by Helene Siegel, AFI Communications
and Michelle Paster, AFI FEST Daily News
and Paula Paige, AFI FEST Daily News

Scene from MOTHER, written and directed by AFI Directing Workshop for Women alum Sian Heder, screening at AFI FEST 2006

Iconic for its spirit, politics - and of course, fashion - the 1970s are also known as a decade that saw the rise of a new voice in American filmmaking.

With the studio system in a momentary decline, a number of young and experimental auteurs - such as Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, George Lucas, Terrence Malick, Peter Bogdanovich and Robert Altman - had the opportunity to rise to prominence with risk-taking work.

Noting the conspicuous absence of women in these ranks, the American Film Institute announced a ground breaking pilot program entitled the Directing Workshop for Women (DWW) in 1974.

The DWW gave professional women the opportunity to direct.

Tuition-free, this program promised a burgeoning group of women filmmakers an unprecedented opportunity - one that was quickly seized upon.

The first group of participants included Maya Angelou, Karen Arthur, Ellen Burstyn, Juleen Compton, Lee Grant, Nessa Hyams, Margot Kidder, Joanna Lee, Lynne Littman, Susan Martin, Marjorie Mullen, Giovanna Nigro, Kathleen Nolan, Susan Oliver, Gail Parent, Julie Philips, Miriam Rothman, Lily Tomlin and Nancy Walker.

Subsequent years included additional notable names from the entertainment community, including Anne Bancroft, Randa Haines, Dyan Cannon, Marsha Mason, Brianne Murphy and Joanne Woodward.

"AFI's Directing Workshop for Women pushed me far beyond the place I would have pushed myself," explains alum Sian Heder, whose short film MOTHER screens as part of Shorts Program Two, November 9, 7:15 PM, and November 10, 4:00 PM, at AFI FEST 2006 presented by Audi.

"The attention to every step of the process, from the first day of the writing workshop through production, was so beautifully thorough, I ended up making a film that surprised even me."

The only program of its kind in the nation, DWW receives hundreds of applications each year. Eight women are chosen for each Workshop cycle.

Participants also receive HiDef video equipment, a basic grip and lighting package, production insurance, access to SAG actors, 20 days edit time on an Avid editing system, tax-free status on any monies they may raise in support of their productions - all in addition to a $5,000 cash grant toward the making of their films.

While the increases are still small, women continue to make inroads in the directing field.

The Directors Guild of America (DGA) has records showing that 12 percent of their members were women in 1980, a number that has increased to 23 percent today.

But women have along way to go. When Sofia Coppola was nominated in 2004 for her film LOST IN TRANSLATION, she was only the third woman in history to be nominated for an Oscar for Best Director.

AFI's DWW is currently accepting applications for its 2007 workshop. Applications can be downloaded from www.AFI.com and must be postmarked by December 1, 2006 (early deadline, reduced application fee) or January 5, 2007 (final deadline).

'I ended up making a film that surprised even me.'

- Sian Heder, alum, AFI's Directing Workshop for Women

More about MOTHER

MOTHER, a short film about a desperate Beverly Hills housewife, is a collaborative effort.

The AFI FEST 2006 entry is Cannes Film Festival Cinefoundation winner, and it garnered a special jury prize at the Seattle International Film Festival and a grand jury award at the Florida Film Festival.

The writer-director, AFI's Directing Workshop for Women alum Sian Heder, and the producer David Newsom, share their experience on and off set. Paula Huidobro is the DP

AFI FEST Daily News: I understand that you were part of the AFI's Directing Workshop for Women last year. Can you tell me about the program? How difficult is it to get in?

Writer-director Sian Heder: The DWW program was created by AFI in 1974 as a way of launching women directors into the industry. It is a grant and fellowship for professional women already working in some aspect of the industry who are interested in pursuing directing. The program only accepts eight women a year, about 5 percent of its applicants. The application involved submitting a script and answering some in depth questions about your goals as a filmmaker. I figured that with those odds, I didn't have a chance getting in, but it would be worthwhile anyway for me as an artist to sit down and try to write a clear manifesto about what I wanted to do and why. I am still glad I wrote that essay and I was thrilled when I was accepted into the program.

Once in school, we work-shopped our scripts for 3 weeks, while attending classes. It was a month of filmmaking boot camp. We were often in class from 10 in the morning till 10 at night. After school was finished we spent 3-5 weeks in preproduction during which time we had to raise all of our money and wrangle up a cast and crew. We had a five day shoot and a twenty day edit to lock picture. I understand now why the application process is so rigorous. It is not for everyone. The AFI DWW was one of the hardest and most challenging things I have ever done, as well as the most fulfilling.

AFI FEST Daily News: Did you workshop MOTHER there, or were you working on another film?

Sian: I applied to the program with the script for MOTHER, which was vastly different at the time. It changed a great deal through the Jessica Kaplan Writing Workshop, and gave me a chance to really figure out what my story was about and a real understanding of what I what I wanted to say with the film.

