Sissyboy - At SxSW Film |
by Jason Whyte
“A juncture in the lives of performance art revolutionaries, 'Sissyboy' explores the Portland-based gender-bending drag troupe that has served up their audacity, ambivalence and social commentary throughout the Rose City for over 3 years before hundreds of devoted fans.” Director Katie Turinski on “Sissyboy” which screens at this year’s South by Southwest Film.
Is this your first film in SxSW? Do you have any other festival experience? Do you plan to be in Austin for the screenings?
This is my first film in SXSW, and actually, my first feature film, period. I have no other festival experience. I will be in Austin for my first two screenings.
Could you give me a little look into your background (your own personal biography, if you will), and what led you to the desire to want to make film?
I grew up with dreams of becoming a painter and selling my work in galleries. While earning my Bachelor of Fine Arts degree however I discovered a passion for film editing that rivaled my passion for painting, and after graduation I quickly found myself at home in the post-production world. This film started, for me, as an experiment of sorts. When I began the process I was feeling creatively starved and was looking for something I could really call “my own”. I wanted to challenge myself with something I’d never attempted before, and when I began to think about what or who might make an interesting subject for a film, the Sissyboys came to mind.
Growing up, you were no doubt asked the eternal question “When I grow up I want to be a …” Finish this sentence, please!
As mentioned above, whenever anyone asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up I would always answer with “I want to be an artist.”
How did this whole project come together?
I had heard of Sissyboy, they were friends-of-a-friend of mine, and I’d been invited to their shows several times, but it wasn’t until a Halloween weekend in 2006 that I actually experienced a Sissyboy performance first-hand. I didn’t know what to think, I’ll admit. It was loud, and rude, but also sort of beautifully messy at the same time. Ten months passed and I attended another show and this time I was really struck by how much beauty and artistry these performers seemed to possess, and I began developing the idea of using the members of Sissyboy as subjects for a film.
I had no idea what they would think of the idea, seeing as how at that point I didn’t know them personally and wasn’t sure if they would be willing to allow me and my camera into their rehearsals, let alone, into their lives. But after contacting member Lee Kyle via Myspace, and explaining the idea of the film to him, I was delighted when he replied with an invitation to meet them the following week for their rehearsal. I’m sure when they saw me there that first day with my camera they were thinking ‘who is she and why is she crashing our party?’” – but after a brief introduction to the rest of the group by Lee and Zebra, the rehearsal went on as usual and I started rolling.
The troupe was rehearsing for their Halloween performance, and so it was that almost exactly a year after first experiencing Sissyboy as an audience member, I had suddenly embarked on what would become an intimate and unforgettable relationship with the troupe. Shooting continued for a year during which time I conducted interviews, documented rehearsals and performances, and was even invited to accompany the troupe on their very first (and what would become their only) West Coast tour. Shortly after returning to Portland, the group collectively decided to call it quits, and I was there to capture the troupe’s last days together and their final performance.
What was the biggest challenge in the production of the movie, be it the script, principal photography or post-production stage?
In the year that I followed Sissyboy, I had shot nearly 65 hours of footage, and was the sole editor on the project. I was basically a one-man-band throughout the process of actually constructing the film, so when I sat down to edit, I knew I had a tremendous task ahead of me. I was also working my normal “day job” during the entire production of the film, so editing could only occur during evening and weekend hours. The post-production definitely presented the greatest challenge for me.
Please tell me about the technical side of the film; your relation to the film’s cinematographer, what the film was shot on and why it was decided to be photographed this way.
Sissyboy was shot on mini-DV using the Panasonic DVX-100B 24p camera. I chose this format because of its affordability, and I shot the film myself.
Who would you say is “the audience” for this film? Do you want to reach everyone possible or any particular type of filmgoer?
I would certainly think that this film will do well with LGBT audiences, but I also believe that there are some universal themes in the film that anyone can relate to. While the film deals with homosexuality, it also explores themes of identity, self-acceptance, family, gender, society, and art – all of which can appeal to a great variety of people regardless of sexual orientation.
Who would you say your biggest inspirations are in the film world (directors, actors, cinematographers, etc)? Did you have any direct inspirations from filmmakers for this project in particular?
I greatly admire the work and the wisdom of Albert Maysles. One of my favorite quotes of his is “After all, the knowledge of the real world is exactly what we need to better understand and therefore possibly to love one another. It’s my way of making the world a better place”. I feel as though the spirit of that sentiment was present with me while making Sissyboy.
How far do you think you would want to go in this industry? Do you see yourself working on larger stories for a larger budget under the studio system, or do you feel that you would like to continue down the independent film path?
Independent or not, I want to continue to make films that help us understand each other better. Being human is a complicated, difficult, dramatic and amazing process, and I think the more we are able to appreciate and feel compassion for one another, the more meaningful our lives become. And I think documentary film is a catalyst for that.
What do you love the most about this business of making movies?
Being so new at it I don’t have a lot of experience to draw from, but I’d say the thing I love most about making documentary film is the sheer challenge of attempting to tell a story in which your characters are real people, living real lives, and to do it in a way that is honest, and with care and respect. It feels insurmountable at times, but it’s proven to be one of the most satisfying artistic challenges I’ve ever faced.
This is one of the many films that is screening at this year’s South by Southwest Film Festival. For more information on this film, screening times and for other information on SxSW, point your browser to www.sxsw.com/film.
Jason Whyte, efilmcritic.com
link directly to this feature at http://efilmcritic.com/feature.php?feature=2707
originally posted: 03/09/09 19:54:17
last updated: 03/09/09 19:54:55
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