Hillary Hanak (she/her) is a seasoned cinematographer from West Chester, PA, who cut her teeth in the competitive Los Angeles scene before settling back into the Philadelphia area. With over 20 years in film, and the foresight to learn at every opportunity, she’s wise to the nature of the industry and how to navigate it. Hillary has fostered opportunities for many promising young talents, recognizing the benefits of building a strong community of filmmakers in our city. She leads by example, fulfilling a crucial responsibility to usher in much needed change. Project Forte strives to create the dialogue for experiences and perspectives so we can establish the need for that change.
Written and Edited by Kate Feher
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Hillary Hanak: I am Hillary Hanak-Newman…the Newman part is really only Facebook official, I just got married this past year. I’m a freelance Director of Photography and I’m the Video Content Producer and Director of Photography at Aramark.
Kris Mendoza: How did you get started in the industry?
Hillary Hanak: I went to college for Film & Video at University of Pittsburgh, which was a theory-based program at the time, so they paired us with Pittsburgh Filmmakers for production and hands on courses. After I graduated, I moved out to California with not much money in my pocket. I had emailed over 200 DPs before I left, just going down the list of DPs in Los Angeles, and one of them responded to me and said, “Yeah, I’ve got a feature coming up. You can be the loader, no problem.” And that was my first job, loading film canisters for features, before the writers strike happened.
During that time, a lot of work washed up, but I had a 9-5 at a film lab, called Fotokem, on the weekends, and I could still freelance during the week. I worked for a place called Wooden Nickel, which is a grip and lighting rental house out there. It turned out to be a great way to network and I got to know everyone in the business while I worked there. Then I started my own grip and lighting rental company called Get a Grip Equipment in Los Angeles. I bought a truck, I bought gear and… I had a partner at the time and we just took every job we could take to build our name and build our reputation, and that ended up working out really well. We were really successful. We worked on everything, from low budget and no budget, all the way up to working with the Foo Fighters on “Sound City, and “Sonic Highways”. And really got into the rock documentary niche by the end of my time in LA.
I was with someone for 13 years and they ended up passing away out in Los Angeles, and it was really difficult. So, I came back here to be closer to family and still wanted to be in the film business, but didn’t know how that was going to work out. And soon as I moved back here, I got a call from the Foo Fighters, again, to do a second documentary with them. I ended up driving across the country and then flying back and going on the road with them for about a year.
Kris Mendoza: Coincidentally, it seems like we both moved out to LA right around the same time. I got there and the writer strike happened, but I did not give it as much of a chance as you did. I did a year out there, I don’t want to say it was wasted, but I didn’t get to work on anything substantial. I didn’t know that you had your own rental business at one point out there . That’s pretty awesome.
Hillary Hanak: We had it for about five years, from 2008 to 2013. When I left, my business partner, Igor Kamoevi, and I just literally split the company in half. So, I have half the gear here and he has half the gear there. He took the truck and I took the van and we kind of split it up that way. He still has our clients out there. And then when our clients need somebody on the east coast, they call me. So, we’re still in contact, and he’s still working under that name, but I ended up coming here.
Kris Mendoza: In terms of the kind of work you do now… I know you have a 9 to 5 producing videos at Aramark but what kind of work do you keep busy with on the freelance cinematographer side of things?
Hillary Hanak: Before the pandemic I did a short film for Carrie Brennan called Block, which is running the festival circuit right now, and doing really well. It’s won a couple of awards for directing and performance. I’m also currently in post-production on a documentary that Kelly Murray and I produced. It’s called The Openers and it follows an aspiring Philly comedian as he breaks into the comedy scene and opens for other stand-up comics. The goal is to capture the journey comedians take in the very beginning of their careers, before they establish themselves in the scene, or work their way up to a Netflix special.
I am working on a documentary about the four men surrounding Malcolm X and then another documentary about Alexander McClay Williams who was a 16 year old African-American boy in the 1930s who was convicted and put to death for a murder that he didn’t commit. I have a lot of things in the works and passions I’m working on constantly.
We went up to New York a couple years ago and shot Alicia Keys, and we did the Jonas Brothers documentary, travelling down to Cuba with them. It just keeps coming and coming and going. And I just balance it out with other work. I never say no. I just say yes, and I figure it out later.
Kris Mendoza: That’s the way to go. It’s the blessing and the curse of being busy and when it rains, it pours. Just saying yes and figuring it out later is sometimes the best way to go.
