Mini MUFF Profile: Rebecca Davey and Marie-Claire Marcotte
Director Rebecca Davey on set.
Mini MUFF Profile: Rebecca Davey and Marie-Claire Marcotte
Film: She Sings For Me
There’s nothing we love more than inspiring women working together to create great films. Writer/Director/Producer Rebecca Davey and Actress/Producer Marie-Claire Marcotte are two such individuals and we’ll be screening their short film, She Sings For Me, prior to our Toronto screening of Josie and the Pussycats on June 17th as part of our new Mini MUFF Short Film Program. We’re pretty excited to be bringing this short film (and many more!) to our amazing community and audience.
Davey comes from a theatre background and gradually shifted over to film, learning under her mentor Ingrid Veninger, indie filmmaker extraordinaire. She initially set out to create a piece of surrealist theatre work. Davey describes how the story evolved as “exploring crossing a threshold or entering someone’s world, a portal to an experience.” And, as a testament to how we really can find inspiration literally at our doorstep, her neighbour happens to make fancy shoes, which we can’t help but find utterly charming and romantic.
Davey and Marcotte have been collaborating for years and Marcotte describes the decision to do She Sings For Me as a “no-brainer.” (We totally agree!)
“When Rebecca showed me the short she was writing I immediately jumped on board to produce it with her. I'm always initially attracted to her quirky and moving style of writing but I also found the story to be an important one to tell. It's a delicate and charming mix of a fairytale told in modern times.”
Actress Marie-Clarie Marcotte in She Sings For Me.
Tell us about why you are a feminist and why it's important to your filmmaking.
Rebecca Davey: I think it's so important to write roles for women and create opportunities for women. It’s essential. Our stories are different and we can't just have male stories on the screen. We care about different things, we just do. I mean, we care about a lot of the same things too, but our brains and emotions are different. I have two daughters. I need to make work that has the potential to inspire them, that opens up their world view where they can see themselves doing crazy, grandiose things--big things! Brave things! I could go on and on about this one…
Marie-Claire Marcotte: People in general inspire me. Every single person has a story. It’s just that we've heard more stories about men and it's not because they're more interesting.
Who are your favourite women working in the film industry?
RD: Loving Jill Soloway right now. She’s so actively speaking on behalf of female directors. Recently she said something like, “Yes, you must bring emotions to my set. In fact, if you don't like to cry, my set is not the place for you.” And her holding hands thing before she begins her days on set? Love it. I love her ideas about empowering through softness. Less yelling on set, more hand holding and allowing emotions to come out.
MM: Miranda July. Jill Soloway. Annie Mumolo. Kristen Wiig. There's more...!
What's the best advice about filmmaking you've ever received?
RD: We were just in Cannes and I heard this beautiful filmmaker from Mali speak, Abderrahmane Sissako. His thing: Don't try to impress people, to “wow” people, for attention--that's the not the goal of filmmaking. Instead try to RELAX (which he's not saying is easy as a filmmaker! In fact, it’s completely paradoxical because filmmaking involves these big heightened moments of trying to capture things...) and make visible that which is not obvious, to do it delicately. And his other thing: simplify, simplify, simplify. Make no excuses about what you cannot do, just simplify and figure out how to do it. That to me is beautiful.
MM: DO. Keep showing up. Keep asking. Question, question, question and do!
What's your go-to jam?
RD: Sufjan Stevens right now--his new album [Carrie & Lowel] Love it! It puts me in the mellowest of moods in a good way.
MM: “Rhubarb!” [Aphex Twin] Bonobo is still doing it for me too.
What male pop culture icon or movie/TV character are you dreaming would get a gender-swap?
MM: Don Draper. Just to see a woman killing it like he is.
You can learn more about Rebecca and Marie-Clarie’s projects through their production company, BT Productions (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram).
