Catherine Glynn

After a long, successful career in the performing arts on stage and in commercials, what was the catalyst that made you decide to step behind the camera as a first-time filmmaker?

When I was in college my Senior Seminar was on Women in Film. Barbara Freedman who was the Professor of the course opened my eyes to a whole new way of viewing film. And how the director and editor of film's shape the viewers experience. She also had us watch a wide variety of films, including several Ingmar Bergman films. I've never forgotten the impression this films made on me. Fast forward, many years later, to the pandemic. I had to find a way to keep myself engaged and viable as a storyteller. And I started creating short videos to accompany a project I was working on called Root River Anthology: Still Flowing. I found the work so gratifying. And so exacting. Filmmaking and editing forces me to pay attention, in great detail to what a viewer sees and I how I want to curate a story. In short, I fell in love with a new form of storytelling.

You hold MFAs in acting from the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Delaware's PTTP. How has this deep, academic, and practical training in acting shaped your approach to directing other actors on set?

Both of those institutions hold a special place in my mind and heart. I learned invaluable lessons on how to talk to actors, and how film and stage are connected yet separate. Theater often calls for a sense of largesse, while also remaining authentic. While film acting, takes a subtle, quiet and highly refined approach to truthful storytelling. I learned great lessons about the subtly of movement and how that affects a viewer, and I also learned great practicalities like how to land your mark, how to listen to direction, and remain open to notes, and how to collaborate. All of these lessons have shaped the films I create today.

As the founder and director of A.R.T. (Audacious Raw Theater), how does the ethos of "audacious" and "raw" performance translate into your cinematic language and visual style?

First, thank you for asking this question! I think audacity is important. The writer Emile Zola once said, "I came to live out loud." And ultimately I think that's what great artists do. I want to encourage that boldness in everyone I work with, I want people to express their true voices through their art (no matter the medium.) And I think that takes an audacious, brave spirit.

As for Raw…well that comes from two places, one it was plain practical! To produce live theater can take loads of money, and I wanted to focus on paying the actors I work with, rather than on the aesthetics behind them. Please know that is not to say I don't value lighting, costuming, sound and set making I do. I was just being real about the fact that I as a solo producer could only afford so much. So I opted to focus on the performances alone. The artists who participate in A.R.T. take the stage by storm by themselves in a very stripped down scenic environment. And that helps the audience focus on the stories they are telling. And how they choose to tell them. Second, the idea of raw theater goes back to audaciousness, everyone who participates in A.R.T. including me has barred they soul in some during the process, and that raw courage is something I applaud in any artist, any day!

Having worn both hats — performer and filmmaker — what is something you understand about a film set now that you wish you had known when you were strictly focused on acting?

Filmmaking is a complex art form, there are so many moving pieces. But I think the greatest lesson I have learned is, that serendipitous shots are the bomb. I had so many, what I refer as "happy accidents" that ended up in Origin. I once left my camera on in my bag while hiking in the blue ridge mountains of North Carolina, and that raw, reddish, fuzzy footage now underscores the entrance of the Huldra in the film. It was a beautiful moment to know that while there are times you have to do take after take to get something right, there is also every chance that some beautiful image will be just the perfect bridge to make your film complete.

Independent filmmaking requires an immense amount of resilience. How does your favorite quote by Mahatma Gandhi, "Be the change you wish to see in the world," anchor you during the chaotic and challenging moments of production?

Again, thank you for this question. This quote is seminal to who I am and what I do. I believe that not only am I called to be an artist, I am also called to serve others through the art of storytelling and entertainment. Films can and have changes people's lives. It's a medium that reaches the masses. And by me taking up the camera later in life I want people to know it's never too late to start anything they want to do. We can change the world by participating in it, by making films and sharing stories and points of views. While there were times that the process felt overwhelming, knowing that I was creating a change and being of service to Liz Bucheit, the screenwriter, and to our Norwegian ancestors by telling parts of their story we could touch people's minds and hearts with the story. And that's the best kind of change I know.

Coming from Southeastern Minnesota, far from the traditional Hollywood or New York hubs, how do you view the growth and importance of regional independent filmmaking in America today?

Wow, I think that regional and in particular rural filmmaking is incredibly important. Just like with A.R.T. we what we need to know as smaller filmmakers is that a big budget isn't necessary for great filmmaking. We have the ability to take an iPhone and Final Cut Pro and create beautiful stories. A tenacious spirit will get you faster than a large budget any day, is my motto. And you don't have to live in L.A. or N.Y.C to be a great filmmaker.

As a proud member of union circles like SAG/AFTRA and AEA, how important is it to maintain high standards of respect, protection, and professionalism for creators on low-budget indie sets?

It is paramount! Just because you may not have a lot to pay your actors, or designers, or technicians you must always also pay them in respect. For far too long, it's felt like artists have been taught that our work is fringe work, that we have to have other jobs to support us while we also put our full beings into the work we are doing on set and in the editing room. That, is a "real" a job as being a doctor or an accountant. And paying artists a living wage for the work they do is a necessity, not a nicety.

When your project was recognized by our panel, what did that validation mean to you, especially as a first-time filmmaker transitioning into a new medium?

I was awe struck. I felt so validated! Knowing that panelists, other filmmakers and artists saw and respected my vision, Liz's storytelling and Jeremy's beautiful performance. It's a great honor, and it makes me very excited to share that honor with more filmmakers next year, when I sit on the panel!

Now that you are stepping into the role of a juror for our next edition, what specific elements in a performance or script are you hoping to discover? What makes an actor's performance truly authentic to you?

I hope to be surprised by the filmmakers. To see scripts and performances that challenge the status quo. I remember watching Ellen Burstyn's performance in Requiem for a Dream directed by Darren Aronofsky. That was shattering, raw, beautiful work. And Darren Arronofsky made such bold, surreal choices with that film. I hope to see filmmakers breaking boundaries, taking chances and telling rich and complex stories. I also love humor.

As for performances being authentic, that is one of the toughest questions. When I coach actors or storytellers being authentic is key. And there is a moment when a performer drops in, and that can happen both with rehearsal or in a moment of pure improv, either way, it's a feeling that transcends the celluloid and touches the viewer. Their voice, face and body align and meld with the words they are saying and you can't look away. Because they are so present.

Now that you have broken the ice with your first film, what themes, genres, or stories are currently capturing your imagination for your next creative project?

Mmmmmm, I am still dreaming and scheming. Liz Bucheit and I have talked about the possibility of another Norwegian folk tale based on the Fossegrim, an exceptionally talented musical water spirit who steals people's souls after luring them in with his music.

I also have the idea for a short film about a clown doll, that my husband collected as a child. Clown's get such a bad wrap especially after films like IT! But a dear friend of mine is a professional clown and I'd like to bring that truth and beauty to light. As the New Times has said, "The essence of clowning is radical vulnerability, joyful disruption, and unconditional self-acceptance. It is an art of 'being' rather than 'performing', where one embraces failure, drops the adult ego, and plays like a child to remind audiences of our shared, beautiful, and messy humanity." Can you think of a better format for a film? I can't!