You seem to have a gravitational pull towards documentary. Is that by nature, kind of working on with the Foo Fighters and becoming known for an aesthetic?
Hillary Hanak: I did just fall into the rock documentary genre, to be honest with you, but I’ve always had an affinity for real life, true stories and documentaries.
I was working on this low budget film with a DP who was, like, eight and a half months pregnant… And it was not a good movie [jokes]. And I promised her that I wasn’t going to jump off to go on another job for another three weeks; that I would finish this movie with her. And she really appreciated that. I lost a lot of money by not taking other jobs, but it was important to be there for her and support her. Sure enough, she was the one who ended up referring me to her best friend who was one of the DP’s on the Foo Fighters documentary. And I kind of fell into that and got to work with some amazing people and hear their stories. It was just fascinating to me. I thought I knew a lot about music and I thought I knew a lot about film, and I’ve come to find out that every time it’s just the surface, no matter how much you know, it feels like it’s just the surface.
Kris Mendoza: Talk to me about the mission of Philadelphia Women in Film and Television (PWIFT) and what kind of work you do on the board there.
Hillary Hanak: So, I was brought on by fellow filmmaker, Dafna Yachin, who is the vice president. I did a documentary with her called The Great Flip-Off, and it was an amazing experience. We worked really well together and she recommended me to be on the board of PWIFT. When I came on, the role that was available at the time was secretary/social media director. So, I’m able to get the word out more about PWIFT. We have a real presence in Philadelphia and people know about us, but we want us to be even more of a support to the community of female filmmakers. The pandemic has been really hard. We used to have galas and events where we could do networking but now we’re making that work in the virtual world. We held an event called Focus In Zoom where we invite different female filmmakers, actors, directors, producers, crew members, and so on, to talk about their experience in the film business.. We’ve been able to do a couple of happy hours and last week one of our members held a private screening of her documentary which she wanted some feedback prior to its release. It was amazing.
Kris Mendoza: From your perspective, is there a solid community of female filmmakers supporting each other out there? What’s that like in terms of finding other women in your field, especially, to learn from and bring an open mindset?
Hillary Hanak: I can only speak from my own experience, but I feel like I have a solid group of female filmmaker friends and colleagues in Philadelphia and the surrounding areas. We push each other to do things outside of our comfort zones.
I remember Maestro did an interview with Bianca Moon, and in it she talked about a series, Vex, we worked on for Simone Holland. And she was getting into the grip and lighting world and was worried at the time about taking an upcoming project. And I told her, “You have it. You have the passion, you have the knowledge. You just need to believe in yourself and learn a little bit more. Don’t go on a set thinking that you know everything.” And now she is working all the time and doing great things!
Kris Mendoza: Regardless if you are a man or a woman, that should be the mindset you go in with –
Hillary Hanak: Exactly. Because the minute that you step on a set without an open mind you’re going to stop learning. I’ve been in the business for over 20 years and I’m still learning when I go on set. And I think that that’s really important. Our community is constantly expanding and we challenge each other to do better.
Kris Mendoza: We’ve interviewed for Project Forte and many of our guests have specifically mentioned you by name as someone who has helped give other women opportunities early in their careers. Supporting each other can be the simplest thing, like giving that pep talk.
Personally, I’m conscious of each time I step through a door, that someone opened that door for me, speaking figuratively. Were there people early on in your career who heralded that kind of mentorship and support, who fostered that spirit in your overall approach to things?
Hillary Hanak: Definitely. My boss, Bryan Godwin, at Wooden Nickel was very supportive of my career, and we’re still good friends today. I used to call him “my west coast dad.” He was there if I needed support or advice in LA, where there’s so much competition. I always went on set thinking, this might be my last day on this set. You never take it for granted because there’s always somebody that could take your place. You may not know everything when you step on set, but if you have a hardworking and positive attitude, if you’re kind to people, they are going to want to work with you. These are 12 hour days. You might be working for six months on a movie and you don’t want to work with a jerk every single day.
Kris Mendoza: I find myself saying that same thing. If anything, it leans towards the people-business more that the technical business. You can have someone who is great at what they do, but if you can’t work with them they’re no good.
