by Jane Canepa
February Program Puts Two Local Filmmakers in Spotlight
by Jane Canepa
On February 18, just two weeks before the 2006 Oscar broadcast, IWPA rolled out the red carpet for two hometown filmmakers: Rosie Goldberg (who wrote and produced the new film Bloom) and Samantha Sanders (producer of the film Boricua, written and directed by her friend Marisol Torres). Jan Lisa Huttner, Chicago film critic and IWPA Program Vice President, served as moderator.
Rosie Vargas Goldberg was employed as a drug rep when she started drafting her screenplay. Helpless to intervene as her sister encountered a turbulent period in her life, Rosie began to put her thoughts on paper. Her friend Diana Mucci-Beauchamp, a local playwright, read the script and liked it immediately, so she became Rosie's co-producer on the project. Joining IFP Chicago (a branch of the Independent Feature Project), Rosie was able to connect with other Chicago filmmakers, and she found them to be a generous source of advice and support.
The movie explores mother/daughter relationships in two cultures, Latino and Jewish, and Rosie received encouragement from both communities. A work-in-progress screening was organized last year by the Chicago-based Alliance of Latinos and Jews, and afterwards one of the audience members told her "your film could change people's lives." Hearing comments like that, Rosie grew even more determined to achieve her goal of bringing real stories with a women's point of view to the screen. Although most of the money for Bloom came from private funds, Rosie also secured a $100,000 IFP grant, as well as a finish grant from the LA-based organization, Women in Film.
As a Columbia College Chicago film student, Samantha Sanders began her career in television, and it was there that she paired up with Boricua writer/director Marisol Torres. After graduation, Sam went to New York where she did internships with well-known directors Jim Jarmusch and Barbara Koppel before returning home to Chicago.
The idea for the film Boricua began as a television pitch while Marisol was working in New York on the television program Law & Order. Once the film was complete, it was accepted by the prestigious Tribeca Film Festival as well as the New York Latino Film Festival. The local premiere was in October 2004 at the Chicago International Film Festival, and Boricua is now available to all on DVD.
During the Q&A, audience members asked about opportunities for women in the film industry. Rosie and Sam both mentioned that some prominent actresses now have their own production companies, and they are particularly receptive to women writers. Asked about her process, Rosie responded that she writes "in character" and always reads her words out loud to hear how they sound. Sam said the hardest part for her was finding new ways to externalize the inner thoughts of her characters. Since movies are primarily visual, screenwriters must create believable actions and behaviors, not just wordy speeches.
The speakers were enthusiastic representatives of the Chicago film community, and after the Q&A session, everyone agreed that IWPA members would be eager to hear from these two talented women again as their career adventures continued.
If you missed the program, you can get more information from the speakers' websites. Visit http://www.bloomthemovie.com for more information about Bloom, and visit http://www. boricuamovie.com for more information about Boricua.