Profile of a Documentary Filmmaker: Amy Sewell
March, 2009
Amy Sewell is the creator of "Mad Hot Ballroom," a documentary profiling 5th graders learning ballroom dance in New York City Schools, and "What's Your Point, Honey?" which follows seven young women as they enter into internships in business, politics, music, and sports. Sewell is also coming out with a new book this May 12, "She's Out There! The Next Generation of Presidential Candidates." The book includes essays written by women under 35 years who are aspiring to become president one day.
What do you think made "Mad Hot Ballroom" such a success?
AS: It was a view into a world that appeared simple and charming, and yet was then not so simple and maybe not so charming, of what it was like to be 11-year-old and growing up in New York City. Giving the viewer room to breath and project, adult s knew it was tougher to be those kids, and for kids watching it, it was knowing, instinctively or intuitively, that there was so much more to these kids. It was very deep on many levels without appearing so deep -- which is what made it somewhat magical. And then it all wrapped around the trend of the resurgence of ballroom dancing which gave it a very nice "red tread" of a story line. That kind of mix rarely happens and it did for the documentary -- which is very nice. I'm very proud and grateful for the effect the movie has had on many, many people, all over the world.
What was it like making a documentary without any prior film making experience?
AS: I found my skills as a painter and writer, added with my business acumen, lent themselves well to making a documentary. It all seemed to come together for me -- everything I had studied in my life at that point (40 years), seem to make total sense with this endeavor. I felt like it was my Owen Meany moment -- all my sticks in life stood straight up until this movie and then they all seem to fit together into my path. So, in a strange way, it felt very natural, unintimidating -- just right. It's like when you have a great shot in tennis or golf, it is effortless (I'm not saying it happened without effort though!), but it is Zen-like.
Your two latest projects, “She’s Out There” (co-author Heather Ogilvie and photographer Robert Ripps) and “What’s Your Point, Honey?” focus on young women aspiring to leadership roles. Were you always interested in this topic, and if not, what sparked your interest?
AS: What both projects come down to is that we, as women and girls, are still not equal and most young women and girls don't even know they are not equal. Isn't it time to end the "longest revolution" and be equal? It is the last, large (by population -- women are 51% of the population in this country and more than half the world's population) social justice cause that has not been fully addressed. What is it going to take? I think it's going to take power and power comes from being in places that create, enact and support policy and legislation that have to do with us. Now some might say that is sexist but I think if you go over what most consider women's issues, you will find they are family value issues. Women in positions of power will make the change we need to better everyone's lives. This was proven after we fought for and won the right to vote. Politicians then had to vie for our votes and started creating and working on issues that mattered to us. This is how we got the healthcare programs we have now and many, many other social programs that are so beneficial to all.
We just need to get more women in the pipeline -- and this is what the two projects are about.
The documentary reintroduces feminism to the next generation, while wrapping itself around the idea of MORE than ONE woman running for president some day -- being the day we all get beyond gender to agenda. We utilized the highest position of power to show, more clearly, just how unrepresented we have been. The trickle-down then becomes more obvious with sparse numbers in Congress and at all levels of judicial, corporate and industrial, and all the way down to unskilled labor and the wage discrepancies in those fields due to gender alone (i.e compare the school janitor's hourly wage to the cafeteria worker's -- one is predominantly male and most likely even salaried and the other female and most likely hourly -- both are hard unskilled labor -- but you'll find that the male-dominated position of janitor's pay based on hourly earnings a lot higher than female-dominated position of cafeteria worker. Another couple of examples to dissect is teaching; elementary vs. higher education where more male educators are in the picture and what happens or the case with more women becoming pediatricians on the field of medicine and driving down those wages, thus the "value" of that area of medical specialty.)
The book is a representation of the political pipeline of what is to come with the introduction of 35 women under 35 who want to be president some day. They represent the pipeline -- and it is exciting if I do say so myself! You know when we have six or seven different women running for the highest position in the land some day, then we won't feel compelled to rip just one apart. It will be more like having the status quo of six or seven men running. It'll be "what do they each stand for?" rather than "what is she wearing?"
I've always been a feminist but what sparked my interest, in a nutshell, is that my daughter, when she was four-years-old, told me that women couldn't ride motorcycles (after I told her I might get one). When I asked her why she thought this, she replied, "Because I have never seen it." This made me start to think what else do my daughters (I have twins) not see and therefore not think possible? Well, the president of the United States is one big thing. Marian Wright Edelman said, "You can't be, what you can't see." This is more true than we know. If we can't see ourselves "there" -- it's pretty hard to get "there." That is why the doc and book focus on young women doing public service, which is what politician do. Many young women can't even see themselves as Hillary Clinton or Nancy Pelosi -- too far down the road! But they can look at the girls in the movie or the girls and young women in the book and say, "Oh....if she can do that, so can I! They see it!"