AFI FEST Daily News: Did AFI put you together with a producer?

Sian: AFI functions much more like a studio than like a school. They are not interested in coddling filmmakers, which I think is great training for anyone that wants to continue to make movies. I found my producer, David Newsom, on my own and I was lucky to have someone who cared about the project as much as I did. AFI does not allow you to pay anyone, so we spent a lot of time sifting through resumes on Craig's list and calling in favors. "Hey, don't you want to spend your Sunday morning lugging around a hundred pound steady cam rig for free? Doesn't that sound fun?!" I am still amazed to have ended up with such a talented, hardworking crew, who signed on simply because they believed in my project. That alone was a big affirmation for me.

AFI FEST Daily News: Did they assist you with a budget?

Sian: The DWW grant includes $5,000 towards your budget and a basic lighting and camera package. Filmmakers are then allowed to raise up to $17,500 more to make their films. We had a short amount of time, so we immediately created an online fundraising site and began preparing a fundraising party. The site received hundreds of contributions, some for ten dollars, some for a couple of thousand. At the fundraiser, we had local musicians play, and raised good amount as well, which gave us about $20,000 all in. Once all of these people from my life had sent me money, it was funny how much pressure I felt to deliver and make a good movie. I am glad to have been able to present a film that I was proud of at the end of it all.

AFI FEST Daily News: What previous film experience did you have?

Sian: This was my first film. I was different from many of the women in the program, who had made films before and were much more experienced and familiar with directing and the filmmaking process in general. On the first day of school, I had to ask what a gaffer was. I loved how intense the learning curve was for me. When you are thrown in the water, you have no choice but to learn to swim.

AFI FEST Daily News: Had you written and/or directed before the AFI program? If so, what were the projects?

Sian: Before attending AFI, I was working as an actress and had written two feature scripts, one of which is the feature length version of MOTHER. I think the one thing that I felt very confident and clear about during this process was my ability to work with actors and my understanding of character and the way a scene can unfold emotionally. My training gave me a common language with my actresses that enabled me to get the performances that I did.

AFI FEST Daily News: What are you currently working on?

Sian: It is really exciting now to have the success of the short facilitating the making of the feature, TALLULAH. I am currently meeting with financiers and producers, and it looks like we will possibly be shooting in the next year. I love the crazy ride that this short film has taken, but I feel ready and excited about making a feature.

AFI FEST Daily News: You shot MOTHER on HD - tell me about that process versus film.

Sian: We shot MOTHER with the SONY F900 24P camera, but everyone mistakes the film for 35 mm. I loved working on HD. It gave me a chance to focus on performance, without worrying about what it was costing us. I was lucky to have a talented and meticulous DP, Paula Huidobro, who created the beautiful look of the film. I think HD has already begun to change filmmaking as we know it and has opened the door for a lot of people.

AFI FEST Daily News: What else would you like to share about the AFI Program?

Sian: A year ago, I never would have imagined how much participating in the program and making this film would do to transform me and my life. The best part of the AFI DWW program was being able to go through the process of making my film alongside seven other articulate, smart, fiercely creative women. I am left with a powerful group of women artist friends that I am sure I will continue to rely on throughout my career.

AFI FEST Daily News: Your film screens Thursday at what is essentially your alma mater, are you excited, nervous, happy, scared, all of the above?

Sian: I am so excited to be screening in LA and at AFI FEST. We have been traveling around the world with this short, and have won awards at Cannes and Florida and Seattle, but this is our LA festival premiere, which somehow means more to me than any of those screenings. Truly, AFI FEST has been my favorite festival experience so far.

AFI FEST Daily News: Being an actor as well, how did you get brought on to MOTHER?

Producer David Newsom: Like a lot of people in Los Angeles, I am someone who works in a variety of mediums, acting among them. But I started out with a degree in filmmaking and production and worked behind the camera for several years before shifting into acting. However, my love for storytelling- and by that I mean having as much control of the story as possible- has never left me. When Sian and I met, we were both at a point where we wanted to create something more meaningful. I had produced underground music/performance events for some time and was ready to take on film again. It was just great timing, and it worked out extremely well. I loved Sian's story and felt like I could assemble the right people to help Sian get what she wanted. As an actor, I knew what the roles demanded, and as a visual artist I also had strong feelings about how mother should look and feel and who could pull it off.

AFI FEST Daily News: Where did you find the Mother, Babysitter, and the toddler actors?

