried and forgotten by the heartless, merciless, heterofascist majority. Rise! Rise!”. For me it really has a quality of Grand Guignol, which I love, but beyond that it nails the thesis of the film: that homosexuals have historically often been buried and forgotten and not really valued or understood by the majority. Medea is making a political statement, but the scene is also melancholy and a bit heart-breaking. I think a lot of people who are homosexual or who have gay friends can relate to this scene.

QFR: I think people often don’t understand the genre of zombie movies and gay movies: what do you think is unique about your combination of two under-appreciated areas of filmmaking?

Photo from OTTO; OR, UP WITH DEAD PEOPLE

BLAB: I always tell people jokingly that if they’ve ever cruised a park or public washroom or bathhouse for sex, it really is like Night of the Living Dead! And I don’t mean that in a totally judgmental way: there’s something exciting about that anonymity, the faceless body parts, the somnambulistic trance you go into when searching for sex in dark corners. So I wanted to make that connection. But also I think a lot of gay people have had to deal with the paradox of fighting to be accepted and approved of by the mainstream but also in the process being expected to conform to more acceptable forms of behaviour, to become good consumers in capitalist society like everyone else. It’s almost as if they have to give up part of their identity to gain the same rights as everyone else. Medea says, after Marcuse, “A person who functions normally in a sick society is himself sick,” and I think that really pinpoints the dilemma. For me zombie movies are inherently political, as is being gay, so the combination of the two makes a strong statement.

QFR: Do you like other horror films, what are they?

BLAB: I love the horror genre. I love all sorts of horror movies, from splatter and gore (I love the original Halloween and early David Cronenberg) to psychological (like The Innocents or Repulsion) to metaphysical (like the original The Haunting or The Legend of Hell House). For this movie, however, I was paying homage to low-budget horror movies that are more whimsical and philosophical in tone, films like Curtis Harrington’s Night Tide, Herk Harvey’s Carnival of Souls, and George A. Romero’s Martin. Each involves a character who could be a real monster/creature, or who might just be a screwed up person who doesn’t fit into normal society. I wanted to make more of a mood piece, something droll and necrophilical along the lines of the cartoons of Charles Addams and Edward Gorey. I also wanted to lure straight horror geeks into the movie on the promise of a zombie film, and then torture them with a melancholy gay love story with feminist overtones. I really hate how these straight horror geeks get away with being homophobic and misogynistic, slobbering over all these gross torture movies. Otto is my little sweet revenge on them.

QFR: What do you think separates Otto from any other character?

BLAB: Otto is very modern. He’s very fashion-forward (the costumes in the film are by designer Rick Owens), and yet he is homeless and filthy. He’s a zombie with an identity crisis. He doesn’t want to eat human flesh so he eats road kill instead. Zombies are supposed to be conformists and consumers, but Otto doesn’t relate to that. He’s equally alienated from the living and the undead, so he’s a lonely little in-between.

Photo from OTTO; OR, UP WITH DEAD PEOPLE

QFR: What have been some of your other film accomplishments?

BLAB: I guess the films I’m best known for are Hustler White, a meditation on hustlers on Santa Monica Boulevard in LA, and The Raspberry Reich, a porn film about sexual revolutionaries. My films have been very low budget, but they’ve managed to gain an international audience. That’s quite an accomplishment for me.

QFR: How do you handle the stress of production?

BLAB: Shooting Otto was the most fun I’ve ever had during production because I had about ten times more money than ever before so we had a much better camera package and we could be more creative visually. But I shot every day for three weeks for up to 14 or 16 hours a day, so it was pretty stressful. You just have to throw yourself into it and focus on the vision you have in your head. You just go into another world where the only thing that matters is getting the movie in the can. It’s a kind of megalomania.

QFR: What was the chemistry like on set?

