Ondi Timoner is an internationally-acclaimed filmmaker who has the rare distinction of winning the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance twice – for “Dig!” (2004), about the collision of art and commerce, and “We Live in Public” (2009), about the loss of privacy online as predicted in a bunker in NY over the turn of the millennium. MoMA NY NY acquired both films for its permanent collection. Since then, her credits have included “Join Us,” “Cool It,” “Brand: A Second Coming,” “Jungletown,””Coming Clean,” and “Mapplethorpe.” Timoner is currently directing a feature about the disruption and decentralization of finance.
“Last Flight Home” is screening at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, which is running online from January 20-30. More information can be found on the fest’s website.
W&H: Describe the film for us in your own words?
OT: “Last Flight Home” is about my extraordinary father, Eli Timoner, and our family as we prepare to say goodbye to him forever. I never imagined that I would be able to capture my family until my father died in January 2021. I was just desperate to bottle my wonderful father up somehow – and this was the only way I knew how. He was my best friend. He was also my greatest pal, champion, and the most inspiring person that my family and I (and most of our community) had ever known.
When he decided to end his life, I was quite suddenly catapulted into documenting as unobtrusively as possible – setting it all up in a way that would cause the least disruption of anyone’s experience, including my own. I set up cameras on sticks and used a lavalier mic to record my father and anyone else who came to see him. Still, I didn’t know that I was making a documentary while I was shooting this film.
I was completely absorbed in caring for my dad while also enjoying every minute with him. There is a mandated waiting period of 15 days proscribed by California’s End of Life Option law, and “Last Flight Home” is a film about what happened in those 15 days, with our family, our friends, and mostly our father.
W&H: What drew you to this story?
OT: I was moved to make a short film after working with the brave and kind hospice nurses and doctors who surrounded my father for 15 days. I saw the comfort and peace it brought my family and the fact that they could know the date my father would be leaving this world. Everyone gathered to say goodbye and gain any last wisdom. It was clear that my father’s loving kindness was an example of true legacy. Those were some the most important days of my life. They will be a part of my life forever.
As I sat down in order to edit a five- to ten-minute memorial video, a couple weeks after his passing, the incredible rich and beautiful footage washed over me. The Zoom service was officiated by Rabbi Rachel Timoner on March 21, 2021. My father was still alive in the Avid! I could grieve him – often with laughter as he was extremely sharp-witted – and visit with him during long nights. Scenes and moments came easily, and each one could be effortlessly sculpted with a beginning and middle, while remaining entirely truthful.
The film went through me much faster than any other I have made. Six months after my father’s death, I had completed a feature. I stayed up late crying, laughing, and performing thousands of edits. But somehow, I almost always knew what to do.
W&H: What do you want people to think about after they watch the film?
OT. I hope people will look at their closest relationships and be motivated to nurture them. A big takeaway from this experience, for us as a family, was the realization that the greatest achievement in life can be measured by love – the love we give and the love we receive.
W&H: What was the biggest challenge in making the film?
OT: I’d never experienced the death or loss of a close friend and felt the need to ensure that my father knew the impact it had on my life. I also felt an intense fear, as if I was losing a part of myself and the ground beneath my feet – and I think documenting it was a way for me to feel my way through it as consciously as possible.
W&H: How did you get your film funded? Please share your insights on how you got the film made.
OT: I made the film by myself and applied for grants for my first time in my career. This is such a personal film, and it didn’t seem right to bring it to a production company. It was also impossible to find the time. My father died within days of his admission to the hospital. Only a few of us were there with my dad for the precious weeks. Post-production was also a private affair. It felt like a family affair.
I wanted to keep it all in my family. My brother suggested that I apply for a grant from Jewish Story Partners. I also applied for the Mountain Film Festival Grant. I had never applied in my entire career for grants, but the ethereal nature and pure gift of the film convinced me that it was appropriate. I was able finish the film thanks to the generous support of these organizations.
W&H: What inspired you to become a filmmaker?
OT. I remember when I was in college I bought a camera. I realized quickly that it was a gateway to worlds I could not otherwise access. I found it more enjoyable to ask people questions and learn in this way than through traditional research. My senior year at Yale was the first time I had decided to only take classes in which the professor would accept a film rather than a paper. I have been in prisons, army barracks and rock-and-roll escapades. I have also found my way into climatology labs and deep within cults.
Jean Renoir said that every director makes the exact same film over and over again. When I heard that at first I thought, “How boring,” but looking back now I realize that we do tend to track particular aspects of human behavior across our work. For me, that means looking at what I like to call “impossible visionaries” – people who can’t help but do what they do and they do it against all odds. My father was my original “impossible visionary,” and it’s extremely gratifying to find myself back full circle shining my light on him and his incredible example of humanity in “Last Flight Home.”
W&H: What’s the best advice you’ve received?
OT: The best advice: “Be careful of who you get into bed with.” That old cliché is absolutely true. Life is too short to work with people you don’t trust with the work.
W&H: What advice do you have for other women directors?
OT: I have the same advice for all creators. When you think about a project, think about how crucial it is for your core questions to be explored and how relevant it will become for audiences. Because making a great movie is not for the faint-hearted.
W&H: Name your favorite woman-directed film and why.
OT: “The Souvenir” by Joanna Hogg. Joanna’s work creates a world that has integrity throughout and envelops the viewer. Honor Swinton Byrne delivers an amazing performance and the cinematography is inspirational. Equal props go to Lisa Cholodenko’s “High Art,” which is a perfect film in every way.
W&H: How are you adjusting to life during the COVID-19 pandemic? Are you creative? If so, how?
OT: The last few years have been some the most creative in my life. It’s been a gift to have the time to think about what is most important to me and to concentrate on the topics that matter to me the most on a heart-level. My soul is fed by being at home, with my amazing team and taking long walks in the great outdoors.
Source: Women And Hollywood