Hillary Hanak: Yeah. And in terms of opportunities: Rachel Morrison, who is now a really famous DP – she did Mudbound – she took me under her wing. We did a film called Any Day Now in LA before she blew up. And Jessica Young is incredibly talented and always finds new and different ways to create unique vibes on screen, whether it is using strip diopters or vintage lenses or vintage lighting, she pushed me to keep thinking outside the box on different techniques possible. She was one of the Dp’s on the Foo Fighters docs, and she is still doing movies with them and those are coming out soon, and her film 2 Distant Strangers just won an Oscar! We just had a really good rapport and being able to find people you work with well, can quickly become your support system. Ultimately you want to work with people who inspire and push you toward upward mobility and the perk is that you get to not only work with these people but become friends as well.
Kris Mendoza: As far as your approach to fostering strong women filmmakers in the community, you seem to be someone, just based off of what other people have said and the type of work and sets I’ve seen you on, that kind of has a very intentional approach to hiring and working with diverse sets. Why do you have that approach and what led you to have that mentality?
Hillary Hanak: It’s funny that you say that because I honestly don’t think of it that way. I just hire people that are good at their jobs and are good working together with each other. I don’t necessarily hire somebody because they’re female. For example, Fre Howard is an amazing makeup artist and I hire her for her work and her presence, not because she happens to be African-American or female. I know that any set that she goes on, everyone is going to love her and her work will be amazing.
Kris Mendoza: I 100% agree! It’s refreshing to hear you say that because it’s become the crucial point: Bianca said it, Simone said it… “I want to be hired because I’m good and people value what I’m bringing to set,” as opposed to fulfilling a check box. It’s important for folks to look a little harder and be more intentional. There’s an ecosystem you’re building through this networking amongst female filmmakers.
You’re putting yourself in diverse circles, and I think that’s why you end up hiring them. I don’t think it’s completely accidental, but it is great that you’re hiring them because you know that they’re good and you like working with them. There are stereotypes that say women are hard to work with… strong women, type A women… and working with women is counterproductive. What do you say to all those stereotypes? From your experience, it seems like that’s absolutely not the case because you continue to work with the same strong free-willed women that you do.
Hillary Hanak: Yeah. I’m going to be completely honest with you. There have been times where I have worked on a set of mostly women or a set with mostly men, and you can be pulling your hair out. But then on another set it can be the most amazing experience ever. It just depends on the people you are working with. The Block movie that we did had females as every department head and that was probably the best all-female shoot I’ve ever worked on. Everyone was there for each other. We were there for the film. We were there knowing our craft and working as hard as we could, and figuring out… when there were issues, we solved them and didn’t divide. So, I think with anything, you can have the good shoots and the bad shoots.
It’s really knowing, who do you want to work with? And that’s one of the things about this industry that I love, is you get to decide who you want to work with going forward. When you’re up and coming, you might not have that luxury, but once you kind of get a name and a reputation for yourself, then you get to decide. So, if you don’t click and vibe with somebody, whether it’s male or female, you don’t have to work with them. You can find somebody else. And I think that that’s something important to understand. It’s not the end, if you don’t click with this person, there’ll be somebody else.
Kris Mendoza: What are your thoughts on women washing, it sounds so weird to say that out loud but “women washing,” in terms of crew and hiring. Does that seem counterproductive or is that something elastic we need to flex to before coming back to a new center?
Hillary Hanak: I had this happen during a job: I was crewing up and… I’ve never been asked this before… Honestly, I’ve never been asked who I’m hiring and what their ethnicity was or their race or their gender or anything. But this client said, “We want a really diverse shoot and we want a female crew.” And I said, “Well, I’ve already hired some people and they’re not what you’re looking for.” But if the client is asking you for something you have to deliver. Now, it was a little challenging to me because I had hired a guy who had done me a favor prior, and I told him, “Hey, on the next job, I’m going to get you back,” and this was a really good job.
He happened to be a white male who was fantastic at his job. He is the camera guy when I have questions. And I had to let him go because they wanted a woman of color for second camera. I didn’t have anybody in my contact list because the production wasn’t in Philadelphia and, because of COVID, a lot of people didn’t want to travel or stay in hotels. The girl I found was great but I could tell very quickly she wasn’t at the level this guy was. She still did a great job, but was newer to the film industry and he had been in the business for 15 years.
It was challenging because I wanted to give back to the person who had helped me out before and I was not able to do that. But ultimately I was able to expand my network in another city and please my client at the same time.
Kris Mendoza: Inclusivity is great, but when it becomes exclusivity, that’s when you’ve jumped on the other side of this very thin line. You’re being intentional, but it backfired. It’s good to hear you say that because we’ve been doing these interviews and don’t want it to seem like a very anti-white male initiative. That’s certainly not the case. I think there are still a finite amount of opportunities, of filmmakers, and of crew people on the supply side. It just sucks that it’s a zero-sum game.
