So last week I ventured up to the beautiful mountain retreat of Idyllwild for a film festival that our project “Something Blue” was screening at. It’s always a wonderful experience to see your film play for an audience…well at least an audience that is enjoying it!
During the festival, I was also asked to participate in a “Women in Film” panel whereby I had to talk about my experiences as a female filmmaker and what challenges I face because of it. This panel consisted of 4 other wonderful women who each had a film screening at the festival.
During the panel the most extraordinary thing happened. One of the women on the panel, when asked how she approaches the business from a female perspective, shone light upon a subject I have always struggled with. She began to describe all of the “self help” and “female empowerment” books she had read and how most of them spoke about adopting a male persona if you want to be successful. She turned directly to me and said “I’m not like Lesley, I don’t walk in a room and fill it with my presence like a man would. BUT, that doesn’t mean that I don’t have something valuable to say and that I shouldn’t have a place on the table to say it”
I didn’t take offense at this because it really turned things on their head for me. I frequently judge women around me that are meek or quiet or don’t have the outward confidence that I have. I want to shake them and say “get some flippin balls!”
I thought to myself, here is Casey who has gone out there with a passion and made her film. Her strength and talent is more internalized but that certainly doesn’t mean it’s not there!
Casey – your documentary “Daddy I do” was wonderful and congratulations on winning the award!