BLAB: This is the fourth picture I’ve shot with cinematographer James Carman, so we have a nice shorthand going on. Even though I had significantly more money this time, it was still a low budget film, so we really had to push the cast and crew really hard, sometimes beyond reasonable endurance. Jey Crisfar in particular was put through a lot, having to eat raw meat and walk through fields of killer bees and be buried in the cold, cold ground in a cemetery on his 19th birthday. But he was a trooper. The cast and crew really believed in the film, so the overall spirit of the shoot was very strong.

QFR: How did the team come together?

BLAB: We counted at one point and figured out that the cast and crew came from ten different countries! We just put out the word that I was making a zombie movie, and we had people coming from all over wanting to work on it. I’d worked with James a lot, and also with Diego Reiwald, the sound recordist, on a previous film; Stefan Dickfeld, the art director, also did the production design on The Raspberry Reich. Soren Salzer, the head gaffer, has also worked on all my movies since Hustler White. And of course Jurgen Bruning has produced or co-produced all six of my feature films. Some of my co-producers this time – Javier Peres, Terence Koh, Bruce Bailey – came from the art world. Javier represents me as an artist with his gallery, Peres Projects. I brought in some new Canadian producers I’m working with, New Real Films. So it was quite diverse and international.

Photo from OTTO; OR, UP WITH DEAD PEOPLE

QFR: What Queer themes do you think are apparent in Otto; or, Up with Dead People?

BLAB: The main queer theme of Otto is that homosexuality is an opportunity to be different, and to conform or assimilate defeats the purpose. And it’s not about your outward appearance or your identity; it’s about a philosophy of being. To be queer gives you a unique perspective on the world, and it’s a shame to feel like you have to divest yourself of everything that makes you different in order to fit in. Frankly, I’d rather be dead. Undead.

–reviewed by T. Nova

For more information, please browse:
OTTO; OR, UP WITH DEAD PEOPLE
Bruce LaBruce

“Why must people focus on the darkness in the world when all most people want to do is achieve some kind peace.” This line from director Jennifer Phang’s and producer Reuben Lim’s film elucidates one of the primary tensions of the film: an impeding sense of doom about human relantionships, our treatement of our homes, and our spiritual growth. Recently, Half-Life took the Grand Jury Prize at Gen Art and went to Sundance Film Festival.

QueerFilmReview.com: What inspired you to make the film, Half-Life?

Reuben LimAs a producer it was the strength of the writing, the unique nature of the visual and emotional landscape that Jennifer intended. As an Asian American filmmaker it was important for me that the story portrayed ultimately a suburban family which happened to be Asian American but ultimately delved more into the family drama and the story than the ethnicity of the family.

QFR: In what ways do you think Half-Life is timely for Queer issues?

RL: As a film Half-Life touches on Jonah and Scott as a gay couple but focuses more on their relationship and their interaction as a couple. Even the broader social issues are couched in the context of their personal development and ultimate deterioration as a couple. I think the film is progressive in not making an issue of the fact that Jonah and Scott are gay but rather exploring the the dynamics of their relationship and the pressures on it.

QFR: Why use animation and color effects?

RL: There is an emotional space that exists in both the reality and the minds of Timothy who is one of the focal points of this story and animation allowed us to relate that space to the audience in a more visceral way. It was also we also approached our visual effects from a very emotional standpoint rather then a technical standpoint in terms of its presentation as most of it was motivated through a child’s perspective on a failing world.

QFR: When Queerness is brought up in the film, what role do you think it plays? Why does it matter?

RL: When Scott tells his friend Pam that he had sex for the first time with his gay lover, it isolates Pam, one of our principal characters, and shows her loneliness as her best friend and crush is in a different emotional place. As we are introduced to his lover, Jonah, as a school teacher and then brought into their relationship, that relationship takes on a life of its own. While we know that Scott and Jonah are gay, we are more

concerned about how they treat each other and how they express their love or neglect it. While familial and social pressures are definitely a factor specifically because this is a gay couple, their relationship is another way for us to explore who we as people and how we treat each other while we are caught up in our own day to day wants and desires, regardless of orientation or color.

QFR: Do you consider your film experimental, why or why not?