Hillary Hanak: It negates the fact that we’re building this community to support one another, and yet we’re not able to give back when we have the chance to.
Kris Mendoza: And just to clarify, that particular job, it wasn’t like you were going into a labor and delivery room, or something very women centric that… It was not one of those situations?
Hillary Hanak: No. We had actually asked, “ Was it a sensitive subject?” But they were not able to give us a reason and… I did meet some other people on set who I had never worked with, so I got to expand my network a little bit.
Kris Mendoza: It’s an ecosystem where everyone needs to thrive and everyone needs to survive. If someone’s very good, very pleasurable to work with, they are hirable regardless of gender or color.
Hillary Hanak: And don’t get me wrong. When I first started… I was one of six females in the union that I belong to in Los Angeles out of 3000 members. Since then they’ve asked me, “Well, was it hard being… What happened when you went on set?” There were a couple of shoots where, I walked on set, and the men looked at me like, “Oh, great. We’re going to have to work harder today because we have a female.” And then I would pick up the 4/0 cable and put one on my left shoulder, and I’d pick up the 4/0 cable and put one on my right shoulder, probably 75 pounds a piece, and start walking down the road. And they would go, “Oh, okay, we’re cool. It’s all good.” And I personally loved that. I loved the look on the faces of people who underestimate me. Some younger people I’ve talked to are afraid of that moment. You should be proud of that moment. Go on set and show them you’re a bad-ass, and do what they don’t think you can handle, do your job.
Kris Mendoza: It’s satisfying, but at the same time, that’s a privilege most people don’t have to think about: working harder to win the approval of everyone else around them. They show up on set not having to spend that first hour proving they’re worthy of being there.
Hillary Hanak: You have to arrive with the mentality “I’m here to do a job, and I’m going to do my job. And hopefully you will hire me again, but if you don’t hire me again, I’ll get another job.”
Kris Mendoza: It’s a good attitude. As we wrap up, what’s down the pike for you, anything you want to tease?
Hillary Hanak: Yeah. I’m filming a web series in New York this June. I’m doing 3 out of the 6 episodes, and it’s called Halfway to Fifty. Kelly Murray is directing one of the episodes as well, we work well together and often. We just went up to Jim Thorpe Film Festival for our film, Your Wreckless Heart, which screened in the Local Heroes film block. It was also accepted to the Philadelphia Independent Film Festival.
Kris Mendoza: You’re doing all this under the banner of Pink Lemonade Pictures?
Hillary Hanak: Yeah.
Kris Mendoza: Gotcha. Care to talk about Pink Lemonade Pictures and the kind of work you guys do?
Hillary Hanak: Sure. So Kelly and I met years ago through mutual film friends. She had written a script for a short film called The Astronomer and contacted me to shoot it. And our friendship and working relationship kind of blossomed from there. Under Pink Lemonade Pictures, we’re interested in making original films and documentaries that can impact and inspire our community. We’ve done three shorts: The Astronomer, 3:13 which is with Maestro’s Long Story Shorts platform, and Your Wreckless Heart. The Openers will be the first feature length project that we produce together.
Kris Mendoza: And you’ve got a nine to five!
Hillary Hanak: Yeah. I don’t sleep.
Kris Mendoza: Any parting thoughts?
Hillary Hanak: I think it’s a very tight knit community here in Philadelphia. I hope that through Project Forte, people can be exposed to more options for crew on their next job. I think it’s great what you guys are doing with this. I really do.
Kris Mendoza: That’s the hope! I really appreciate your time. Thanks again for joining us and look forward to working with you again!
Artina Michelle: My name’s Artina Michelle and I’m a director of photography in the process of co-directing and producing my first feature film, This Too Is Liberia.
Kris Mendoza: Born and raised in Philadelphia?
Artina Michelle: I was born in Staten Island, New York. I was raised in Philadelphia.
Kris Mendoza: Talk to me about how you got started in the film industry. How early in your life did you know this was what you wanted to be doing for the rest of your life?
Artina Michelle: The earliest memory I have of film is when my mom bought a camcorder for one of our family reunions. My older sister and I would take it and make home videos. We used to do remakes of MTV Cribs, just random things. We did our first short film, edited everything in camera because we didn’t know how to edit. My brother would make cameos. It was just something fun that we would do. I didn’t take it seriously at the time.
