Meet the DocuWeeks Filmmakers: Marc Smolowitz--'The Power Of Two'
Over the next month, we at IDA will be introducing our community to the filmmakers whose work is represented in the DocuWeeksTM Theatrical Documentary Showcase, which runs from August 12 through September 1 in New York City and August 19 through September 8 in Los Angeles. We asked the filmmakers to share the stories behind their films--the inspirations, the challenges and obstacles, the goals and objectives, the reactions to their films so far.
So, to continue this series of conversations, here is Marc Smolowitz, director/producer of The Power Of Two.
Synopsis: The Power Of Two offers an intimate portrayal of the bond between half-Japanese twin sisters Anabel Stenzel and Isabel Stenzel Byrnes, their lifelong battle with cystic fibrosis, their survival through miraculous double lung transplants and their improbable emergence as authors, athletes and global advocates for organ donation. Featuring expert interviews, archival footage and deeply personal testimony from the twins and others whose lives have been impacted by organ transplantation from the US and Japan, the film provides unprecedented insight into the personal and societal aspects of this modern medical miracle affecting millions worldwide.
IDA: How did you get started in documentary filmmaking?
Marc Smolowitz: I got my start with documentaries first in film festivals, then in theatrical distribution, and then through co-production, sales and international financing of films. This eventually brought me to some very important professional opportunities, which included producing two award-winning feature documentaries that I am extremely proud of--Sandi DuBowski's Trembling Before G-d and Sam Green and Bill Siegel's The Weather Underground. From there, I worked in local television in San Francisco for a number of years, where I had the chance to move into nonfiction directing. I fell in love with directing, and working with characters who have had a life epiphany that takes them in unexpected directions, whereby they have a chance to touch the lives of others. After an amazing two-year stint working as a producer at a VOD production house in Silicon Valley, I decided to try my own hand as a feature documentary director and producer of my own films; The Power Of Two is my second finished film. My other release is Still Around, a feature-length, short film compilation about living and thriving with HIV/AIDS at the 30th anniversary, currently in distribution through Outcast Films. At 42, I am decidedly a social-issue filmmaker, committed to high-impact storytelling about characters who change hearts and minds about important, often surprisingly universal issues.
IDA: What inspired you to make The Power Of Two?
MS: The Power Of Two is inspired by The Power Of Two: A Twin Triumph Over Cystic Fibrosis, a memoir co-written by the centerpiece characters of the film. When I read their book, I was incredibly moved by the way Anabel (Ana) Stenzel and Isabel (Isa) Stenzel Byrnes write so eloquently about their experiences with chronic illness. My big takeaway from their memoir was that we all have a stake in global conversations about public health, organ donation and transplantation, and we can all find a space in our lives for community and advocacy of social causes. From there, it made perfect sense that a feature documentary would be a natural evolution for this story. As I began the filmmaking process, I quickly fell in love with Ana and Isa, both as people and as characters, and over time, we developed a powerful three-way trust in all aspects of this storytelling collaboration. All in all, I see Ana and Isa as both ordinary and extraordinary women, which reminds us that we often see such humbling and familiar contrasts in our own lives. As such, they are entirely approachable yet somehow also bigger than life. Ultimately, it is their twin bond that resonates on-screen with immense power-- the kind that transcends boundaries of culture, race and nation. In bringing their stories to screen, I have had the great pleasure of following them across two countries and 27 cities, and now, I look forward to sharing their stories of survival with the world. I am quite sure that audiences will embrace them with the same openness and excitement that they themselves bring every day. It truly has been an honor to make this film--a highlight of my life and career--and I have learned so much about what it means to opt in for being an advocate for something bigger than myself.
IDA: What were some of the challenges and obstacles in making this film, and how did you overcome them?
MS: When it comes to filmmaking, my take on challenges is that they're generally also opportunities. For me, the greatest challenge and opportunity was our ambitious timeline for making this film. Since transplant is not a panacea for cystic fibrosis patients, everyone involved in making this film wanted to make sure that it could be realized in a manner that supported the twins to remain healthy and robust in every way. As such, we opted in for a fundraising, production, post and completion timeline that came in at just under 22 months. This way, I could focus the involvement of the twins on specific events and production cycles that would allow them to continue their lives as patients and advocates outside of making the film. While this was certainly fast for an entirely independent production, it forced me to be laser-focused when it came to evaluating opportunities and executing on them.
Working with Japan was also an amazing challenge and opportunity, one that required a dedicated, Japan-facing associate producer who could assist with language, community and business interactions. For my part, I also work very hard to build an infrastructure around my projects at the earliest stage, so while The Power Of Two is a feature documentary, it is also an enterprise in many ways. For example, we have 40+ nonprofit partners who are actively engaged, and at every stage of this project, partnerships have driven much of the success we've been able to achieve. I also have to go on record with how grateful I am to my producing partner, Andrew Byrnes, and to my executive producer, Chris Kelly. Together, our combined skills, talents and networks made this film possible, and it has been a joy to work with them. Finally, surrounding myself with talented people who are at the top of their game has always been my approach to team-building and collaboration, and the team behind this film includes an impressive roster of creative people who have done some of the best work of their careers. Now, that's how you address challenges and turn them into opportunities!
