New Cohort of Emerging Intersectional Filmmakers Ready to Tell Fresh Stories
Back in March, I had the pleasure of interviewing Emergence Films’ cofounder Rachel Noll James and discussed the forthcoming Emerging Filmmakers Program. Open to anyone who identifies as a woman, this program’s mission is to elevate marginalized voices in the filmmaking world while giving filmmakers of all experience levels the opportunity to create a feature length movie.
A few months later, this year’s cohort of emerging filmmakers has been selected! There are three groups: Team Pocket Topic (Melissa Tumas and Sonia M. Kandathil), Team Mother Tongue (Jo Woods and Sarah Mona), and Team Cosmic Coyote (Mia McGlinn, Ila Dreesen, and Sydney Renee). I once again had the opportunity to speak with the filmmakers about their projects, their teams, and the importance of diversity in art.
Mia McGlinn, Ila Dreesen, Sydney Renee, Jo Woods, Sarah Mona, Melissa Tumas, Sonia M. Kandathil, Sienna Beckman, Rachel Noll James, Samantha Thomas—the new Emerging Filmmakers.
Courtesy of Rachel Noll James (Emergence Films)
Izzy C. (IC): Tell me a little bit about yourselves. What are your names, and what is your background as a filmmaker or creative?
Team Pocket Topic:
Sonia: My original background is in theater and drama. I was an acting specialist and then I did theater for several years before I decided maybe I had to eat. Then I went back to school and got a masters and phd in public health. But my work has always been really committed to social justice. I became interested in how the two are often intertwined, and how you can use those theatrical messages to improve and change lives.
Melissa: My background is in public health also. I have spent the majority of my career working in gender-based violence advocacy and prevention, mostly with college students. I also did educational theater when I was in college. But I’ve always had this love for video and storytelling. I actually left my job and went to a documentary program in Washington DC, learned how to make documentary films and MADE a documentary film [about wrestling]…So now I’m excited to start my own project.
Team Cosmic Coyote:
Mia: I’m the director for our team. My background is in the production department. I worked in LA for several years, but really struggled to break into the creative side of things. I also have a background in theater; I have a BFA in musical theater, but I really fell in love with the camera and how you can reach wider audiences through film than theater, where you can only reach people in their homes. What we’re really passionate about as a team is highlighting Queer characters and Indigenous characters. Our writer (who is not here) is part of the Cowlitz tribe. Our goal is to shine lights on stories that show Queer and Indigenous characters not experiencing conflict because of who they are.
Ila: We met doing theater. My background is also theatrical. I lived in LA as well and fell in love with film acting and never really found the right group of creative people while I was there to let myself get invested. So moving up here, it’s been really amazing to meet like-minded people. One of the things that was difficult for me in LA was the sort of hustle culture. For me, that was really counter-indicated by my creativity. Mia and Sydney and I all share a really similar viewpoint on how to create art with a group of friends where it’s not about one person’s success. That this has allowed us to work on some really great projects already.
Jo: I have a background in operations. I am the actor produced on a partnership with Saramona (sp) and I. Sara and I chose to work together because she knows that with my background…I am all about getting things produced. I spent 27 years at the Port of Seattle, working in operations, creating SOPs, supervising, managing…I now have an education firm: Youth, Wellness, and Diversity (MIMAS). When I think about being a creative and also being able to work with Sara, who is an amazing storywriter, I think about what I do to create programs for people who don’t have voices who are heard. That’s what Sara’s story embodies. Those people who don’t have the voices but do have the stories. It’s a pleasure to be able to partner with someone who wants to amplify voices who aren’t heard.
IC: Describe your projects!
Team Pocket Topic: We were inspired to do this story by a woman that we know. Our focus has really been on immigrant communities…which have been traditionally disenfranchised. It just so happens this is a woman I know—Maria—we have known each other for a very long time (16 years). We approached her with the idea of doing a film about her story. It really kind of sheds light on immigrant struggles, the pathway to get to the United States.
It also sheds light not just on racism in this country but racism in the country you’re from, particularly from different classes. That may be one of the reasons why many people do immigrate. It’s not something we talk about a lot or has been assessed in the media, but it’s that hidden piece that no one ever talks about: It’s just really tough to get a job if you don’t look a certain way. ... It’s a love letter to immigrant communities.
