Interview
FULL PRODUCTION An interview with filmmaker Lisa Mazzotta
words by rachel burns illustration by katie pickering ‘bad’ choices definitely wouldn’t work,” she says. “Focusing on solutions is great, it creates and opens dialogue. Focusing on problems is the old
At just three years old, Lisa Mazzotta developed an interest in crafting performance. Throughout childhood, she wrote, directed, and acted in plays with her best friend, when not training to become a professional dancer. The two paths diverged when her plan to tour globally with a dance troupe didn’t come to fruition. “In the year after high school, I was supposed to dance in 60 cities around the world, but the program was cancelled,” she recalls. “I had to decide what to do next.”
“There is power in being female.” approach.” This solution-based focus comes to light when looking at the film’s supplementary website, fashionheroes.eco—a place to showcase the labels and designers who are putting sustainability first.
After a short stint in business school, she shifted in the direction of her first love: film production. The talent demonstrated in her work subsequently garnered a meeting with an executive producer from Los Angeles. He sponsored her, leading to a full-time studio job after her fourth year of school.
Working as a woman in film has had its challenges, along with advantageous dynamics. “There is power in being female—we bring a different perspective,” she says. “As a producer, my intuition, communication skills, and ability to navigate situations and people are incredibly valuable.” Recently, Mazzotta experienced working with an all-female crew. “I worked on a film this year— for the first time in 15 years, the camera crew were all women. The feel of the set was very different—it was much more collaborative, less competitive, and much more encouraging. Film can be an aggressive space, especially because of the stress related to how much money is being spent on set,” she explains. “I’ve also noticed that women often have a tendency to apologize or be timid in their opinions, but there’s no time for that. Women need to take up space, physically, and use their voice. We need to acknowledge that what we say has value, and own it.”
Fast-forward to today, and Mazzotta is a Primetime Emmy Awardwinning television, feature film, and documentary film producer. She is currently a producer for eco-fashion documentary RiverBlue, which illustrates the devastating effects that fast fashion has on our fragile waterways. Working as a documentary producer, Mazzotta gets to tour the world promoting and distributing RiverBlue (the online global release is slated for 2018; the film is currently working the festival circuit and has a limited theatrical release at the end of 2017). “When you’re promoting a film, you’re sharing something—creating space in which to be welcomed. It was especially important to stay positive—telling people they are making
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