Kris Mendoza: Just so I can place us here, is this Mini DV, Hi8, VHS? What era are we talking here?
Artina Michelle: Yeah. I don’t even know the name for it. It was one of those camcorders with the cassettes.
Kris Mendoza: It was a mini cassette like… Yeah, Mini DV or HDV, depending.
Artina Michelle: Wait, does that make me old?
Kris Mendoza: Ha, no, it’s cool you grew up in the analog era. You touched some analog tapes. That lets you straddle both cool old school and new age.
Artina Michelle: Vintage, I’ll take it. Anyway, as I got older, I thought I wanted to act, but I was too ashamed or afraid to say it. Fast forward to college, I thought I would be going into psychology because I did well in an AP Psychology course in high school. But I knew I didn’t really want to do that for the rest of my life. The acting thing was still in the back of my head, but… I’m a first generation Liberian American and I felt like I couldn’t tell my African parents I wanted to act. I just didn’t feel like they would support that. They’re very academically driven.
Kris Mendoza: So you had the preconceived notion that they wouldn’t be into it. What’s a typical Liberian American career path you thought was expected of you?
Artina Michelle: Yeah, for sure. I mean, I believed it because I heard it. “You sure you don’t want to be a nurse, a lawyer, or an engineer…” just different conventional paths that a lot of immigrants see as profitable.
Kris Mendoza: But you declared your major as film, the actual major cinema, and then your parents didn’t need much convincing. Were they supportive after all?
Artina Michelle: Yeah. I think what it was was my dad saw that I was really going hard for video work. I was doing events at that time. I was shooting music videos. I was shooting anything that I could.
Kris Mendoza: Ah, and he saw the passion?
Artina Michelle: Yeah, that and I started making money. I started making money from shooting events, and then that’s when he was like, “Okay…”
Kris Mendoza: “This is a career.”
Artina Michelle: Yeah. I think when I did my first event, it was either a wedding, or baby shower, or something. I got that paycheck. My dad was like, “They paid you all for this? … Okay, we’re in America. Here, children can do different things.” That was it. After that, he was really supportive.
Kris Mendoza: Ha, like, “What? They’re paying you money for this?”
Artina Michelle: Yeah and that all started in college. I got advised to take a film analysis course as an elective. At the time, I was undeclared at Temple University. I didn’t think I would care too much about this course. I was just trying to get close to the theater but in this course I learned about cinematography. It reminded me of an English class I took that had to do with rhetoric.
To me, cinematography is the rhetoric of film. It’s the visual language, and that’s something that really interested me. After that, I bought a camera. I taught myself how to edit. I finally took the plunge. I picked my major which was film and media, and told my parents. They saw I was so passionate about it, so they actually did support me to my surprise. I started interning for FreshFly. After that, it’s just history.
Kris Mendoza: That’s right! I don’t know if you remember how we met, but you were renting our studio. Then, I think it was Greg Heller, who was working with you at FreshFly, who had come to Maestro to edit right around the same time you arrived. You guys saw each other in the hallway and I thought he must have been a Temple student with you. It was such a coincidence…
Artina Michelle: Oh yeah, I forgot about that!
Kris Mendoza: That’s Philly production world for you, small world. Was that 2014?
Artina Michelle: It was! I’m surprised you remember the year.
Kris Mendoza: To that end, walk us through your work since? In what way did film school equip you for the workforce and really starting a career out there?
Artina Michelle: Yeah. I would say one of the biggest things I got out of film school was a network. I got a chance to connect with different people. A lot of my peers are doing some major things. I’m super inspired by them.
Kris Mendoza: Yeah it’s a safe space to put yourself out there and find different pockets of people. I always say to folks working in Maestro, being a people person is just as big of a part of this business as being a technician or creative. Getting along with people, and having them remember you, pulling you onto other jobs, giving you opportunities and stuff. In that regard, I think it’s worth noting. Are there any people, whether it’s companies/organizations that you feel really helped you open up new networks and start to try new things? I know you mentioned FreshFly is one of them, but how does one transition from student trying to build a network, to being known for a position, and then getting calls and getting work?
Artina Michelle: Oh yeah. I would say it was FreshFly, then Maestro, you all really hooked it up, and Carron Willis at Alkemy X. I think my network got much bigger through PA-ing with Alkemy because I met Marcus Clarke, a talented director, who ended up getting me on the set of Creed II.
