I CAN ONLY BE MARY LANE
A film by Jesseca Ynez Simmons
60 Min | USA | 2018 www.icanonlybemarylane.com
Publicity: Jesseca Ynez Simmons [email protected] C: (831) 707-0018 Log Line
Born in 1935, Chicago Singer Mary Lane is one of the last living legends of American Blues. If only the world knew.
Synopsis
At 82, Mary Lane is one of the last legendary Blues musicians that made the Great Migration from America’s south. Although Mary is widely respected in Chicago, she has never gotten the wider recognition she deserves. I Can Only Be Mary Lane follows Mary as she records just her second studio album and first in over 20 years. Her producer thinks it could potentially win her a Grammy, if only they can get it done.
Director’s Statement
Like many works of documentary, the story is discovered and transformed along the way. I Can Only Be Mary Lane began as a retrospective documentary about many of the Blues clubs on Chicago’s West Side that have had to shut their doors over the years. Mary Lane was someone who could speak with authority on this because that was her scene. The more time I spent filming Mary talk about her time on the West Side, a scene that has faded away almost entirely, I realized Mary’s story was not only one of a kind but it was here and now and for who knows how much longer. Though I believe Chicago would benefit from a historical film paying homage to the West Side Blues scene, Mary encompasses the spirit of the West Side and continues to pursue her dreams despite many obstacles. Mary’s story is so rich and timely because she not only sings the Blues, she lives the Blues.
We approached the project as a traditional biography about Mary Lane that uses the production and potential release of her latest album as the arc. In addition to gathering as much content from her past as possible to preserve for years to come, our film crew has followed Mary for over a year to capture her tireless efforts to record the CD, make her living by performing in Chicago’s remaining Blues clubs and through the family tragedy of her husband (and bass player) having a stroke. We wanted to include these elements of her life to show how it fuels her singing. The film has an abundance of performances because this is when Mary lays bare her soul.
- Jesseca Ynez Simmons
Filmmaker and Character Bios
Jesseca Ynez Simmons | Director, Co-Producer, Cinematographer and Editor
Jesseca Ynez Simmons is an award winning documentary filmmaker. Her interests are rooted in exploring the documentary genre and finding ways for the form to be an extension of content. Some reoccurring themes in Jesseca’s work include: nature, poetry, gender and female perspectives. Jesseca has been recognized by the American Society of Cinematographers and was a Southern Exposure Film Fellow for the Southern Environmental Law Center in Birmingham, AL. In addition to directing, Jesseca regularly collaborates with other filmmakers as director of photography and camera person. Her images have been seen at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA), Hot Docs Film Festival, Chicago International Film Festival, DocLisboa, Sidewalk Film Festival as well as on National Geographic. Originally from the Bay Area, she received her BA in Politics from the University of California, Santa Cruz. She then moved to the Midwest to earn her MFA in Documentary Media from Northwestern University where she was invited to continue post-MFA as Filmmaker in Residence. Jesseca is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Dayton. http://www.jessecasimmons.com/
João Queiroga | Co-Producer | http://www.joaoqueiroga.com/
João Queiroga is a Portuguese director, editor and educator. The arts have been part of Queiroga’s identity since he started performing as a young actor on Portuguese TV and theatre. As a director his worked has played in IDFA, Hot Docs, DocLisboa and many others. At the age of 17, Queiroga studied in India for two years and continued his education abroad attending University of Auckland in New Zealand and Peking University in China. He holds an MFA in documentary media from Northwestern University's School of Communication, and a bachelor’s degree from Lake Forest College in communication, cinema, and theater. He is a Calouste Gulbenkian scholar, a Hoffman scholar, a Davis UWC scholar, and a Fulbright recipient. He has worked for several non-profit organizations, such as Cinema/Chicago and the Chicago International Film Festival, as well as Fortune 500 companies as an editor and cinematographer. Additional experience includes assignments with Chicago Filmmakers, the Beijing International Movie Festival, WGN-TV Chicago, and Cannes International Film Festival. Queiroga has taught at Northwestern University in Doha, Qatar, and is currently teaching at New York Film Academy.
Justin Reifert | Producer and Cinematographer
Justin Reifert is a filmmaker, producer, and educator. He received BAs in International Relations and Russian Language from Michigan State University and a graduate certificate in Documentary Filmmaking from The Documentary Institute at George Washington University. At GW, he co-produced the documentary short Leaving Sharpe, which was selected for the DC Independent Film Festival and the Annapolis Film Festival. The film also won a CINE Golden Eagle Award. Prior to becoming a filmmaker, Justin worked on national security issues in several positions for the federal government. He received an MFA in Documentary Media from Northwestern University and served as Assistant Professor in Residence at Northwestern University in Qatar. This fall, he will join the faculty of Oakland University in Rochester, MI as Assistant Professor of Cinema Studies.
