#august winter

- So why are you here? - You asked if I wanted to come with you. - That's not what I meant.

#169

For a VaRiEtY of reasons last week I went down some rabbit holes around this movie + the principals involved.

Navigating this experience illuminated how I want to stretch + grow in terms of exercising leadership, no matter my role within a group or community. I stand in wonder learning a bit about how DeDe Gardner, Sarah Polley + Frances McDormand collaborate. Their vision of how movies can create conversations to help shift important social dynamics INSPIRES ME.

If you are similarly interested, here's some links you might enjoy.

update 3/12/23 8:00pm SARAH POLLEY JUST WON THE ACADEMY AWARD FOR BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY!!! Watch her JoYfuLLy run up to give her iNsiGhTfuL acceptance speech here.

Back in Sept2022 at TIFF2022 (25 min) this L o V e L y small group convo happened. Among other bits, LOVED moderator Sonia Lawrence's summary statement that what she takes from the film into her life is not the community's lack of judgment, but their presence of care.

Here's Frances at MVFF (54 min) - where she read some bits from Sarah Polley's brave book Run Towards The Danger; spoke about the magnificient collaboration between Polley (screenwriter + director), producer Dede Gardner + herself; and described the impact of Polley's way of exercising leadership on others. Watching this video is the first time I've seriously considered using the descriptor 'matriarchal leadership style.' Loved this bit (which is mostly a direct quote), "Movies are not answers, but they are propaganda + conversation starters... we're actively screening at colleges + universities... using the moving to talk about the future, not about the horrible present, but the future + try to radicalise the conversation more. "

Claire Foy in a convo moderated by Kate Erbland (28 min) - about how Foy landed as Salome, what it was like to work with Polley as a director, and more. At 14:05 min there's a sweet bit about the experience of acting with Ben Whishaw + his role in the movie.

NYFF60 (19 min) - Eugene Hernandez does an admirable job getting each person to reflect on the movie within this relatively short panel conversation.

In February Polley + Ben, and then Buckley + Foy were on London Live (9:25 min). L O V E D how about 3/4 of the way through Buckley gently pushes back on interviewer's assumption that the women character's lives were foreign to the actors playing them. They're not, she said, not at all. What WAS foreign + welcome was the ability for a group of women to have an extended conversation about a complex issue and then to make a decision which will have an impact on the rest of their lives. D A M N, if that isn't sobering!

I didn't know August Winter before watching these interviews, so found this Autostraddle interview w/cast member August Winter about the movie + navigating the industry as a non-binary actor + this video. I appreciate hearing from them directly about their character Melvin who is a trans man + learning why silence is such a significant part of their character's behaviour.