The Documentary Producer - A crossroad in my life as a Filmmaker…

This week I find myself at a really remarkable crossroad in my life as a Documentary Producer/Filmmaker…

Last week we secured a theatrical distributor for my most recently completed doc, As Seen Through These Eyes. What an awesome feeling! We will be opening in six cities across America and Canada. Sure not a huge release, but you know what… for a small film on the surviving art and artist of the Holocaust, I am going to say – NOT BAD!

And this week I am sitting at my editing studio sorting through hours of tape searching for that illusive through line for the next doc which I shot, directed and am producing.

I think I can hear you thinking… “Yeah, so what?” And my answer for that is “I don’t know.”  I guess I can only answer that question with another question - “Am I really ready to do this all again?”

Let me tell you… the ASTTE was no walk in the park. I was pregnant during the financing and breastfeeding during the post. Yes, I was that woman; sitting in the corner with breast pumps a-pumping asking my male editor not to turn around for twenty minutes so I could relieve myself. In some weird way, it was a blessing that I had to fire three editors (all male) before I figured out that my director could really only work with a woman pushing the buttons. (This goes back to my rant about one getting ones MD!)

“T” finally came into the picture and my inhibition went out the window. I was free to roam around the room holding two megaphones cupped to my breasts.  Ahh, that spells relief.

But … it didn’t make it any easier that I had to spend those three months up to my ears in footage of the most horrific images anyone could possible dream of, with a huge deadline looming and a director who was not mentally prepared to finish her film…

Get the picture?

Good. We can move on…

So now, here I sit - pregnant for the second time and as big as a house - about to give birth to a bouncing baby boy… and another documentary. You know, I don’t know which one is harder. Or what keeps me coming back for more.

Yeah, you’re right, it’s the kids we produce. And as they say – No pain, no gain.

This week my hat goes off to all you mothers and fathers out there who are sticking with this crazy BIZ we call LIFE.

Cheers!