Collin Susich | Co-Producer, Cinematographer and Sound Mixer
Collin Susich is an award winning audio engineer and musician specializing in post- production sound. Collin’s interest in film has lead him to work on genres ranging from fiction, experimental video art to feature length documentaries. In addition to working in post, he is an accomplished sound recordist. Collin has been a musician for 16 years and this experience has greatly informed his approach to capturing quality sound. He believes that sound is just as crucial as imagery and always strives to create an evocative sound design to bring the audience into the world of the film. Collin is a graduate of the Audio Engineering and Recording program at Indigital Institute of Recording Arts and is currently perusing his BA in Music Education.
Carlos Cova | Cinematographer and Colorist | http://carloscova.com/
Carlos Cova is a Venezuelan filmmaker, editor and post producer currently based in Barcelona, Spain. His films have screened at various festivals in the United States, Europe and South America, including the Chicago International Film Festival, DocuWest International Film Festival, and the Imperial War Museum Short Film festival. Carlos holds a degree in film production from the Universidad de Los Andes (Venezuela) and a MFA in Documentary Media from Northwestern University. His short documentary film FRAGMENTS received an honorable mention for the Chicago Award at the 52nd Chicago International Film Festival. Carlos has been part of the post production team of several feature length films, both narrative and documentary, such as: Desde Allá (From Afar. Venezuela. Golden Lion at the 72nd Venice International Film Festival), Abacus: Small Enough To Jail (Best Documentary Feature Nominee at the Academy Awards), Raising Bertie, Minding The Gap, among others.
Mary Lane | Documentary Subject
A longtime staple of Chicago's West Side Blues circuit, singer Mary Lane was born November 23, 1935 in Clarendon, Arkansas. After honing her skills in local juke joints in the company of Howlin' Wolf, Robert Nighthawk, Little Junior Parker and James Cotton, Lane relocated to Chicago in 1957; backed by Morris Pejoe, she soon cut her debut single "You Don't Want My Lovin' No More" for the Friendly Five label. A favorite among peers for her dulcet tones, she nevertheless did not record again for several decades, remaining virtually unknown outside of the Chicago Blues faithful; finally, in the early 1990s, Lane recorded her debut album. 20 years later, Mary is trying to record her second, and perhaps final, album “Travelin’ Woman”.
Jim Tullio | Documentary Subject
Jim has produced records for such artists' as Richie Havens, Dave Mason, Rick Danko, Rosalie Sorrels, Mary Mc Caslin, David Bromberg, Steve Goodman, and many, many more. He completed Tree Thirteen’s “Rough Grooves Surface, as well as John Martyn’s "On the Cobbles" and Mavis Staples’ “Have a Little Faith." Tullio has written songs with Los Lonely Boys (million-selling debut album), Rick Danko and Levon Helm of the Band, guitarist Jimmy Weider, Richie Havens, Rita Coolidge, Dave Mason, John Prine, Steve Goodman, David Bromberg and many more. Tullio has won two Grammies producing the posthumous Steve Goodman albums "Unfinished Business" and "A Tribute to Steve Goodman.” He has also won 50 Clio awards as a writer/producer of commercial music. Currently, he is producing local Chicago legend Mary Lane.
Appearing in I Can Only Be Mary Lane
Jeffrey Labon – Mary’s Husband and No Static Blues Band Bass Player Minoru Maruyama – No Static Blues Band Guitar Player Cleveland Taylor – No Static Blues Band Drummer Lynne Lane – Mary’s Daughter and Singer Buddy Guy – Musician & Owner of Chicago Blues Club Johnny Sims – Manager of Buddy Guy’s Legends Tom Morris “Illinois Slim” – Musician Chris “Hambone” Cameron – Musician Lil Ed – Musician Michael Alkaraki – Musician Tony Mangiullo – Musician and Owner of Rosa’s Lounge Indiara Sfair – Musician Mike Faure – Musician Dave Hoekstra – WGN Host Jeane Sparrow – Local Chicago TV Personality Dick Shurman – Grammy Winning Producer Bill Dahl – Blues Historian Beverly Palmer – Music Writer Credits for I Can Only Be Mary Lane
Directed, Produced and Edited by Sound Mixer Jesseca Ynez Simmons Collin Susich
Co-Producers Color Correction João Queiroga Carlos Cova Collin Susich Justin Reifert Titles and Graphics Jason Gardinier Camera & Sound Jesseca Ynez Simmons Archival Courtesy of Collin Susich Marc PoKempner Justin Reifert Library of Congress Marc Pearlman Felix and Lynn Carlos Cova Mvd Visual Sara Reed ABC & Shindig! Philippine Merolle John Endicott
Technical Information Run Time: 60 Min Aspect Ratio: 16:9 Shooting Format: Digital Exhibition Format: .MOV (Prores 422 (HQ) and H.264), DCP Language: English Country of Origin: USA
Links
Website
Trailer or Trailer with English Subtitles
The No Static Blues Band (Mary's Band) Facebook
Link to High Quality Images and Official Poster
Shot on Location in Chicago, Illinois