{"id":970,"date":"2018-04-20T08:23:46","date_gmt":"2018-04-20T08:23:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cinerama.edge-themes.com\/?p=970"},"modified":"2018-12-18T22:16:51","modified_gmt":"2018-12-18T22:16:51","slug":"award-ceremony","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archerfilmfestival.org\/?p=970","title":{"rendered":"Indie Wire: J.J. Abrams Tells Young Female Filmmakers To Trust Their Own Voices"},"content":{"rendered":"

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As one of the busiest and most in demand filmmakers working today, J.J. Abrams had much to share with a new generation of storytellers at the fifth annual Archer Film Festival in Los Angeles, a festival that exclusively serves to empower young female filmmakers. Following the keynote speaker of the previous year, Melissa Rosenberg (\u201cJessica Jones\u201d), Abrams seemed to be the perfect selection for the evening, considering the wide appeal his array of projects boast, from mature television shows like \u201cLost\u201d and \u201c11.22.63\u201d to more family-friendly fare like the massive \u201cStar Wars: The Force Awakens.\u201d\u00a0With all of that in mind, the seasoned filmmaker mused about his own dreams as a child and strongly encouraged the room full of teenagers to make their ideas into reality. Because as they would someday find out,\u00a0not everybody does.<\/div>\n
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Moderated by Archer School For Girls students Alex Sherman and Billie Wakeham, the two young ladies kicked the night off by inquiring how Abrams juggles his various projects and manages to somehow keep his cool. After all, the sort of multitasking Abrams must do is what many young filmmakers could only dream to do down the line in their own careers. \u201cHonestly, every responsibility and every problem that I have ever had working in TV or film was exactly the dream I had when I was your age,\u201d he told the aspiring filmmakers, \u201c\u2026which was to have movie problems. There\u2019s nothing better to have than a movie problem.\u201d<\/div>\n
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The further the conversation went, the clearer it became that Abrams is a true champion of the arts, especially when it comes to enriching the voices of tomorrow. He said, \u201cIt\u2019s a true thrill to make a living doing something that you love, which I think is one of the great things about [festivals like this]\u00a0\u2013\u00a0a lot of the people who made these movies are people who have<\/i> to do it. They love it so much, they need to do it. And that needs to be celebrated.\u201d<\/div>\n
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And in a room full of youth, of course, the conversation was bound to go down the path towards a galaxy far, far away as the moderators brought up how exactly Abrams planned on changing people\u2019s perceptions when it came to \u201cStar Wars\u201d being a boys-only club.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cHonestly, every responsibility and every problem that I have ever had working in TV or film was exactly the dream I had when I was your age, which was to have movie problems. There\u2019s nothing better to have than a movie problem.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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He explained that when he met producer Kathleen Kennedy, \u201cShe and I talked [at] that very first meeting about this young woman who would be at the center of this story. It was a very clear thing for the both of us, and it was just this instinctive thing. It helped to have incredible producers [like] Kathy, who\u2019s a woman and is [at the] forefront of this: trying to make sure [women] are behind and in front of the camera.\u201d<\/div>\n
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As he referred to his wide variety of projects from both past (\u201cFelicity\u201d and \u201cAlias\u201d) and present (\u201c10 Cloverfield Lane\u201d and \u201cThe Force Awakens\u201d), he remarked how he\u2019s always been passionate about featuring female characters at the forefront. However, he mentioned how people still question this dedication to female representation. \u201cI get asked sometimes, \u2018Why do you write these female characters?\u2019 And I don\u2019t think if they were male characters that anybody would ask that question.\u201d<\/div>\n
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\u201cFor me, it\u2019s always been something I\u2019ve actually felt drawn to.\u201d Speaking to the kids directly, he continued, \u201cBut when I see people like you who are doing such incredible work and telling stories and making films and care about movies, you see that it\u2019s not really a revolution. It\u2019s already happened.\u201d<\/div>\n
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\u201cI think [representation is] something that people need to see,\u201d he emphasized. \u201cThat there\u2019s a benefit to voices not just of women, but people of color and people that are typically not as well-represented.\u201d<\/div>\n

\u201cI think [representation is] something that people need to see. There\u2019s a benefit to voices not just of women, but people of color and people that are typically not as well-represented.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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To conclude the evening, when asked about what advice he\u2019d like to leave the young filmmakers with as they move forward in their own careers, he noted a special time very early in his career when he worked with the legendary Mike Nichols in his early twenties. \u201cHe taught me that my voice was as important as anyone\u2019s. Not to say that I know any better. It\u2019s critical that you don\u2019t walk around thinking that, but to know that your voice matters. That, to me, is a really important thing to keep with you.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Noting the fact that while many others may share similar ideas, not everybody actually goes so far as to act on them. He added that whatever method the kids take in executing their dreams, \u201cIt\u2019s incredible how important the action of actually throwing that pebble into the lake is. Because everyone can go, \u2018I have this pebble, I could throw it. Eh.\u2019 You know? You want<\/i> to throw it into the lake.\u201d<\/div>\n
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\u201cBut wherever the inspiration comes from, when the inspiration comes, I think the most important thing is action,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd figuring out a way to trust yourself enough and know that your voice is important enough and that you should express it.\u201d<\/div>\n

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