“What’s Your Point, Honey?” has so many great girl role models. Out of these girls, which ones are we most likely to see in the White House one day?
AS: Well, as a mom I hesitate to pick one of the seven -- I don't feel comfortable picking a favorite! But I do think each one is destined to make their own mark in life. They are still very young and I think that pigeon-holing them might be unfair. I certainly know from experience that the journey of life can take you to very different places at any point in time. I think they are all headed into positions of leadership -- with about 5 of the 7 focused on government.
Let's just say that my wish would be to see this movie "come true" and witness the day when all seven of them run against each other in the same election year -- whether that be 2024 or thereafter. Wow! Wouldn't that be crazy? The question then would be "who would I vote for?" Ask me then! I just hope I live to see that!
You interview Marie Wilson, of the White House Project, in “What’s Your Point, Honey?”…what was it like working with her?
AS: Marie Wilson is awesome. Not only is she a great catalyst in the arena of women and leadership, she was and is a great visionary. She built the Ms. Foundation to what it is today; she had the foresight to put into practice, "you can be what you CAN see" by creating "Bring Our Daughters to Work Day;" and she had also had the foresight to have created and built The White House Project as a bipartisan entity. I think she may get some flack for that because so many vocal women powerhouses are liberal and back more liberal issues for women, often disregarding our more conservative "sisters," But I think this is the way to power -- united -- standing side by side. We all don't have to agree on everything (i.e. abortion). Men don't. But what is true, and the recent passing of the Lilly Ledbetter bill proved this to be true, is that when we are "at the table" -- representing -- we vote our gender. That bill was passed by the votes of all the Democrats and the four Republican female senators (and one male Republican senator).
Marie's karma is that she is fighting for something before its time -- this is her cross to bear -- but thank goodness we have her doing it! It's starting to happen now. I think as time passes, she will be more and more honored and appreciated for her bipartisan efforts. I hope she too lives to see her day come true.
“She’s Out There” is compiled entirely of essays from girls aspire to be president. How many essays did you receive, and what kind of variety in aspirations did you find?
AS: We sent out a huge solicitation, to every organization that had anything to do with girls, women and leadership and/or politics. We must have reached over 100,000 targeted recipients. We received 300 essays -- which is huge when you think about the fact that we were looking specifically for girls and women under 35 who want to run for president some day. There was no room for any "maybe's." That is not who anyone wants running the country -- ever! So to actually have 300 women and girls, right now, who know they want to run for the top position in this country, is amazing! We narrowed it down to about 150 good essays; then to 50 great essays. We thought it would be super if we had one girl from every state but it didn't work out that way. We had a lot great essays from several big cities -- not surprising. Because of20the photos, by award-winning photographer Robert A. Ripps, and the publisher's expense, we had to take it down to 35 "contenders." It fit because you have to 35-years-old to run for president and our stipulation for the book is to have "35 under 35 who aspire to lead."
How has the timing of the election worked in with the book? What do you think Hillary Clinton’s campaign means for the girls in the book and other possible female candidates for the presidency?
AS: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton broke the dam. Palin took a couple more bricks out by showing the world that you can do it with young kids (if you have the right support systems) and she helped to light a fire under capable liberal women's butts to get going NOW. It was actually great that she followed Hillary. It gave this movement into women's leadership representation an huge extra push. Now we have to have the pipeline to keep up the momentum. This is where you and your colleagues come into play. Don't drop the ball! It's in the air coming right at you and other 34 women in the book and the rest "out there" who are thinking about it. Again, when we named the book, "She's Out There! The Next Generation of Presidential Candidates" -- it was the play on words in each sentence. "She" means collective. Our time, collectively, is coming. It's starting to happen.
Is the book more important now that Hillary Clinton has lost the election?
AS: Yes -- no doubt about it. Hillary's legacy may be more than being just the first viable female candidate to run for president or the third woman to be Secretary of State. I think we have not seen the last or best of her yet. I think she will end up doing more for women in leadership and democracy than we have yet to see and this will be her place in history -- giving her role model, Eleanor Roosevelt, some competition in the history books! Now she has the "credentials" to make her mark after serving in this administration, unless of course she runs again. But remember, the position of president is still a position....a job. I think Hillary Clinton will end up in history, for women, being even bigger than just that one job -- whether she ever fills it or not.
