Jennifer Handorf is a multi-disciplinary filmmaker, producer, festival jurist, and consultant, among many things, and we're incredibly lucky to have her on the teaching team here at Central Film School.
We asked Jen some candid questions about her extensive career, her views on the current state of the industry, and her advice for upcoming female filmmakers. Read on to find out more!
I began my career as a producer, and over the years, I have moved more into writing and directing; it sometimes seems more appropriate to sit under the broader umbrella of ‘independent filmmaker,’ as the role encompasses so much! That broader role certainly covers the topics I teach at CFS - from script to screen, I help the students understand how to realise their ideas as films.
What were you doing before CFS, and how did you manage to break into the screen industry?
I’ve been a filmmaker for over twenty years and have produced over a dozen feature films and scores of shorts internationally. I began my career at film school in New York City, where the adventure of producing my first short film first drew me into the industry. I wouldn’t say I broke in so much as I made a space for myself, being too stubborn to give up on anything. I made one film at a time until the body of work spoke for itself.
Do you have a favourite project you have worked on?
Every project has its best and worst parts. I will never forget moments like climbing a volcano with Werner Herzog, or having lunch on a dairy farm with Anjelica Huston, or getting lost in an Essex cave with my 2nd AD, or seeing the sun rise over the Liverpool beaches with my DoP. My favourite part of filmmaking is the myriad of absolutely singular memories it gives space to.
Tolerance and perseverance. Much of the filmmaking process is collecting no's, and if you forget that, it's quite easy to get discouraged... but it's the process. Remembering that the path to YES is paved with NO's can be the difference between success and failure.
I will say simply - not enough. Representation is certainly better and the work environment is improved, but we began with a very low bar. While the number of female directors was growing for a while, they have slipped back over the last few years, and that is discouraging. Where we have seen change is the way it's discussed, but we can't confuse acknowledging the problem with solving it. There is a long way to go before we truly achieve balance.
Don’t ask permission.
Every piece of filmmaking I see inspires me. It is an impossible task to make anything, and yet filmmakers around the world are defying that reality every day.
Why do you think it's important for women to be represented not just on screen, but in technical and leadership roles?
Asking why it’s important to have women represented throughout the industry is like asking why it’s important for a film to have an ending- without them, you’re just not getting the whole story.
If you could only watch one thing for the rest of your life, which film or TV box set would you choose?
I find that how much I enjoy things is really based on context… in the (I’m assuming) apocalyptic scenario you’ve set out, if I’m only able to watch one box set for the rest of my life, it would be The Simpsons Collection, which offers 157 hours of unique content to distract from the world’s end.