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2 posts tagged filmmaker
INTERVIEW WITH ARTIST / SCHOLAR KORTNEY RYAN ZIEGLER
Kortney: Hi.
Morty: Hey!
Kortney: How are you?
Morty: I’m wonderful, and you?
Kortney: Excellent.
Morty: So, I wanted to first ask you about your film, Still Black.
Kortney: Sounds good.
Morty: What got you interested in making Still Black?
Kortney: I wanted to make the film because there was, and continues to be, a dearth of trans representation that deals with black bodies. Still Black was produced in 2008. Around that time there began to be a boom of trans narratives making their way into both mainstream and indie media but they centered on the experiences of white folks. I wanted to hear other perspectives. I was 27 years old when I began production on the project and it was a moment in my life where I was moving away from the “genderqueer” identity and becoming more comfortable with my trans ID. So there was also a personal reason I wanted to make the film.
Morty: How did you go about finding the men for the film?
Kortney: I was living in Chicago at the time and put the word out through queer organizations in the city. I also ran a very popular blog at the time called blac(k)ademic, which helped to publicize my call for participants. I had no problem finding willing subjects as I was flooded with emails and phone calls from men who desired to participate. Word of mouth also helped a lot.
Morty: I really enjoy the different perspectives in the film - did you go about looking at each story in the way they blended together?
Kortney: I wanted to bring a diversity of voices into the picture. I wanted to make it very clear that although as black men we share similar experiences navigating the world, at the same time, our experiences are very unique and important. I think as a filmmaker producing images of blackness it is very important for me to avoid monolithic narratives of identity.
Morty: I’m curious what the men in the film thought of the movie
Kortney: They loved it and continue to be very grateful for the opportunity. When beginning the project, one of the players, Ethan Young, emphasized how timely and important the project was. This was left out of the final film, but to express his support of the film, he got the title tattooed on the back of his head.
Morty: Wow! I love that!
Kortney: Yes, it was amazing. We both eventually got tattoos that night.
Morty: So, now it’s 2012. How far do you think we’ve come in shedding more light on trans people of color? Both in the mainstream media and beyond?
Kortney: I think things are moving along—much slower than I would like, of course. However, I am grateful for the many folks who are really doing the work of making trans folks of color visible. Whether that be through the simple platform of YouTube or big film projects.
Morty: You’re seeing a lot of visibility on Youtube?
Kortney: Actually, for trans folks of color, YouTube is a very powerful space.
Morty: I want to talk more with you about new media in a minute. Getting back to your film – you have screened it in dozens of festivals and universities, as well as won a few awards. What has this experience done for you?
Kortney: It has done so many things. Mainly it has only proven what I already knew: that there is an urgency and desire for audiences of all types to know alternative black stories; to be introduced to an image of black men that they are not used to. I also think that the film has helped me to grow as an image maker. As you know, being an artist makes you so vulnerable to public critique and having the film travel to so many places and interpreted by so many people has made me so much wiser.
Morty: Has it opened other possibilities for you as an artist?
Kortney: It’s been really helpful in terms of my work as a scholar. I’ve been able to be seen as an “expert” in my field in a way that traditional academic work cannot do.
Morty: What are your fields in academia?
Kortney: African American studies and Performance studies. The film has made an important intervention in both considering there is but a handful of work aimed at black trans folks in the academy. The film has been able to travel in a way that boring academic papers cannot.
Morty: I agree, depending on the audience. Black trans history in academia is not well publicized - can you discuss with me some basics?
Kortney: Basics as in..?
Morty: Those in academia working on black trans academic work?
Kortney: I know that Enoch Page has done some sociological work on the black transgender experience and produced an article. Also, my mentor, E. Patrick Johnson in his book Sweet Tea, interviews a black transwoman. But there is little to any academic attention given to us. I think it is because the field of African American studies has been concerned with a revisionist history that attempts to return humanity to black individuals but does so in a way that promotes black respectability—or a conservative way of looking at blackness. Many scholars who do work on queer identity have a hard time introducing scholarship that goes beyond what the field is used to—gay/lesbian or straight. While in my department in Northwestern, I was working with top scholars who, though might have some understanding of gender theory, were blown away with the idea that one could transition.
Morty: The conservative nature of African American studies is an impediment to discussing trans anything?
Kortney: In my opinion, scholars of the field truly struggle with incorporating trans theory in their work. To be clear, I say this not to imply that black folks are more homophobic/transphobic. In terms of the academy, the field of African American studies and its politics of respectability continue to marginalize the experiences of queer individuals, especially those who are trans. It’s taboo, still, in 2012.