Additionally, if Hillary had gotten the job, that might have been it for a while. We might have had the sense of...."we did it -- we got there." But now, now she has opened up the floodgates. Now we are coming in by dozens -- and numbers matter! She has helped shape the day when the true goal is to see just as many women as men run for president and then we will get, as Marie Wilson says, "beyond gender to agenda." This is why the logline to our movie's name is "It's Not About One."
What, in your opinion, is the best way to get more women in office?
AS: Our children "do" by "seeing." It's happening. More and more girls are seeing their moms in positions of leadership -- whether it be in legitimate government, business and industry or in the community or home with the PTA, charities, and health and welfare improvements. The personal is political. It is the sidewalks we walk on, our local libraries and fire departments, the conditions of our parks, the offerings and/or access for those less fortunate -- all these things fit like lock and key with women; who we are, what we do, how we feel. It is a no-brainer that we should be running local municipalities, cities, states and countries. It is in our nature. The core of nurture, diplomacy and organization (i.e. though multi-tasking) -- things we have learned by being oppressed over time; things we have learned to maneuver by not being at the table of power, have all come to fruition of being the traits that are needed at the table of power from now on. It is where we are in the world and these are the attributes most desperately needed. Let's just say that we have the talents and skills most needed for the job of governing right now.
What we need to do is communicate this to the future generations in a way that is not imposing or intimidating but just "in the air." Something that will naturally be absorbed. The best initiative that I can think of is to deliver the communication to the younger generation the way they are used to getting messages -- probably through advertising. Wouldn't it be great if Nike did a huge ad campaign with the slogan "ARE YOU FIT TO RUN?" -- showing athletes next women in political positions. That would be a nice first step into getting the message out that we are "arriving."
When you were younger were you influenced by any female role models? How do you think the women you grew up with shaped your views about women and politics today?
AS: I have to say that there are so many I cannot list them. I will say I am driven daily by one sentence that Gloria Steinem said when I interviewed her for the documentary in reference to how to handle people who say to me (particularly women older than myself) to be thankful or grateful for how far we've come. Gloria replied that she wasn't thinking about the women who got her the vote when she was fighting for wage equity and reproductive rights in the 70s. She stated, "Gratitude never radicalized anyone" and I live by it as it is illogical we are not equal and I will not stand for not being equal.
Believe it or not, I was influenced by the movie "Billy," where Billy, the main character, played by Patty Duke, tries out and makes the boys track team and through adversity from the players and the townspeople, beats the pants off her opponents! She would crouch down, ready to take off in a race, and get this beat in her head. Moving her head to this beat (if you watch it now, its so corny but I still love it), she'd take off and run like the devil. I thought back then, I must have been six- or eight-years-old, "Oh, that's what you have to do....you get a beat in your head and you just do it." I still have that beat in my head.
From there, it was just natural for me to look for and then watch women who inspired me. However, I must point out that I looked for and watched men who inspired me too. I looked for people who had the traits and skills I wanted to have and then found out how to acquire or develop those characteristics.
I will say that on the whole, my foundation was solid from birth. I inherited my father's energy and gregariousness and my mother's intuition and focus and naturally was lucky enough to put those traits to work for me. Additionally, I have parents who gave me the tools but then stepped out of the way. They provided the safety net (more important than anyone ever recognizes and I don't mean financially -- I mean emotionally) and then were wise enough to not strap on any strings. I only hope I can do the same and be the same way for my own children.
I know you have two daughters, what do you hope they will be inspired to do?
AS: I am careful not to project my social activist causes on to them. They are only 11-years-old and need to develop their own sense of selves, and that includes what they think is worth fighting for. But that would be my only desire with regard to "shaping" them or helping to guide them in their journey of life -- to make sure that they have the opportunity, the will and the wonderful luxury of feeling there are things worth fighting for. That's not only a right in this country, it is a privilege -- not to ever be taken lightly or for granted and I think, something that shouldn't ever be ignored. This is what makes thee United States, thee United States. Even if, with regard to my personal social justice cause of feminism and gender equality, we've been fighting from the second position since the beginning of time, as the perpetual underdogs, it doesn't matter. What matters is that we have the freedom to fight! Wow. Thank you God. Thank you to my sisters throughout time who have picked up the ball, went for slam dunks in their days, and then passed it on. We as women sit on their shoulders and we must remember that we have to make sure the future generations of women get up and sit on our shoulders too.
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