Phyllis Nagy earned Oscar and BAFTA nominations and won the NY Film Critics Circle award for “Carol,” her adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s classic novel “The Price of Salt.” Nagy garnered Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Directing and Outstanding Writing for her work on the HBO film “Mrs. Harris,” which received a total of 12 Emmy nods, as well as multiple SAG and Golden Globes nominations.
“Call Jane” 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.
PN: Joy Griffin is faced by a life-threatening pregnancy and must navigate a medical establishment that is often unwilling or unable to help. Her journey to find a solution in an impossible situation leads her to the “Janes,” a clandestine organization of women who provide Joy with a safer alternative — and in the process, change her life.
W&H: What drew you to this story?
PN: The potential to make a film that’s provocative, politically urgent, and entertaining. A light touch is always best.
W&H: What do you want people to think about after they watch the film?
PN: My hope is that “Call Jane” surprises people, that it in some way confounds preconceived ideas audiences might have about what a narrative that deals with women’s rights, with choice, and particularly with abortion, can be. To make one person’s thinking shift in even a tiny way would delight me.
W&H: What was the biggest challenge in making the film?
PN: Shooting a period piece on film and largely with a single camera — I’m old school, for sure — in 23 days and with the usual lack of money. We often shot five to six pages per hour.
W&H: How did you get your film funded? Please share your insights on how you got the film made.
PN: Our producer, Robbie Brenner, is the real hero here. Her team and she raised a lot of private equity. This is an indie production. I know it was challenging to raise the money, but you’d have to ask her for the nitty gritty of it all.
Protagonist later joined the company to sell international territories. This helped tremendously.
W&H: What inspired you to become a filmmaker?
PN: Watching films at the St. Mark’s Cinema as a kid. It was a repertory and second-run house, so I could spend all summers there for about a dollar a day and see all sorts of films on double features — some pretty age-inappropriate films, too. I wouldn’t trade that education for the world.
Later on, the films of Ida Lupino, Elaine May, Bob Fosse, and Billy Wilder were — and remain — primary inspirations. Their tone handling is unmatched.
W&H: What’s the best and worst advice you’ve received?
PN: Best advice: “Ask more questions than you answer in your films.”
Worst advice: “Relax. Women are making great strides in the industry.”
W&H: What advice do you have for other women directors?
PN: You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink — insisting that the gatekeepers “hear” you doesn’t work. You can do it yourself.
Remember that you have complete control over your behavior and choices. Say “no” to any project that you think will advance your career but that you don’t really have a personal passion for. It’s a recipe for disaster.
Be nice to everyone, but don’t let people take advantage of you. Although it’s not easy to do, you can learn from your mistakes.
Quality over quantity
W&H: Name your favorite woman-directed film and why.
PN: Sorry, I only have two! Elaine May’s “A New Leaf” and Claire Denis’ “Beau Travail.” Both sterling adaptations of tricky material — beyond that, watch them and you’ll immediately know why I love them so.
W&H: How are you adjusting to life during the COVID-19 pandemic? Are you creative? If so, how?
PN: I am always working on a project, even if it takes the lockdown to do so, to further develop a long-gestating passion. I’m very lucky to have had writing and directing work — “Call Jane” was shot during COVID times — throughout this pandemic. I also enjoyed a lot of pleasure reading.
W&H: The film industry has a long history of underrepresenting people of color onscreen and behind the scenes and reinforcing — and creating — negative stereotypes. What steps do you believe are necessary to make the industry more inclusive?
PN: It is really a question of who has to hold the fire for real change to happen. Individual artists have always been at the forefront for pushing for change. But we don’t hold the keys to the gates. We can only insist on working with people who share the same aesthetic values as us.
Source: Women And Hollywood