RL: There is a strong narrative to Half-Life though not in a typical structure. The way Jennifer uses visual effects and animation as well as sound design to allow our audience to enter the emotional world of our characters is unique and lends to the success of the film. All these are non-traditional methods in cinema story telling. I would say it is more purposeful than experimental, though. It definitely expands the vocabulary of filmmaking and story telling to a degree.

QFR: When did you know you were going to be a filmmaker?

RL: About 7 years ago.

QFR: How did the crew of the film come together?

RL: Jennifer and I met on a project in 2002 and started developing Half-Life in writers group that she was one of the founders for. Many of the crewmembers were people that either she and I had both worked with before or that she went to film school with. Others were through referrals and many of our bay area crew came from the months of pre-production that Jennifer and I spent in Walnut Creek scouting and prepping for the production.

QFR: Why shoot the film in the Bay Area? Does this hold any significance?

RL: The bay area has a unique landscape of manicured lawns amidst the natural summer/fall beauty of an arid landscape of golden rolling hills that spoke to us in many ways. The story was also conceived from Jennifer’s life in the bay area and it made sense overall to incorporate a lot of those elements. We also received a lot of support from the local communities.

– interviewed by T. Nova

For more information, please browse:

Half-Life

Creating independent film is like sewing a patchwork quilt. As filmmakers stitch together their stories using light and lenses as needle and thread, the product is as memorable as it is personal. Kelly Sebastian’s film, “a gIRL aND a gOLDFISH”, is a bright patch; it is a story of love and loss, forcing viewers to not forget the Queer experience. Surely, this narrative love song is only the first of many stories she will direct and write, and when and where she brings her pieces together, a fresh perspective will be forged, baring witness to Queer life. Kelly, thank for taking the time to speak with QFR.

QueerFilmReview.com: What was one of your defining moments as a filmmaker, a time when you realized making this film was what you had to be doing?

Kelly Sebastian: I have been making films since my later teens. I started with experimental avant-garde forms, that then shifted into documentary works, & a few years later after working on other people’s projects & beginning to work as a casting director for narrative work, I found it was time to tackle the next formula.

I always see my projects through. When I want to accomplish a task…I do it. With ‘a gIRL aND a gOLDFISH’ I knew would be made, but when I would/could make it, I wasn’t entirely sure about. The storyline for ‘agaag’ had been born for maybe about a month, & then the call came that I got the green light to a lender camera from a friend for 2days, that is when I knew I had to make this film.

QFR: Why do you think Queer media matters?

KS: All media matters. Everyone has a voice that deserves the respect of being heard. Queer media has an obligation to provide a vehicle for our voices to yell, shout, speak & whisper.

QFR: What are your favorite films? Queer Films?

KS: I have a laundry list of films that are important to my head & my heart…here are some highlights of Queer Film for me:

Transamerica
Aimee & Jaguar
Brokeback Mountain
The Aggresives
Trembling before G-D
All Over Me
Boys Don’t Cry
Watermelon Woman

Desert Hearts

Also: I am very much inspired by: Exp. Filmmakers like Sadie Benning, Bill Viola, Nam Jun Pak, Doc. Filmmakers the Maysles Bros.& I am very inspired by the directing careers of contemporary filmmakers: Lisa Cholodenko, Mary Harron, Gus Van Sant, John Waters, David Lynch, & The Coen Brothers.

QFR: When did you start writing? What makes your writing important to you?

KS: I have always been a writer; whether it is the boxes of poetry I began writing in my early adolencese, or the words I scratched into inch thick paint on a canvass. If, in specific we are talking about screenplay form, which began about 3 yrs ago.

Writing is an exorcism of sorts for me. It’s the sandbox in which I make characters & words play nice, pick fights, then kiss & make-up with each other. I always carry pen & paper & am constantly making & taking notes. It’s my therapy.

QFR: How have other artists motivated you?

KS: Simple: it’s called inspiration. I have a bulletin board, a ‘think’ board in front of my edit station. Posted on it, there are probably over a hundred different images & or words of other artists.

