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THE OFF HOURS: Amy Seimetz

The Sundance It Girl 2011 (LA Times)

Next to acting, she has written, directed and produced. She starred in THE MYTH OF THE AMERICAN SLEEPOVER, which screened at Munich last year, and is coming to the fest on Tuesday, June 28 to present her film THE OFF HOURS.   

MYTH OF THE AMERICAN SLEEPOVER screened here last year, the director Dave Mitchell was here. Have you ever been to Munich before?

MYTH OF THE AMERICAN SLEEPOVER is a beautiful film. David executed his vision with so much heart and precision. Megan Griffiths' direction is very much the same on THE OFF HOURS-- precise and tonally impeccable. Both Megan and David give great attention to detail and subtle nuances in performances and surround themselves with great crews.
I have been to Berlin several times but I have not been to Munich yet. Looking forward to it.

You helped produce SILVER BULLETS, actress Lynn Shelton appears in THE OFF HOURS and also co-produced. We have films produced by Nicole Kidman, Natalie Portman, Kevin Spacey and Keanu Reeves in this year's festival - has working as a producer become a way for actors and actresses to keep working in projects they like? Or is it just a natural part of the indie DIY spirit  for you?

I am not a fast talking producer type. I am more like an absent minded landlady with a set of a thousands keys trying to show you a new apartment-- if the first key doesn't fit, I just try another one.

I was not supposed to act in SILVER BULLETS. I am not sure if you are familiar with Joe's (Joe Swanberg, editor's note) process, but the film morphed into several different incarnations before he settled on its current version and at some point I got thrown in there. My goal in producing for Joe was not to get my noggin on screen. I acted in Alexander the Last and was amazed at his ability to bend and move as the film developed without getting stressed out. I still have no idea how he does it-- and maybe he will tell you that he is completely stressed out all the time, but he certainly does not show it. I saw producing for him as another form of collaboration.

Producing is amorphous-- I am not sure I can answer how or why other people do it. Each film is different. I like the idea of DIY-- Do-It-Yourself-- for fixing my kitchen sink and sewing new clothes, but film is a collaborative art form. Maybe DIO-- Do-It-Ourselves-- is better... Doesn't pack the same punk punch does it?

Does that change your relationship to the film - suddenly worrying about budgets, sales, the business end? Does that effect change your work as an actress?

I cried my eyes out every single day on SILVER BULLETS thinking about the business end of what we were doing. I suggested ending the film with Kate howling atop the Statue of Liberty, but Joe said it was the wrong tone. Everyday, my grand ideas were shot down by Joe. I found my bruised ego a bit distracting when I was acting as well as a general resentment towards Joe.

No-- I would and could not continue working on independent films if I was worried about those things. There are more equipped people out there to worry about them. My producing skill set ends at getting the film made-- then I let the people whose skill set begins at sales and PR take over. Again, all these things depend on the kind of film someone is making.

You've written and directed as well - was that just a natural step, or did it feel like switching sides?

It's all filmmaking to me. I began with a desire to write and direct, but my initial lack of knowledge about protocol or an industry standard blurred the boundaries of each role on set. I started acting in my films at NYU because I had a hard time telling people what I wanted them to do. I realized I enjoyed acting and then I realized I had been too proud to admit I wanted to be in front of the camera. I believe I thought it meant I was vain. Maybe I was vain. Maybe I am vain. You have to be a little vain to keep going in the arts.
I am directing Kate Lyn Sheil and Kentucker Audley in my next feature right now. We are almost done shooting. It follows two lovers on the back roads of Florida doing very bad things. Kate and Kentucker are brilliant. I am very lucky to have worked with them as an actor and director.

Our guest of honor this year Tom DiCillo bemoans the co-opting of indie film by Hollywood - while granting Hollywood its validity. Where does "Sundance's It Girl 2011" (L.A. Times) see herself on the indie / Hollywood spectrum?

I am not sure if they are a part of the same spectrum and/or that you have to choose a side. I am reminded of the light spectrum in Astronomy class when the word spectrum is said-- do I pick a color?
I like Hollywood. I like independent films. Both coexist and both need each other. Yes-- I know what DiCillo is commenting on when he talks about independent films being too concerned with sales etc. And yes I think the term "independent" is a little too broad and diluted these days, as is "HD" and "organic". But it doesn't mean there aren't people continuing to push the limits. Independent film is not dead. Sometimes you just have to look under a few rocks to find it.

Interview: Collin McMahon
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