Team Mother Tongue: This is centered around two young Ethiopian sisters. One sister is on the train, and she sees her other sister who she has not seen in many years. She is supposed to be in another state, doing very well. The baby sister is more of the black sheep of the family. She is so taken aback seeing her sister on the train that she decides to follow her. This is during a very turbulent time in their family. Their grandmother has just passed away. So, she follows her sister to the airport on the link light rail where their family picks up the elder sister, believing she has just flown in.
It is a story that speaks to troubled relationships—quietly troubled relationships—just a community that is not from America that has certain customs around quietness. Even in the microsociety of a family. The link light rail is very dear to Sara’s heart…it’s a setting that really means a lot to her. And it’s also Seattle. Because we see so many different neighborhoods on that route…For me as a Black American…it was kind of disheartening to see where the light rail was going…but it’s a place where you can be and not be seen.
Team Cosmic Coyote: We want to create media that is for everyone, but highlights Queer characters facing conflict and universal truths that we all go through. We all fall somewhere on the rainbow, and one of the things I find really frustrating is that my partner and I are sitting on the couch and want to watch a romcom…we all like a coming of age story, but when that is all that’s out there, it becomes an echo chamber of negativity. There’s not a lot of content out there about the reality of living as a Queer person in America. We just want to highlight the normalcy. Queer people are just normal people, we go through the same normal struggles that everybody does. We just want to highlight that instead of it being a story about the trauma one can experience because of being Queer. That story is told over and over again to the point that that is all people think there is.
This story is about a woman who has lost her wife and she’s been working on moving on but has been struggling. Her partner knew she’d have trouble moving on, so she left these tapes with this audio book date for her. So she goes on this adventure with her past partner…How do you move through life when you’ve experienced such a special partnership and lost it and look to the future and have hope? It’s how two things can be true at once. It’s a story about how humans process grief…it’s a hopeful but still grounded in reality story. It’s a love story that anyone would want to be inside.
Members of the new cohort lined up with Rachel Noll James
Courtesy of Rachel Noll James (Emergence Films)
IC: Why is elevating marginalized voices in film important to you?
Sonia: When I first started out in this business, there were so few Indian Americans. In fact, there were probably none…there were so few people who look like me in film and television. When I went to an agent, I was told “You’re just not American enough.” It’s really disheartening. I was also troubled by the way women of color were viewed in theater and drama. As an Indian woman, I was cast as the owner of a 7/11 or a hotel. My African American friends would always say, “I’m so tired of being the maid or the servant.” What drew me to Emergence was their dedication to women across a broad spectrum that really represented diversity…I think there’s a huge place for places like Emergence Films…we need it. We need more diverse voices. And we need advocacy behind it.
Melissa: It feels like there’s so much content out there. The film space is so crowded, but that doesn’t mean it’s all quality or earnest stories. There’s so much room to tell stories by marginalized voices…we’re really excited to highlight a person we really care about and touch on some larger issues around immigration that are really important. Visual storytelling is such a way to connect with people. It is such an effective tool for connection and empathy and advocacy. I’m just thrilled to be a part of this.
Jo: We are at a place where our stories are being retold. Our stories are disappearing when they aren’t the way that certain larger demographics want them to be told. There’s a fight there, but there’s also a bit of, “Well, I can sort of make it this way and still sell it to a large market.” And I see it as taking out a lot of the soul; it’s taking out the fact that not every story is the same. This is an opportunity to tell stories in a different way. I think this is so important because I see that slowly fading.
Ila: I remember the media I grew up with as a kid growing up in the ‘90s and 2000s. I remember the sort of stories I was exposed to, and most of the mainstream media is just kind of retelling the same stories over and over again. I think there’s a huge space for new and different viewpoints being promoted to a wider audience. Especially given the current climate in our country, I think it’s really more important (kind of more than ever) to just normalize the wonderfully varied depth of human experience and break through the narrow paradigm that so many people have. I think this is a fabulous opportunity to showcase some of those stories…people are desperate for a different perspective.
Mia: When we see ourselves in characters, we see new possibilities for ourselves. I know when I was coming out, watching shows with Queer characters in good partnerships, it made me feel like that was possible. To be one of those voices, to be an outlet for people who might feel alone…we’re really excited.