QFR: As a New York based filmmaker, what do you love about the city? In what ways do you draw inspiration from its energy?

KS: First, I will concentrate on the positive energy here…
New York is wonderfully hyperactive city, the energy is very attainable & easily morphed into positive clear thoughts to whose windows I open for air. I also Know the negative energy & I have been blessed with an awareness to find a solid balance within my existence here to keep the negative at arm’s length.

I love this city because it has taught me to breathe. & when I loose my breath, she helps me to find it once again.

QFR: Ideally, what sort of work do you want to do in the future?
KS: I am going to continue on my paths of artistic expression, which is essentially my job/my work. My art, whether it be directing, writing, casting, or the next new turn around a corner, cumulating into www.ohtheladies.com, my vehicle for driving home & creating exciting & adventurous productions in the future.

QFR: Thematically, what topics appeal to you and why?
KS: A lot of themes appeal to me. I most especially enjoy ‘rising out of chaos’, I enjoy seeing characters 360/180 or even their attempt to do so, I like wordy aggressive dramas & I enjoy mute juxtaposed images, I like extremes & soft lullabies.

QFR: To make Queer movies you need many allies – who supported you during the various phases of making “a girl aND a gOLDFISH”?

KS: My allies during the making of that film, were through & through two people: my co-writer/co-editor Caitlin Egleson & my Director of Photography Sara Heart Bacon.

QFR: As a visual artist, what motifs do you use to keep the film’s aesthetic vital?
KS: A magician must never reveal his tricks…right?

QFR: How do you see your film in context of Queer cinema?

KS: It exists, therefore it is.

– Reviewed by T. Nova

After seeing the greatest film ever made, QFR caught up with “Pariah” producer, Nekisa Cooper. Now at work, on making a feature of the popular short, she was able to sit down and answer some of our questions! Her film, “Pariah”, recently went to the Sundance Film Festival. It is available to watch on the iTunes stores. Nekisa, thank you for taking the time to speak with us.

QueerFilmReview.com: In “Pariah”, what character did you identify with the most, and what compelled you about him or her?

Nekisa Cooper: In “Pariah”, the character I identify with the most is the lead character Alike. I, like her, have felt like a chameleon that never quite fit in anywhere, especially right after I discovered I liked women. Once I accepted myself, which took me over 6 years, I felt compelled to figure out how to express myself and had some really funny and sad times coming to a space where I felt OK in my own skin.

QFR: What was it about “Pariah”, as well as Dee Rees, that encouraged you to take that leap to produce the film?

NC: I didn’t need any encouragement to produce “Pariah” or to work with Dee Rees. I had the pleasure of producing another one of Dee’s shorts titled “Orange Bow”, which chronicled the journey of a 16 year old black teenager juggling multiple obstacles on his way to a party. I don’t want to give away the story, but that film had a social consciousness bent to it and she was so innovative in the way she told the story that I knew I wanted to continue to work with her on whatever projects she had. Also, because the story of “Pariah” was very similar to my own, it was really an honor that Dee wanted me to produce for her.

Clip from “Orange Bow”

QFR: How did you address some of the production problems?

NC: First, I wouldn’t call them “production problems,” I’d call them “production challenges.” We faced the same challenges that most filmmakers face—financing and gathering dedicated crew for little money. I met those challenges head on with creative resourcefulness and a lot of planning—preproduction for the short was almost 6 months. When you have a small amount of money, you have to plan way ahead so that when you’re on set, the only challenges you are dealing with are the production specific ones, not getting the right people and equipment at the right place at the right time.

QFR: “Pariah” just opened a new space/// even if it’s just within myself. What other films/ works do you think allowed this film to be done?

NC: If you asked Dee that question, she would say her main influences were the literary works of Alice Walker, Toni Morrison, Nikki Giovanni, etc. For me, whether it is a literary work or a Spike Lee film, any piece of media that gave voice to the voiceless served as an inspiration for us to tell this story. Our mission as a production company is to use the pop culture medium of film to serve the marginalized and misrepresented because we believe it has the power to make people aware and perhaps even change hearts and minds—even if it is just one heart and one mind—it’s absolutely worth it.