That was a formative moment for me. I was doing the best that I could on those jobs – they had me on background and stuff – but I was also already doing DP work as a side hustle. So by the time I got on Creed II, I was already nearing the end of accepting PA work… then, someone got me really upset on set one day and I was like, “I think I’m over it. I think I’m better than this.”
I was like, “Let me just go talk to the DP real quick, and tell him I’ve been inspired by watching him work.” I was going to tip my hat and go. But just through having a conversation with him, that turned around. That day I was told I got moved to the camera department as a camera PA. That got me specialized in what I was actually interested in which was camera work.
Kris Mendoza: Was that a turning point for you in terms of specialization and the like?
Artina Michelle: Oh, I’ve always called myself a DP from the beginning. Even when I was interning, I was like, “I’m a DP, I’m a cinematographer.” I knew that, but when I first went into the industry, it was as if I couldn’t say that. People advised me not to say it.
Kris Mendoza: It felt like it was a title you had to earn?
Artina Michelle: Yeah in a sense.
Kris Mendoza: It’s interesting. Right? There’s an older DP that we work with who you know, and he mentioned, to this day, he doesn’t feel comfortable calling himself a DP. He is “the camera guy” because of the pressure and the weight that he felt like came with the title, but I think there’s a lot to say about just owning it and saying, “This is what I am, and these are the kind of jobs and stuff I want to be known to for and get called for.”
Why did you decide to draw a line and take only DP work moving forward?
Artina Michelle: Oh, wow. To be honest, it was a twofold thing. I was reading this scripture in the Bible, the parable of the talents which talks about how you should not bury your gifts, but use them. At the time, I really would sit with myself and think, “I’m still learning.” I’m ever-learning. I’m ever-growing, but at the same time, I don’t need to wait to take the leap. I know that I have the capability to have this title, regardless of what the industry was telling me at the time.
I think that goes hand in hand with what you’re talking about concerning identity too. It’s something that you have to find within yourself – to say, “This is who I am, and this is who I’m presenting myself to the world to be.” One thing I found helpful at that time in my life was that I got to PA for a female DP – Oo, actually I don’t like using the word female to describe women.
Kris Mendoza: Non-male.
Artina Michelle: Ha, right. I should say I was on set with a woman, Julie Kirkwood, and she was a DP from LA. I just didn’t see a lot of women DP’s in Philly at the time, and our B-cam operator was also a woman too. Basically, seeing them just added fuel to the fire.
Kris Mendoza: Digging into the experience of not seeing a lot of non-male representation on the set… it sounds like you felt it drove you to be even more forthright in your mission to become a DP, yeah? Had you seen that as a main obstacle?
Artina Michelle: To be honest, my gender didn’t really cross my mind when I was choosing my career. I’m confident that everyone’s path is different. Everybody has different ways to get to their destination, you know? I had the confidence that if this was for me, that was going to be true whether I’m a woman, whether I’m black, whether I’m young, you know, or something else. If it’s mine, it’s mine, and no one can really take that from me, basically.
Kris Mendoza: How do those circumstances all factor into creating you, the artist? Do you find yourself gravitating towards certain projects? Do you find yourself being comfortable on certain sets? Are you picking and choosing who you work with? How does all this factor into the creative approach?
Artina Michelle: Yeah, that’s a good question. Even with confidence, it’s definitely challenging. When I was learning about lighting, it was hard to be around a whole bunch of guys who were grips and stuff, especially having smaller arms like I do. That’s not a woman thing, that’s an Artina thing (jokes).
I think I was there for the knowledge, but definitely had to deal with a lot of male ego and people who were trying to fight their way to the top. People are crabs in a barrel when you’re in a small market. Then for me recently, or when I defined myself as a DP, I had to find my voice within what I wanted to do because now I’m making creative choices.
I realized that in film school, I was taught a very Western-centric way of thinking about film that didn’t resonate with me, to be honest. What I was told was good, I didn’t think was good.
Kris Mendoza: Is this from a story sense or technical approach?
Artina Michelle: I would say story. Technical was good, but… There are certain films that are American classics which I don’t find…
Kris Mendoza: There was zero cultural experience for you. As an American, you’re like, “None of this resonates with me whatsoever.”
Artina Michelle: Exactly. When I would get a chance to speak in my courses, I was made to be the issue. “You’re the person who doesn’t understand high cinema,” basically. The culture that I come from is much different from the people who are creating these things. It’s not to say that my opinions, or what I would want to see, or what I would want to make is wrong or lower class cinema, but it’s just… an untapped perspective basically. I had to realize that my voice is important and it’s comprised of my varying identities as a Liberian American, as an artist, as a black woman, and more.
