Mini MUFF Profile: Olivia Accardo
Mini MUFF Profile: Olivia Accardo
Film: Cupcake Bob
The New York MUFF team is honored to have gained a lot of local interest from filmmakers in the community after our first screening of The Craft in June. We received a ton of shorts submissions–making programming our second mini MUFF short a real task because everything we received is amazing. We knew we had to stick with the sweet theme of Jawbreaker so when we came across Olivia Accardo's Cupcake Bob we knew it was a perfect match.
Playing with overarching themes of life, love and death, Cupcake Bob is a mark of the burgeoning talent that is Olivia Accardo. It is insightful and whimsical, and will make you want to hug your cat. Attendees of Thursday night's Jawbreaker event have a real treat in store for them...pun intended.
How did you know you wanted to be a filmmaker?
Olivia Accardo: I am from a lil place called Lake Hopatcong, New Jersey. I decided to become a filmmaker after a psychic told my Mom that one of her daughters would eventually become a successful filmmaker. I was in the 10th grade. But also because it's a cool combination of all of my favorite things (writing, touching cameras, making people do things, sketching stuff). It's a crazy influential and sensory-whelming medium that just seemed to make sense for me to try to be a part of. Especially after a psychic guaranteed my mom that I'd be good at it.
Can you give us some background info for the short we're screening?
OA: Cupcake Bob was inspired by an actual thing that happened to me and my parents. It was the go to "listen up guys, this crazy thing happened to us a few years ago" story that was often shared over dinner conversation, or during barbecues or other familial events. After we had told it approximately literally actually one million times, I thought the one million and first time "Cupcake Bob" got told should be in a short film form.
How is feminism important to your filmmaking?
OA: Growing up I used to get really angry when adults treated me like I was lesser than them because I was a child, I remember being so aware of "ageism" -- although, I couldn't do a lot of things and adults HAD to do them for me because I was in fact a small child. Then I grew up to be a regular sized adult woman, and learned that a lot of people use being an adult sized woman as also a reason to put you down, or make you feel lesser or expect less of you. Especially in film. I just want to work really hard to be one of many ladies in the film industry that prove we're okay too.
Who are some of your favourite ladies working in film?
OA: First and foremost, Lynne Ramsay hands down. She's a stunning Scottish director babe with a few solid features and shorts under her belt. If you haven't seen Morvern Callar, go do that. I have a super distant girl film crush on Asia Argento, an independent filmmaker from Italy who's most recent short Incompresa I also have a super distant film crush on. I've watched the trailer a bazillion times but haven't actually seen the film. I also think Amy Heckerling of Clueless is a super star genius, and I will never be tired of Clueless. Also Miranda July, for her work in film and all 800 other things she's been up to lately.
If your life was made into a film, what kind of film would it be and who would play you?
OA: A dark comedy starring Willow Smith & her tumultuous teen lifestyle where she has to come to terms with the fact that she will eventually have to stop identifying with being a young teen. (Young actual teen Willow Smith will be playing a mid-20's version of myself as an age-confused/dazed & confused/generally confused human girl.)
Best filmmaking advice you've received?
OA: "You don't have bad ideas and maybe speak up sometimes."
Put together your Dream Team for a film...
OA: Okay, so Lynne Ramsay and I would write an O.K. script about something angsty but charming(?). Then Mindy Kaling would look it over and be like, "Ladies, this is fine but a little too angsty? Try these suggestions that I have that will make it a little more light-hearted but also still the same vibe." Lynne & I would revise the script together based off of Mindy's suggestions. THEN, we'd have a final script, and Lynne would venture off into the world to do her own thing and tell me that she trusts me to direct this on my own. I take on Autumn Durald as my DP (of Gia Coppola's Palo Alto). Um, and cast? Probably my own friends and fam. I don't know, they're the inspirations for things I write and think about.
What's your go-to jam these days?
OA: Lately GFOTY and Hannah Diamond and Sophie make songs that I tend to default to listening to. I have a PC Music themed playlist that I listen to far too much because it's the only playlist I have on my iPhone at the moment.
Recommend one #MUFFApproved film for our blog readers...
OA: Daisies (1966)!!!!!
To keep up with Olivia Accardo and the awesome stuff she's working on, follow her on Tumblr, Twitter, Instagram and make sure to 'like' the Facebook Page for CUPCAKE BOB!