QFR: What was the location of the film? Dee Rees is from Tennessee, where are you from? And how do you think your geography
influenced the film?

NC: “Pariah” was shot in multiple locations in NYC. The main setting was the South Bronx, but we also shot in Manhattan and Brooklyn. Yes, Dee is from Tennessee and I’m actually a “military brat,” my father was in the Army and throughout my childhood I basically moved every 2-3 years. I’ve lived all over the southeastern US and also in Germany for 6 years.

QFR: Where’d the title come from? What does it mean to you?

NC: The title for the film was another sign of Dee’s brilliance. In one word it sums up the essence of the main character. She is a person who feels alienated even in places where she should be comfortable—at home, with her best friend at a club… The title and that sentiment—a pariah— really informed all of the aesthetic choices you see in the film, from the tight interior spaces to the spatial arrangement of the elements in a scene.

QFR: Can you speak more on Brad Young, director of photography? Where can we find more of his work/ his background? What do you think it is that makes the three of you work together so well?

NC: Brad Young, the director of photography for “Pariah” is like a brother to Dee and I. He is an exceptionally talented artist who not only works well with moving images, but is also an incredible still photographer. He went to Howard for his MFA in film and he has shot numerous commercials, music videos, You can check out more of his work on his website— www.bradfordyoung.com. Brad, Dee and I work so well together because we truly look at each other as family and we’re all determined to sacrifice as needed to tell our stories. He is an incredibly collaborative partner that makes Dee and I better at what we do and I feel so blessed to have him on our team.

QFR: Adepero Oduye. How did you find her? Why did you choose her?

NC: You may not believe this, but we found Adepero Oduye, who plays the lead character in the film, on the first day of auditions at NYU. She is a rising star in the NY scene having done LAW & ORDER, ON THE OUTS, and a small part in HALF NELSON. She is represented, but actually saw our casting breakdown online and submitted herself to audition. We loved her look instantly as we were perusing headshots and we were blown away by her audition. Dee knew right away that she was “the one,” but my producer’s instinct wanted her to see more people. Honestly, though, when her audition was over and she left the room, I rushed to the bathroom and didn’t expect to find her in there, but she was there changing from the more masculine clothes she had worn to the audition into much more feminine garb and I almost cried right there in the bathroom. Just from reading the casting breakdown, she had the foresight and intuition to prepare in such a way that she was Alike on the first day of auditions… I’m sure she thought I was crazy, but at that moment I knew she was “the one,” too.

QFR: When did you know you were going to become a filmmaker?

NC: Filmmaking is actually my third career. I know today that everything I have done in the past has led me to producing film, but if you’d asked me 4 years ago what I’d be doing today, I definitely wouldn’t have said producing. It would’ve been more along the lines of Marketing Director for Colgate Palmolive in Australia or something. Right after I graduated with my BA, I went and coached college basketball and then I thought that I would go back to school to get an MBA so that I could work in athletics administration and I got the “brand management” bug. I interned at SC Johnson on a Glade product and was hooked on the idea that through these consumer products I could learn how to run a business so I pursued brand management and wound up, for my second career, working at companies Colgate Palmolive, L’Oreal, and General Electric on everything from kids toothbrushes to credit cards. Although the money was great and the learning was incredible, I didn’t feel fulfilled and it wasn’t until I found Dee and film that I was able to marry my skills with my passion and I’m never letting go.

–reviewed by jade foster

for more information:
Pariah: Official Website

Directing her films, “Taste of Dirt” and “Living with Pride: Ruth C. Ellis @ 100” Yvonne Welbon uses her sensitive curiosity to reveal bright, intriguing stories. “Living with Pride: Ruth C. Ellis @ 100” is a documentary about the oldest, “out” African American lesbian and “Taste of Dirt” depicts a young African American girl who struggles with the role race plays in her relationships. These are only two of Yvonne’s pieces: over the years Yvonne has infused countless projects with her talent, building a reputation for her vitality and stamina as a filmmaker. Her work is independent and vivacious: the impact of her films won’t fade over time. Thank you, Yvonne, for taking a moment to speak with us.