Kris Mendoza: Only you can tell it, right? Quite frankly, with a lot of culturally driven stories, if you’re not telling it, who is? Someone may opt to write it, but if they don’t come from that culture, they may miss key elements or moods. I’m not necessarily getting to the point where, for example, only Filipinos can tell Filipino stories, etc.
But – it’s no secret that in the last year and a half or so, The US has become super race conscious. Some call it race guilt, this move toward intentional calls to hire minorities. I don’t know if it’s the optics that scare them into action or if there really is authenticity behind it. Do they actually want the right crew for this – to understand or appreciate it – or do they have their eye on a quota? Ultimately it opens the door for a lot of minorities in this filmmaking space regardless. It’s interesting because I think about it through the lens of being qualified. You talk about this inner validation, external validation, but ultimately it’s who’s qualified to tell what stories and who’s qualified to aid in the telling of it?
I’m curious to hear what your perspective is on this.
Artina Michelle: Yeah, It’s interesting because for me, I didn’t get an influx of jobs carrying the pretense of needing a black DP. I probably got maybe two jobs simply because the talent themselves said, “Hey, I want to see someone who looks like me on the other side of the camera.”
I’m learning that there’s just a long way to go. Last year was a revelation for a lot of people, but for my community, it was stuff that we were saying and experiencing for so long. I still feel that sometimes people’s advocacy comes off performative. It can be a little shallow without a deeper understanding of other cultures, other identities and experiences. I do think that, for the most part, we’re on an up trend though.
Kris Mendoza: Hopefully it sticks…
Artina Michelle: Yeah, exactly. I think I’m a little bit more cynical than others are, maybe. I just want to see longevity, but what I am interested in honestly is just the awakening that’s happening within black artists as well as other cultures and communities of artists. Basically, Americans and all our variations, like Liberian American, Caribbean Americans, Asian Americans, Black Americans… I just love that there’s a Renaissance of art that’s been going on for us.
The independent projects are the ones that I’m interested in. Recently, I was called for a shoot about black women who are preparing to deliver their children in the middle of America’s black maternal health crisis… that’s a story that needs to be told, and I believe that it can only be told from the perspective of the women who are going through it, or at least can relate to it.
Kris Mendoza: I think that’s a good segue then in terms of independent projects – can you talk a little about the documentary you’ve been traveling to Liberia for? I think it’s been a few years in the making. Can you give me the high level overview, and where you’re at, and what you’re accomplishing.
Artina Michelle: I started working on This Too Is Liberia at the end of 2018. I was fresh off the set of Creed II… and I just got rejuvenated by all the diversity that was on that project, for example seeing Steven Caple Jr., who is a young black man from Cleveland, directing.
Kris Mendoza: Non-female.
Artina Michelle: Yeah, for us to witness someone in this generation just killing it and making a project of that caliber, I got really excited.
I already planned to go back to Liberia at that point. Naturally, I wanted to create something there. I thought it’d be a short project, but I discovered that Liberia has a surfing counter-culture that is growing so I started connecting with that community.
Then I went for it.
Initially, I went to Liberia for a month and started filming. I connected with my family over there – connected with my culture, my identity in a way that I’ve never done before.
Then I came back, thinking I would get a whole bunch of grants and everything would work out how I wanted it to, but instead had to wait a whole year and some change to go back to Liberia. It was during the pandemic that I actually went back for the second trip. That was fall 2020. I stayed there until February 2021. Now we’re close to the finish line. Thankfully, we just got approved for a grant a few days ago to finish the last bit of principal photography.
Kris Mendoza: Congrats. What have you learned as far as documentary filmmaking when it comes to you as an artist throughout this whole journey?
Artina Michelle: So, so much… The journey with this film has been impactful because I’ve been documenting this story for the majority of my 20s. I think that timeframe in anyone’s life is just… There’s a lot of growth. It’s been a lot of reconnection and learning about my family and about my history.
When I first started it, I was super excited. I was thinking, “Okay, this is going to be my first feature. It’s going to take a year tops.” All I wanted to do was show my homeland, and so, in a way, it was all about me.
Then, when I met the surfers, I learned that it was bigger than me. I wanted to do it for them. I wanted to showcase the people who were in Liberia, who stayed after the war. I realized they are basically my counterparts.
