• F I H5 T FEATURES • en o o .c Q. Sandy Wilson: First features. Canadian wives. American cousins. An interview She was the first person to tell me that I by Ann McKinnon Catch 22 needed a producer for the project. The At first I wanted to keep the budget low, NFB here in Vancouver gave me the loan at around $750,000 and defer as much as of an office, a telephone, and the use of Three years ago, Sandy Wilson heard American Cousin, many ofher jilms are I could. But it got complicated. When I their Xerox machine. an old Johnny Horton song on a Van­ located in the Okanagan Valleyandfea­ wanted to get a letter of intent to broad­ Ultimately, I had to go to Toronto couver radio station. The way old songs ture her family. These jilms include cast from the CBC, they said the budget because I was told there was not a pro­ often do, it triggered the memory of Pen-Hi Grad, a 28-minute documentary was too low. We bumped the cost up to ducer west of Winnipeg that Telefilm when her runaway American cousin (1974); the short Mount Chapaka Easter one million dollars. I don't know would consider as having a solid enough came to her family's ranch in the Oka­ Sunday Jackpot Rodeo (1980) ; Growing whether or not it is because I am short track record to act as my producer. r also nagan. In that summer of 1959, "The Up In Paradise, an el'perimental docu­ and a woman, or because of the track approached the American Playhouse, Battle ofNew Orleans" was her cousin's mentary made from her father's old record of the films that local (West PBS and Home Box Office in New York. I favourite song. home movies (1977); :rhe Bridal Shower, Coast) people have invested in, but must have sent out one hundred copies To Sandy, the American visitor was afilm popular amongfeminists (1971) ; anybody I talked to said, "So, you want of the script to anybody who might give the epitome of teenage coolness. He and a projile of Sandy's handicapped money for a film. Well, what is it about? me the money. I started dining for sported faded jeans, a white T-shirt brother, He Is Not The Walking Kind Then they would list all the films they dollars to get people interested. I with, tucked into his rolled-up sleeve, a (1971), which won the Blue Ribbon at had lost money on in the past. You can't approached Superchannel, First Choice pack of Camel cigarettes, one of which the New York Film Festival as well as get private money without a distribution and the CBe. The first real support for dangled, James-Dean-style, burning numerous other international awards. deal in place and without a TV deal in the project came from the CBC, who from his mouth. He sat behind the For Sandy, the broadcast of My place. But if you have a distribution deal gave me a very positive reader's report. wheel of a fire-engine red Cadillac American Cousin on CBC television this and TV in place, who needs the private At this point, everybody was still telling convertible low-rider. Cool. There was fall will be accompanied by a great sigh money? I had a video demo, a script, me to get a producer for the project, no mistaking his Made in America ofrelief In February 1984, she travelled and favorable reader reports to help Next, Superchannel gave verbal sup· coolness. Sandy felt like a poor country as far as the Cayman Islands searching pitch the product. To raise the $1.2 port, but nothing too solid. Their concern cousin - she sometimes still does. for investors. She found no more he.lp million took two years. was : Where was I going to get the final Sa ndy's just -completed ji rst fea ture, among the tanned, gold-chained busi­ I received a script-writing grant in one third private money from? The CBC My American Cousin, is a story about ness men there than among pin-striped 1982 to write a project entitled "Broken was interested, but they would not girls coming ofage, girls and boys, girls Canadians. In the following edited Dates"; I used the grant to write My license the project until the final third and their mothers. It is a story about interview, Wilson reflects on her American Cousin instead. Next I talked was in place. The Broadcast Fund also Canadian teenagers' view of the pro­ el'perience with My American Cousin to Donna Wong-Juliani at what was wanted to know where the one third of mised land of America, where all the and concludes that the WestCoastjilm­ then The Canadian Film Development the money was coming from. My search best movies, magazines and music maker has a deep affinity with the Corporation and is now Telefilm Canada. for private funding led me to the Cayman came from. Quebec filmmaker: a shared belief in Islands. A friend of mine had a friend Wilson brings to this drama years of the possibility ofan authenticallyCana­ with a brother-in -law Who was interested documentary el'perience. Like My dian cinema. Ann McKinnon is a freelance writer in in investing in Canadian film. We sent Vancouver. down the script ; they liked it. We were 20/Cinema Canada - July/August 1985 • FIRS T FEATURES • invited down to talk. They had a party fiably from a women's point of view. I women uncomfortable addressing the for us to pitch at; we raised verbally Emancipated delegation am a woman. I think that any time some­ issue of sex? I think about how to $200,000. But they did not want the We had 43 people on the set. Large for thing gets prefaced by 'Women's What­ present an erotic scene in a film: how money to go into escrow before they me. The biggest crew I had ever worked ever: it narrows it. It is a very corsetting can you have romance in a film without saw the agreements with the CBC and with was 12 people for two days. This term. It does limit the potential for a lot the hint of sexual goings-on? Women are Telefilm. It got very complicated. I was 43 people for a 25-day shoot. I of people to just relax and watch the far more subtle. Far steamier in their eventually told the Cayman people to learned how to work with a very good film. subtlety - if steam is what you are after. take a walk. assistant director. I was very fortunate Women have a terrific sense of A number of women thought one parti­ I then realized that I had to find a to have Ed Folger, he knows his stuff. humour about themselves. There is a lot cular scene in the film was one of the producer. Originally, Peter O'Brian was This, of course, made my job much that goes on between women that had more erotic they had seen in years. The too busy to take the project on. When his easier. So I let him deal with a lot of the not previously gone out to a larger scene related to them directly, for most film Father Christmas was postponed, 'stuff. I learned how to delegate. Women, audience because we did not have the of their adolescent sexual encounters we struck a deal. He found a distributor, especially, have to learn how to dele­ access. Women have not been making were in cars. Orange summer nights by Spectrafilm of Toronto, which was will­ gate. films for that long; there are not that a lake listening to rock'n'roll. ing to provide $400,000 of the $1.2 million To me, whether I am directing a many making films now. Stories are out budget in exchange for distribution feature or a documentary, the concerns there that are worth telling. rights. Ultimately the funding came are still the same. You need food on the America the beautiful? from the private sector, the pre-sale to set, you just need more. I want to be able I don't know where all this dust is going the CBC and the Broadcast Development to tell a story so people will watch it. Sex in films and cars to settle. It is not my ambition to move to Fund. When you are doing a documentary, you We have a steamy necking scene on a L.A. or Toronto. I am not interested in want to be dramatic as possible. When mountain. Steamy, steamy. Remember, big blockbusters. The bigger the budget, you are making a dramatic feature, you of course, that My American Cousin is a the less voice you have. You can make want it to be as real as possible. Oh, yes. family film. wonderful films with very little money, It is the same. Only bigger and more I think it is interesting that women a good script and some teamwork. Those In 1814 we took a little trip terrifying! filmmakers seem to be a lot more modest are the kinds offilms I am interested in. The song "The Battle of New Orleans" I would hope that my film is identi- than their male counterparts. Are hetero I can only see myself working in L.A. if I inspired the movie. I heard it on the could keep my voice. I could learn ever as complicated .. or rewarding? Margaret Langrick plays Sandy to radio a few years ago and it reminded Butch something in L.A .