Source: Yvonne Welbon’s film, “Taste of Dirt”

QueerFilmReview.com: What was the most rewarding part of making Living with Pride: Ruth Ellis @ 100?

Yvonne Welbon: Finishing it for Ruth’s 100th birthday. She was able
to travel with the film for her 100th year and she had a fantastic
100 year of life. She thanked audiences for “giving her her
flowers now.”

QFR: Did you have any film mentors? If so, who and how did they
influence your work?

YW: I remember the first time I saw a film that impacted me.
I was about 18 years old. It was at one of those women’s film
screenings at the Art Institute of Chicago. It was a 12 minute short
called Deutschland Spiegel by Sharon Couzin. I know now I was
watching an experimental film. Back then I didn’t understand what
it was or that one day I could actually make a film myself. I
remember thinking that I would try to do what the filmmaker was
doing with my painting or collage work.

A clip from Sugar Cane Alley

As for my favorite film of all time, it would be Sugar Cane Alley by Euzhan Palcy. I’m first generation American of Honduran descent. And, as I say in the opening of SISTERS IN CINEMA, it was the first time I saw a film that reminded me of who I am. I love the storytelling style of the film and the stories she chooses to tell in the film. For me the power of cinema is embodied in that film.

QFR: Do you watch the show “The L Word”? If so, what do you think are its advantages and disadvantages?

YW: I think that it is amazing that there is a lesbian series on television. I watched the entire first season. I taught it as part of a course called Black Queer Media(makers) at the University of Chicago. I’ve been watching this 5th season irregularly on YouTube. It offers some eye candy for everyone.

QFR: What project forced you to grow as a filmmaker?

YW:Definitely the Ruth Ellis film. Up until that time, I’d only made films, basically about myself, for film classes. I felt a tremendous responsibility in telling someone else’s life story. Ruth collaborated with me all along the way. Also, I had to choose: finish the film for Ruth’s 100th birthday or finish my dissertation. I choose Ruth and I am glad I did. I finished my dissertation and received my doctorate eventually, but I felt in the case of Ruth Ellis’ story, time was of the essence.

QFR: What are some of your favorite Queer films? Why?

YW: I love John Sayles film Lianna and of course, Entre Nous. Both came out around my senior year of college, right when I was coming out. Those films were there for me when I was feeling alone and confused. There was no Internet in the mid 1980s. The series Metrosexuality is simply amazing! I wish there were more than just six episodes. Recent releases I really adored are Saving Face, Imagine Me & You,
Tipping The Velvet and Show Me Love.

QFR: What do you prefer to do: write, produce, or direct?

YW: I love producing! I love helping artists make their work. Look at my resume and you’ll see that I’ve been involved with a
number of filmmakers as a producer of some sort. I love business and figuring out a way to get the money to make the project. (It’s sort of like when I was a magazine publisher in Taiwan. I helped artists write the stories they wanted to tell.)

A clip from Yvonne Welbon’s film, “Taste of Dirt”

QFR: What are some of the things out of your own experience that informs your films?

YW: One of the lessons that I learned in life that continues to inform my work is something that happened to me at Vassar College.

I decided to take a class called Women in Latin American History.

I was excited to think that for the first time I’d finally be learning about who I am and my history in an academic setting.

Well, we didn’t really study any black women.

When I asked the teacher why she said it was because there weren’t materials for her to teach with.

Being a Vassar woman, I decided to prove her wrong and set out to find the materials for my final project.

Well she wasn’t wrong. I couldn’t find hardly anything.

That was really scary.

So, I’ve kind of been on a mission to create texts, as a writer, as a filmmaker, and even through my websites (sistersincinema.com and sistersinthelife.com) to make sure that we are not left out of our own education.

Which means that I see filmmaking as sort of activist work. I know that it is important to make the kind of work that I do.

– Interviewed by T. Nova