Morty: Do you feel a part of your work is to combat this?
Kortney: Yes, of course. Being who I am as a person has made it difficult navigating through a field that excludes my experience. I find it an obligation to challenge this and to encourage others to think beyond themselves. I want the field of AFAM to “catch up” to other disciplines that include heavy gender/sexuality/race analysis.
Morty: You hold a PhD from Northwestern. Have you or are you going to be professing?
Kortney: I’ve decided that being a professor in the academy is not the path I want to take. I want to be able to fully commit to my artistic practice and going through the stress of applying to and suffering through the academic job market is so unappealing to me.
Morty: Right.
Kortney: The degrees I have really help people to take my art more seriously. It works very well on that level.
Morty: Let’s talk about your work beyond Still Black. What direction have you gone since making the film?
Kortney: Post Still Black, I worked on a couple of my own short experimental films. I’ve also began to take photography seriously and had my own show recently here in Oakland. Right now, I’m actually in pre-production of a film with a trans protagonist.
Morty: Wonderful, I’d love to hear more!
Kortney: The film is set in the gritty warehouse district of West Oakland and follows a young black male trans musician and his struggles with dating and love. With the amazing response of the film Pariah and the obvious thirst for black narrative films that introduce black queer identities to mainstream audiences, I know that it is a perfect time more than any to produce this project for the big screen
Morty:How will you go about funding?
Kortney: I plan to follow the same grassroots fundraising as I did with Still Black. This was before Kickstarter and Indigogo were so popular. I solicited funds online to produce Still Black and I hope to go the same way with PASSION (the name of the film).
Morty: Please do send me the information when you begin fundraising, so I can help get the word out. I have a stock question I always ask artists and writers: Do you call yourself a “trans artist/filmmaker” or does that feel too limiting?
Kortney: It depends on the context. I get asked a similar question as to whether I call myself a black artist or just an artist, too. I think for all of us with identities on the margin, what we call ourselves depends on what we need at the moment and what political act we want to convey. When the moment arises that I need to identify as trans in relation to my art, I do. But primarily, I call myself an artist in the spaces that will allow me to be just that.
Morty: What advice would you give to young trans artists today?
Kortney: I think it is important to let people know that trans visibility is multifaceted and that every perspective and voice is so important. No matter what the current hot academic trend is, there is no “right” way to be trans, just as there is no “right” way to just be. I think many people forget that.
Morty: Since you’ve seen the need to shed more light on black trans voices what can we do to accomplish this?
Kortney: We all need to actively do our research. I think for many people, they want the stories and narratives to find them. But that’s not the reality of our world. Yes, there are lots of black trans folks telling stories on Youtube but unless you look for it maybe you won’t know. I just think we all need to be more responsible and seek out what we don’t know or think doesn’t exist.
Morty: Is it possible, in your opinion, to build a strong community online?
Kortney: For sure. I’m 31 and have spent the majority of my life online. I know that had I not encountered the many voices of young black transguys on YouTube 5 years ago I probably wouldn’t be sitting here being interviewed by you. Online community building has changed my life for the better
Morty: With regard to doing our research, I’m really interested in a list of black trans art, literature and culture that has inspired you, including Youtube accounts you like.
Kortney: There is the work of brooklyn boihood, which I really respect. Also, Black Transmen Inc. is a new organization doing an important job of connecting folks with resources. Though they are not an arts organization, they are dedicated to showcasing the work of black trans individuals in all capacities. One cat who has inspired me so deeply is a young man much younger than myself who has a very popular YouTube following, his name on the site is Laidbaqq. He made an artistic video about his identity and it continues to move and remind me of why I chose to transition. I am a fan of his.
Morty: How about black transfemale artists, writers or Youtubers?
Kortney: I am in love with Diamond Stylz—another YouTube personality but she does comic videos and serious videos and all kinds of videos. I also appreciate the work of Monica Roberts - not a fiction writer but she keeps more mainstream audiences aware of black trans folks through her online publications.
Morty: Yeah, I read Transgriot, her blog. How about movies?
Kortney: The film UPeople came out around the same time Still Black was out. I respect that they included Ignacio and Tiq. I really love that one.
Morty: Any others?
Kortney: Not that I know of. Ignacio has made some work I like but I haven’t seen much else.
Morty:Hopefully this little interview will light some fires of inspiration.
Kortney: Hopefully! Because I wanna see and read more!
Morty: Yes! I do too.
