Behind the Camera is a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the lives of the nine filmmakers featured in LUNAFEST, a traveling film festival by, for and about women. Each week, the Step Up Blog will feature two incredible women and their passion for film and storytelling. Buy your tickets to this year’s LUNAFEST on February 27 in Los Angeles, New York and Chicago here. Step Up supporters save 20% on tickets with the code StepUp.
Catherine van Campen
Catherine van Campen lives and works in Amsterdam as an independent radio presenter and documentary filmmaker. Her debut film, Eternal Mash, won the 2006 IDFA Completion Prize for most promising film plan. In 2009, Van Campen made her second film with the award winning script Drona & me, a short documentary about two brothers who toured around the world. Flying Anne is her third film. Her latest film, Painful Painting, premiered at IDFA 2011 and she is currently finishing another documentary, Silent Talking, while also working on a radio-documentary project with Stef Visjager and jazz musician Joep Pelt.
About Flying Anne – The more you look at beautiful, eleven-year-old Anne, the more you’ll notice her “tics.” Anne suffers from Gilles de la Tourette’s syndrome, a condition that makes her body do things she doesn’t want it to, such as suddenly spinning around or licking everything in sight. She sometimes finds it hard to cope with her illness, especially in school, where she’s afraid that others will bully or laugh at her. The youth documentary Flying Anne shows how Anne tries to keep her tics in check by “flying” through life.
My first job was…a radio presenter for a local station.
When I was 15 I was… hoping to become a writer.
Now I am… a documentary filmmaker.
My passion is… form, color, image, photos, film and passionate people.
My mentor is/was… my producer.
My film tells the story of… extraordinary people, very motivated people.
My all-time favorite movie is…Little Dienter needs to fly by Werner Herzog.
Something that inspires me and my art is… the graphic novelist Shaun Tan.
Celia Bullwinkel
Celia Bullwinkel is an animator who lives and works in New York City. She has worked on a number of feature films, including Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Hair High, and Chicago 10, television shows (Little Bill, MTV’s Friday, Ugly Americans, Wonder Pets), and too many advertising projects to count. Alpha’s Bet, her music video collaboration with visual artist Rammellzee, was exhibited in 2011 at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles. She is a faculty member at the School of Visual Arts animation department, and teaches at the Fashion Institute of Technology’s MFA Illustration program. Sidewalk is her first independent film.
About Sidewalk – A woman walks through life, confronts her changing body and learns to love herself.
My first job was…mowing lawns and babysitting around the neighborhood.
When I was 15 I was …full of ideas, but lacked confidence.
Now I am…still full of ideas, and much more confident!
My passion is…to always be working on a personal project.
My mentor is/was…I’ve had many mentors, ranging from teachers to employers in the field of animation.
My film tells the story of…the journey a woman takes with her body as she ages.
My all-time favorite movie is…Repulsion by Roman Polanski.
Something that inspires me and my art is…Seeing something amazing and finding out later that it was done by a woman.
For more information on LUNAFEST, watch the trailer here.
100% of LUNAFEST net proceeds benefit charity: on February 27 in Los Angeles, New York and Chicago, 85% of proceeds go to Step Up and 15% to the Breast Cancer Fund. Enjoy a night out with great films, support female filmmakers and make a difference for Step Up girls. Step Up supporters save 20% on tickets with the code StepUp.
