I was offered the chance to speak to Linda Brown, documentary producer, filmmaker, cinemtographer and USC Professor about her new — about to launch- documentary film about her father (and her family) on June 5 and I jumped at the chance. While I didn’t know a ton about the movie, the trailer and the context/synopsis of the film spoke to me. It was one of those films that takes you “elsewhere” into someone’s life and personal history and yet also sends you careening down the halls of your personal history to your childhood and memories of your family.
YOU SEE ME: A documentary feature directed by Linda Brown
WORLD PREMIERE: Dances With Films 2015 | #DWF18 Documentary competition
June 5, 2015 @ 2:45pm
TCL Chinese Theaters | Hollywood & Highland, 6925 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood, CA 90028
http://www.danceswithfilms.com/slt_you_see_me.html (For tickets!)
Filmmaker Linda Brown’s father embodied 1960s masculinity. But when a devastating stroke leaves him vulnerable and dependent, Linda decides to confront the silence surrounding his troubled and violent past. Drawing on home movies, family photos and interviews, she reveals secrets, uncovers lies, and discovers a redeeming treasure in a lost family video. The result is an engrossing journey about the danger of carrying unresolved grief to our graves. You See Me is a brave, inspiring and empowering film that documents the essence of the human condition and seeks to face the past with courage in order to change the future.
YOU SEE ME Trailer
Who is Linda J. Brown?
Linda Brown (Producer/ Director) is a recipient of a Kodak Vision Award for cinematography, a Kodak Education Award and a Fulbright Scholar.
She studied filmmaking at Temple University and cinematography at AFI. Her credits include Little Indiscretions, Lucky Bastard and American Beauties: In Pursuit of Art, which she also produced. Brown shot Walking to Waldheim with Doris Roberts and episodes of Showtime’s Women: Stories of Passion, plus various documentaries and music videos throughout her long career. Her documentary, Your Favorite, detailing her relationship with her father, won recognition at Athens International Film Festival and the American Film Festival. Brown’s latest documentary, You See Me, received a USC Humanities Research Grant. She has taught at AFI, Maine Media Workshops, City University of Hong Kong, Temple University and the Red Sea Institute of Cinematic Arts.
Linda is presently an Associate Professor at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts and Head of the Cinematography track.
Linda’s parents when they were very young
Trailer for “You See Me” directed, written, cinematography by Linda Brown,
You See Me official trailer from Linda Brown on Vimeo.
Talking to Linda Brown: what’s it about?
Linda Brown was extremely generous with her time and we are talking for about 30 minutes about her film and what it says about her family and families in general. Memories are selective. Photos and home videos generally are not so selective but give you a more unvarnished “truth”. We talk about the meaning of the film in the personal and more universal contexts and what you can learn about the father-daughter relationship as well as the entire familial relationships going on. It’s also a wake-up call for most of us to take a good hard look at the variations of memories held by siblings and other family member as we try to decipher why our parents impact our view of the universal, our lives and the meaning and purpose we each have. Sometimes that “meaning” and purpose are denigrated because the parental figure is working out their own issues through their children.
We also discuss her role at USC, the role of women in film as well as the creative visual arts (film, TV, gaming, music and more) as well as how creating this film has impacted on her life and the lives of those who have seen it.
Director’s Commentary: This is a thoughtful piece and deserves to be read it its entirety on the movie website where the images reside.
However I am giving you a couple of bits to encourage you to visit the site.
The family!
Excerpt:
Although I set out to make a portrait of my father, a much bigger story emerged. You See Me is about my family dealing with trauma, loss and grief, as well as my own journey to rehabilitate the memory of my father and connect with my mother in a new and unexpected way.
As a child I spent a lot of time with my dad. We were buddies, always doing things together and yet I can’t say I ever really understood him. I had the feeling he truly wanted to be more connected and engaged but his mood swings, anger and erratic behavior seemed to consume him.
During this journey I began to see my parents differently, separate from me, with their own stories, virtues and flaws. They were more than the roles and labels I had ascribed to them, dad and mom, abuser and victim, provider and nurturer. They were products of their own histories and parents, wrestling with their own demons, just like me.
My hope with You See Me is that audiences see their own family stories and relationships in it and they see the power of love and forgiveness to turn trauma and loss into a potent catalyst for change. Even though the film deals with illness and death, it’s really about beginnings, hope, and how opportune things can happen when least expected.
http://youseememovie.com/about/
The parents, after the stroke!
Podcast via Soundcloud
YOU SEE ME: A documentary feature directed by Linda Brown
WORLD PREMIERE: Dances With Films 2015 | #DWF18 Documentary competition
June 5, 2015 @ 2:45pm
TCL Chinese Theaters | Hollywood & Highland, 6925 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood, CA 90028
ttp://www.danceswithfilms.com/slt_you_see_me.html (For tickets!)
SOCIAL MEDIA:
Twitter: http://twitter.com/YouSeeMeMovie
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/YouSeeMeFilm
Website: http://youseememovie.com/
Thank you to Linda Brown and her staff for their patience and their time in putting this interview together.
Stevie Wilson,
LA-Story.com
DEALS and STEALS
I am required to tell you that I am an “affiliate” with these brands. I curate deals that offer bonuses, bargains and great products –and some are very specifically for this site to feature to YOU!
The amount I make has yet to be determined that despite people going to visit the links (and it’s in the thousands every month), I have yet to have anyone buy anything from them.
Subscribe to RSS headline updates from:
Powered by FeedBurner
If you are going to feature content from LA-Story.com including podcasts or videos including the accompanying text, please respect copyright provisions. We require a notation of content origination (meaning credit tag), a linkback to the specific page & please email the link to stevie@la-story.com before the piece goes live.
LA-Story.com, LA-Story Recessionista, Celebrity Stylescope, Celebrity Style Slam Trademark/Copyright: KBP Inc./TNBT Inc 2007-16
This story is common to many of us. The parental story is much deeper than we ever think they will be…should be a very good documentary.