David: We had our two leads three days prior to shooting. We did open calls for all parts. There's this prevailing "wisdom" in LA that you just make offers to famous or semi-famous actors and hope that they will do your film, but Sian and I were very aware that these were subtle and difficult roles. We needed to see and work with each person to be sure they were a good fit. Ashleigh Sumner (Lu, the Babysitter) came in about three days into casting and after about two minutes it was clear she had the essence of "Lu." The role of Carolyn (Angela Featherstone) was harder, as it turned out. We read many fantastic actors, but none could tap into the broken, fierce heart of "Carolyn." Our friend, the well-known acting coach Leigh Kilton- Smith, had been helping us, and she demanded we see Angie Featherstone. After some wrangling on the phone (a long, great story) Angie came in to read. I wasn't there, but she basically showed up as "Carolyn," simultaneously terrifying and inspiring Sian. It was a done deal.

The twins were cast earlier. Sian had done an open call for twins and when Maddie and Lauren arrived, she fell in love. They each possess a stillness that was perfect for the part. And, their real mother, Jennifer Wesch, was so cool and easygoing, Sian felt safe about bringing all of them onto what was in a sense her first major shoot.

AFI FEST Daily News: What is one strange instance that happened on set?

David: The twins were at 15 months when we shot, but they consistently did things, which lead us to believe that they had read the script and had better ideas. Because we couldn't have them around for more than two hours each a day (SAG rules), Sian wisely allowed them some time to just wander the set while we shot them. This would be used later for inserts. But each time they did this, the twins would invariably do something, which had actually been written; only they'd do it better. There was a written scene where the baby climbs onto a table and nearly knocks over a beer bottle. But when we just let little Lauren wander the set with cameras rolling, she actually climbed onto a chair, grabbed a partially full wine glass, and brought it to her lips. It's in the film, and it's a fantastic bit that serves the story far better than the scripted stuff.

AFI FEST Daily News: What was one of the biggest challenges?

David: I have worked in this industry, on one side of the camera or another, for 20 years, and one of the things I ever dealt with was when our first AD walked off set on the morning of the second day, which was a Saturday, by the way. Anyone in the business knows how devastating that is- it's like losing your sheep dog in the middle of the cattle drive. And losing her on a Saturday with a mandatory five-day shoot was just intense. You see, under the rules of the program, you get no additional days and no pickups, and here we had a fledgling crew. So, there I was, trying to line an AD for Sunday while our line producer vamped as ad. It was like a scene from a Mel Brooks film. I ended up recruiting, on the weekend, a rotating cast of ADs to finish the film, but it was hellish.

Also, our DP walked into the production office at 10:00 PM on Sunday and said, sweetly, "We need a steadicam operator tomorrow."

"What time?" I asked.

"9:00 AM."

"Are you out of your @!@#**#! mind?" I stammered.

"Dead serious," she said.

The steadicam operator showed up at 9 on the nose. That's 9:00 AM, Monday.

AFI FEST Daily News: What is a strange job you had before you were an actor and producer? or a strange job interview/audition experience?

I have been a beer bottler, a ham packaging technician, Hudson pharmaceutical's product hardness & solubility tester, dye-press operator and of course, waiter. But my favorite memory was having to keep an eye on Keith Richards on a shoot in the dead of winter down in Tribeca, NY. It was the winter of 1987 and he was "sober" at the time. Which meant plastered on scotch by noon. It was fantastic.

AFI FEST Daily News: Do you have any family members who resemble the mother character, Carolyn?

David: No, but I had an aunt. Just kidding. Sort of.

AFI FEST Daily News: Where did you learn cinematography?

Director of Photography Paula Huidobro: My interest for cinematography started through still photography. While I was a teenager I would spend most of my afternoons taking photography lessons at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Mexico City. Adolescence and the people I encountered at these lessons helped me develop an interest in reading more books and watching as many films as I could. I started studying film history, and as soon as I finished high school I enrolled in The London International Film School for undergraduate, barely knowing what the role of cinematographer entailed. When I had to start making films for the program I realized that my passion was focused mainly on images and that I had no interest in writing or telling actors what to do. After that realization I felt a lot happier, since I could then focus in trying to understand stories and characters in terms of light, color, movement and composition.

I decided to attend the cinematography program at AFI, and I moved to Los Angeles four years ago. It turned out to be a great experience, as I had the opportunity to learn from great mentors and my thesis film won the Student Academy Awards. Since then I have worked in Mexico doing music videos and commercials and also shot numerous short films and three features in the US. The latest film is called GARDENS OF THE NIGHT directed by Damian Harris, starring Tom Arnold, John Malkovich and Harold Perrineau, among others.

AFI FEST Daily News: How did you shoot MOTHER?

Paula: MOTHER was shot on HD Sony F900 using 35mm lenses, with a very small lighting package mainly using house power. Sian and myself spent a long time storyboarding and I believe this really helped us to understand the visual sensibility of the film. We thought very hard about the intention of each scene and how the characters related to each other, and we tried to find a way to capture it with camera movement and framing. The hotel room was really beautiful, and we took advantage of the use of practicals, which gave a very soft warm light.

More about MOTHER at www.motherthemovie.com.