Kortney: Word. Thanks again, Morty. Have a good night.
Morty: You too! Thank you so much for the interview.
For more information about the movie Still Black and other work by Kortney Ryan Zeigler please visit the following links:
http://www.kortneyrziegler.net/
INTERVIEW WITH FILMMAKER ASHLEY ALTADONNA
How long have you been a filmmaker? What got you interested in filmmaking?
I have been making films since 1999 when I was going to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. I originally wanted to do something in sound design or musical engineering but couldn’t get into any of the classes I wanted to take. I took an intro to filmmaking course and was hooked. Seeing work by avant-garde filmmakers like Stan Brakhage and Hollis Frampton completely blew my mind as to what a film could be. After seeing a copy of Jennifer Reeves’ “Chronic” I thought, “Okay, this is what I want to do!”
The film program at SAIC was exciting but, at least in the time I was there, very unstructured. They gave us 16mm cameras and told us to go make something. It was liberating to be handed those resources, but I probably wasted more than a few rolls of film just learning to use the equipment. Eventually, living in downtown Chicago started to take its toll on me. A bunch of my friends were going to art school up in Milwaukee. I found out about the film program at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and moved to Wisconsin in 2000.
The film department at UWM was a lot more rigid. I don’t think we were even allowed to touch a camera until the second year. I learned a lot more about theory and practice for which I’m grateful. Unfortunately, it was around this time that my issues with my gender dysphoria were starting to boil over. I couldn’t concentrate on my coursework. I was completely stressed out and frustrated. I was put on academic probation my after my first semester. I came out to my parents as transgendered at this time, and briefly started seeing a therapist. However, it wasn’t until my last semester, five years later that I actually began to deal with my gender identity issues. I would recommend film school to anyone interested in pursing filmmaking, but trying to come to terms with your own gender identity while you do it can be a lot to take on.
A lot of your work like your films Whatever Suits You and Playing With Gender is based on your identity as trans. Do you feel like being trans has given you a certain amount of inspiration?
Being transgendered has really given me a lot of direction in my work. I often struggled in school to find an idea or subject matter that I wanted to make art about. Consequently, a lot of my films from that period lacked a personal connection. You can sort of tell I was just “going through the motions” as a director. Being trans has inspired me immensely. I was motivated to make my film “Whatever Suits You” after learning about the Seattle Transgender Film Festival. That entire project happened so organically because I was emotionally invested in the subject matter, me and my transition. Nearly all my films since then have dealt with exploring gender and transgenderism in one way or another. My film “Playing With Gender” was my way of trying to explain the concept of gender and transgenderism to my friends and family. It was my attempt to give them a reference point. The unique experiences we have as trans or genderqueer/gender-varient people are rich with topics to explore and discover through our artistic mediums.
Do you feel when you make a movie about being trans it pigeonholes you as a “trans filmmaker”? Is that necessarily a good or bad thing to you?
For me the idea of being a “trans filmmaker” or “trans artist” is a double-edged sword. On one hand it has opened a lot of doors for me to show my work and given me opportunities I might otherwise not have had. On the other, a lot of times people can’t seem to get past the trans issues to actually evaluate the work on its own artistic merits. I have been to several screenings where I’ve done Q and A after the films, where not one member of the audience has asked me about filmmaking. Instead it’s been the usual barrage of inquiries about my sexual orientation, biology and which bathroom I choose to use.
What are your thoughts on todays “trans cinema”? Is there such a thing? Is it like “queer cinema” or is it something different?
I feel trans cinema, like the rest of trans culture, is slowly coming into its own. Trans culture has been lumped together with queer culture for so long that a lot of people don’t often distinguish between them. I think within the last 20 to 30 years transgender art, theory and society have begun to carve out a space all their own. As artists, writers, and filmmakers it’s important to create that culture and fight for it.
What would you say to young trans artists and filmmakers on making art?
Keep creating and sharing. For years mainstream society has dictated what it means to be queer or trans. You see this with mainstream TV shows and movies like “Transamerica” where trans people are either pathetic victims or deceitful deviants. We need to make and share our own stories, ideas and experiences to counteract these misleading stereotypes.
Bodies Of Work Magazine looks to celebrate the trans / gq / gv artist and writer. Do you think we’ve got a long way to go or are we there?
Again we’ve come a long way, but every time I hear about another transperson attacked or bullied, or denied the same rights and privileges, I know we’ve got to do more.
To see more work from Ashley Altadonna please head to her Youtube page or go to her website, http://tallladypictures.com/