Every once in awhile, I talk with someone who completely changes how I view independent filmmaking and those creating the most inventive films. Lately, that was writer/director/dancer Sam Mandich, whose work was influenced by her beginnings in dance. When you watch her films, it all makes sense -- the spare movement and the focused direction -- it comes from her amazingly unique background.

An experimental dance film? A psychological coming of age horror? Sign me up for the next few years of Sam Mandich's work. What an astonishing person and I'm so glad to talk with her today for the pod.

In this episode, Sam and I discuss:

• how dance informs her filmmaking;
• the amazing through-line in dance, conformity, and coming of age stories;
• what she got out of attending incredibly selective programs like the Paris College of Art and the American Film Institute;
• why she was selected by her peers at programs like these for higher honors and how it relates back to dance;
• the signs that people handled selective opportunities poorly;
• the simplicity -- and complexity -- of her latest works like JIA (2025) and ANGELS;
• her work on a new experimental dance film (!!);
• what it is like for her directing other peoples' projects;
• how she developed her writing skills and working on a script she didn't write;
• the fact that coming of age stories have become more immediately told and what that means for the future;
• the various stages of release for her films and the emphasis of top film schools on festivals;
• what Square Peg Social was like for her;
• what's next.

Sam's Indie Film Highlight: MA (2015) dir. by Celia Rowlson Hall

Memorable Quotes:

"when I was living in New York and commuting everywhere with my headphones on, suddenly everyone's a dancer."

"With dance, it's so interesting because it's an art that's about honing in on your personal craft, and how your singular way of expression feels."

"Going back to dance, there's been so many times where you're thrown into environments where you don't know anyone and you're immediately expected to be open and soft and receive like people's most vulnerable stories and then tell them through your own body."

"All of these experiences I've been reflecting on so much when I'm doing...I try to journal every morning and try to understand why I am feeling the way I'm feeling about something."

"Even though art is so personal, it's really healthy to try to not take things personally."

"Directing is a pretty lonely profession...so I think for certain stories, I'm really drawn to collaboration for that sense."

"Working on my own scripts, there is a certain vulnerability that comes with the solitude of that...manifests in the story as well."

"When you're choosing to make a film with someone, you're choosing to be in a relationship with them. So it's it's a little bit of you. It's a little bit of me, and we figure it out together."

"Coming of age can happen at any age."

Links:

Follow Sam On Instagram

Sam Mandich's Website

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