In advance of BFF’s 2020 Online Festival, we will be sharing exclusive interviews with this year’s filmmakers. Get to know their films, their inspirations, and their advice to fellow emerging filmmakers. Check out our interview with Artemis Anastasiadou, director of I AM MACKENZIE.
Artemis Anastasiadou is a versatile director from Greece, working across genres both on comedies and dramas. Her directorial work has been screened at SXSW, Austin Film Festival, Athens International FF, Oak Cliff FF, FilmFest Dresden, Cine Las Americas, Film Festival of Drama among others. Her film Calling (2017) received the Award for “Best Film” in the category “Greeks of the World” at the 41st Film Festival of Drama 2018. It was also recipient of the EBW Austin Film Society Grant 2017 and was selected for the 2018 Texas Filmmakers’ Showcase. Artemis holds a BFA in Drama & Theater Studies from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and an MFA in Film & Media Production from UT Austin.
Congratulations on your 2020 BFF film selection! Can you tell us a bit about your film?
I am Mackenzie is my MFA thesis film from the University of Texas at Austin. It’s a film about adolescence and the feeling of not belonging. A film about exploration and acceptance. The film premiered at SXSW 2019 and won the Grand Jury Award in the Texas Shorts Category. It was a huge honor and accomplishment to leave Austin after 4 years with this love and recognition.
What inspired you to tell this story?
In the beginning I just wanted to make a film about a teenage tomboy. Mackenzie, even before they had a name, just grew in me as a character and as an energy. Since I lived in Texas, I took up the challenge to make a realistic drama based there. It was tough, as I am not a Texas or even a US native. I collaborated with Brittany Worthington, an american screenwriter, I met through the MFA program and we developed the story together. As a greek filmmaker, I felt I needed this collaboration in order to capture the authenticity of life in the US. I also lived in Austin, a queer friendly city that is full young people exploring and playing with their gender expression. So I wanted to capture this time, but also show the other part of the stark reality of conservatism in TX, which is more close to the reality I experience in Greece, a reality I know quite well.
Still from I Am Mackenzie
Shonagh Smith, the actor who portrays Mackenzie, did such an amazing job in this role. Can you talk a bit about the casting process and what you were looking for from each of the actors?
We did an open call in Austin, and Shonagh got our attention right from the start for the excellent control she has over her expressive means. Of course it was at the second round of auditions that I felt sure that she was the one. I focused those auditions on improvisations to see how imaginative and open an actor can be, and on body language. I like to give out to the auditioning actors, some tasks that have to do with physicality. Mackenzie’s body language and masculinity was a big part of what I was looking for. The casting process was encouraging non binary folks and tomboys to apply as well, however in the end we went with Shonagh, who is neither, but as a brilliant actor is very sensitive to different experiences and being in other people's shoes. For the role of August, I was looking for someone that has the ability to show tenderness and fragility, that can act like a stupid boy but also break our heart at the same time. When the time came for chemistry reads, I was really looking to see if there is chemistry between Mackenzie and August, if both of them feel free to improvise and also work on building a relationship outside the rehearsals. I was lucky that it turned out Shonagh and Alan had met in acting workshops before and became really good friends.
What’s the core message that you wanted to convey to your audience through this film?
I wanted to recreate an on screen experience of what it means to be a teenager, to convey the feelings, the angst, and the agony to find and experience love and to understand yourself. I have felt that many different people of different genders resonate with this film, so I don’t think I have a particular message rather than to say it is okay not to know and also it is even more okay to start exploring your gender and sexuality.
Still from I Am Mackenzie
What’s next for you? (optional)
I am in pre-production for a new short in Greece. We were supposed to shoot Mid - June but our plans are delayed due to covid-19. We are hoping to shoot it sometime during the summer. It is actually called “Vancouver”, Canada inspired!
What advice would you give to an emerging filmmaker just starting out?
Almost all stories have been told. But what is the unique perspective to your story to make it stand out? Is it the representation and approach of your characters? The film language? What does it add to a global discourse? Do your research! Watch what others have done before you. I would say always challenge yourself, pose difficult questions and demand high standards. Pick collaborators that inspire you and push you even further. Listen to them and use/adapt/transform the best ideas for the benefit of your film.
And a practical advice: you don’t always have to go for big producers or people with huge experience etc. Find people with the same urgency to make films as you, people who love your ideas and want to support your films. That’s SO crucial.
Care to share any films you’re inspired by, that our community should check out during this quarantine?
Films that I return to again and again are:
Wendy and Lucy by Kelly Reichardt
Corpo Celeste by Alice Rohrwacher
Girlhood by Celine Schiamma
Gasman (short) by Lynne Ramsay
Catch I AM MACKENZIE as part of BFF’s 2020 Online Festival, screening in Shorts Program: From the Outside. Join us June 25 - 28 for screenings, virtual Q&As, panel discussions and more! Get Tickets Today.