At that point, I started to put more pressure on myself. I was like, “Oh, this project needs to be good, and I don’t know if I can deliver.” I realized I had a fear of failure, and what I learned most through the documentary so far is overcoming fears and not letting fear rule me as an artist or even as a person.
Kris Mendoza: The game got big when you realized you really had something there.
Artina Michelle: Yeah, seriously. I was like, “Oh, okay. This is actually looking like it can be something.” Then I started to get fearful that it wouldn’t happen, that someone else, some Europeans – I know the French, in particular, do films in West Africa – would come in and take over the story. That became a fear of mine.
Throughout the project, I began to experience a lot of rejection, not getting the grants I was applying for. I was like, “If we don’t get this money, I’m not going to finish this project…” That rejection process really taught me a lot.
Then 2020 the world stopped. I thought, “I can’t push anymore for this doc. I can’t even leave the country. I can’t even leave my home, what now? What do I do with this time?” So I learned to let go, and that’s actually exactly what I needed.
There’s enlightenment on the other side of fear. Now I know, if I’m afraid of something that basically means I should go in that direction, to address it. Whatever my fear is, my treasure is on the other side. It’s just an indicator.
Kris Mendoza: And now you’re just rushing towards your fears?
Artina Michelle: I don’t know about rushing, but I’m definitely more inclined to use it as…
Kris Mendoza: As a Motivator?
Artina Michelle: Yeah, as a motivator. There we go. Now fear is more of a motivator.
Kris Mendoza: That’s super powerful to mentally unlock that for yourself and also empower yourself rather than be too paralyzed to do what’s next. You talked about the fear of failure, and conquering fears, but also, it’s important to note that the creative process lends itself well to learning from failure, embracing failure. I think that those things go hand in hand.
When you look directly at rejection and failure, it makes you a better artist, a more resilient person at the end of the day.
Artina Michelle: It hits differently, fear of rejection, when it’s art that you’re creating, that you’ve become a part of.
Kris Mendoza: You’re more vulnerable, right?
Artina Michelle: Yeah. It’s very vulnerable, especially when the project is close to your heart like that, it’s close to your growth, and your identity. You may have people say, “We don’t believe in this right now.” And that’s tough but, that rejection is also creating the project, because every time I got rejected from a grant, I had to go back and revamp, rethink it.
Kris Mendoza: You asked yourself, “Why did I get rejected? What can we do better?”
Artina Michelle: Yeah, those questions are needed. I think all of it is needed for growth.
Kris Mendoza: Absolutely. So where can we find more information on this particular project? And also, there’s one other project that I’ve been following… Can you talk to me a little about Dear Philadelphia?
Artina Michelle: Yes, you can find more about the doc on my website, ArtinaMichelleDP.com there’s a tab for This Too is Liberia.
Dear Philadelphia… That started with the director, Renee Osubu. She is originally from London but would spend her summers volunteering with kids in North Philly. I met her through a friend of mine who I was going to church with at the time. He told me Renee was looking for a DP for her project. Originally, Dear Philadelphia was a photo series that she intended to turn into a short film.
It was true vérité style filmmaking. We were just rolling around and capturing people in North Philly. Renee didn’t tell me at the time, but she lost her father a few years prior to starting the project. It just so happens, the series is about black fathers in Philadelphia. I guess that was a turning point in her journey to make this project. I really was just there to help but every time I watch it, I tear up because I know that it was made with love.
I started out with them during the first half of production, but I had to leave to focus on This Too is Liberia. Then, she brought on Luis Lopez, a DP from San Diego. I was happy that they kept going. I had to bow out but I think that was the best thing that could have happened because Luis definitely did his thing on it.
I was still able to pop in on them throughout the summer, shoot a couple shots here and there. That’s how organic it was. It would be like, “Here’s a camera. Oh, you’re here hanging out. Grab some shots.”
Then it ended up just being massively successful and way more than we thought it would be. It is her first film and her first short. To me, watching that after being in the game for this long, and knowing how difficult it is for people to even just finish a short, let alone have it reach this level… I’m just like, “Wow. All glory to God.”
Kris Mendoza: And this is out for people to watch now, or it’s still running a festival circuit?
Artina Michelle: Oh, yeah. Dear Philadelphia is now available to watch on Vimeo Staff Picks. Aftering premiering on the British Film Institute online player. It had an International premiere at Sundance, screened and won at Blackstar Film Festival and is now an Oscar qualifier.
Kris Mendoza: I love to hear it, a lot of good stuff happening. Thank you so much for joining us and best of luck!