IDA: How did your vision for the film change over the course of the pre-production, production and post-production processes?
MS: When I look back on the earliest proposals and treatments that I wrote for The Power Of Two, I am actually pleasantly surprised how similar my early vision for the film comes through in the final version. Initially, production was launched with a very ambitious one-month cycle in Japan that followed Ana and Isa on a book tour to encourage organ donation awareness in their mother's native country. When we returned with 90+ hours of amazing content, I recall thinking that we had enough material for a feature film that focused on the twins and their innately powerful connection to Japan. In retrospect, we found ourselves filming in Japan (during fall 2009) at a time when the nation was at a tipping point with respect to critical public health issues (organ donation) that are at the center of my film. This was very powerful for me as filmmaker to witness and record, and it also came with great responsibility--my storytelling choices around Japan came with opportunities to make a truly global film with great resonance. Over time, it was clear that the film would achieve much more global power if it could manage to be a lush comparison of characters and stories from both the United States and Japan--through the eyes of the twins. This approach became the backbone of how I built this story, how shoots were prioritized and how creative choices were made in post-production. Oftentimes, the twins resisted being the central focus of the story, and they pointed me to other people, patients, advocates and experts who could help broaden the scope of the film. All in all, I am so grateful for their insistence. In the end, it was these introductions and shooting opportunities that took the film in some very exciting directions. Then, during post, I had the joy of embedding myself with two very talented editors, and together, we built a film with upwards of 40 scenes, featuring 25+ on-camera characters and interview subjects. During this phase, I also got to focus on music and score with an incredible team that understood how music can influence story. And, I also got to focus on motion graphics and animation as a storytelling trope, and these are the tools that I always intended to use to weave together a complex set of stories and characters into one clearly written, 94-minute journey. For me, it was always my vision that the twins would serve as our anchor, and through their eyes, we meet many wise people who have incredibly salient things to share about life, illness, death and advocacy.
IDA: As you've screened The Power Of Two--whether on the festival circuit, or in screening rooms, or in living rooms--how have audiences reacted to the film? What has been most surprising or unexpected about their reactions?
MS: DocuWeeks is the official world premiere of The Power Of Two, so I am very excited to begin this journey of sharing my film with the film-going public and then some. To date, we have had a number of private screenings since the film was finished, and it is clear that this film has the potential to be much more universal than a short synopsis of it sounds. When I tell people the quasi-log line--"Half-Japanese, identical twin sisters who grow up with cystic fibrosis, both receive double lung transplants, and go on to become authors and global advocates for organ donation"--it always stimulates interest because it sounds so unlikely and specialized. But, what is clear from early screenings is that this is not just a cystic fibrosis film, not just a transplant film, not just a film about Japan, and not just a film about twins. Rather, it's all of these things and so much more. It's also a heart-rending experience; one viewer said, "It's a seven-hanky movie." Perhaps. But, it's also a very frank look at what it means to survive through illness and decide to go public about it.
Audiences have, so far, confirmed that the film is not saccharine in any way, which gives me great confidence that it will stand on its own as a captivating illness story. People have also said that it has the potential to inspire organ donation. While I certainly hope this is the case, I mostly hope it becomes a conversation-starter for people and communities to talk about this difficult and deeply personal issue. Through making this film, I now understand that any individual or family can be impacted by an acute or chronic illness whereby organ donation and transplant might be the only solution available to save a person's life. I am sensing already that a big takeaway from The Power Of Two is that when our health care systems work, they can actually save patients' lives--reminding us that by saying "yes" to organ donation, we're all implicated in one of the most universal decisions a person can make to save the life of another.
IDA: What docs or docmakers have served as inspirations for you?
MS: Early on, I was deeply inspired by the films of Marlon Riggs and other activist/LGBT directors of the late '80s and early '90s. I entered the film world at a time when personal documentaries and first-person storytelling were increasingly celebrated, and I remember being stunned and inspired by films like Silverlake Life, Thank You & Good Night and Complaints of a Dutiful Daughter. I've always loved the films of Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman, and I was honored to be able to work on The Celluloid Closet in a development and research role--an early experience that sealed the deal for me on a documentary career path. Other films that stand out for me as influential include Paris Was A Woman, Sick: The Life & Death of Bob Flanagan, Supermasochist, Dark Days, Promises, Daughter from Danang, Tarnation, Born Into Brothels, and more recently, The Age of Stupid, Food, Inc. and Outrage.
The Power Of Two will be screening August 19 through 25 at the Laemmle Sunset 5 in Los Angeles and August 26 through September 1 at the IFC Center in New York City.
For the complete DocuWeeksTM 2011 program, click here.
To purchase tickets for The Power Of Two in Los Angeles, click here.
To purchase tickets for The Power Of Two in New York, click here.