Overcoming the struggles: a dyslexic, transracial adoptee carves space for British East Asian actors in the UK (photo: lucysheen.com) Interview conducted by Christina Schultz Lucy Sheen was made in Hong Kong, exported to the UK in the late 50s early 60s as a transracial adoptee. Lucy is an actor, writer, filmmaker, trainer and transracial adoptee advocate. She trained at the Rose Bruford College of Speech and Drama (1985), the first British East Asian actress to graduate from a recognized UK drama school. Lucy’s first professional job was the female lead in the groundbreaking British feature film Ping Pong, directed by Po Ch’ih Leong. This was the first British film of its kind to look at the issues facing the British-Chinese community in the UK. Christina Schultz: Hi, Lucy. Thanks for chatting with Femfilmfans. I want to start by saying I am in awe of all the work you do. You are a filmmaker, actor, writer, poet, cultural sensitivity trainer, advocate, the list goes on. How do you find time to do everything? Lucy Sheen: The nature of being an actor is that if you’re not Dame Judy Dench, you need a day job. If you don’t have some Hollywood films on the backburner, you need to fit in the teaching, the training, the writing, the acting, etc. Lots of the work you can do remotely, like writing, for instance, which makes it easier. CS: What do you enjoy doing the most? LS: Acting, I suppose. But I enjoy all of it. The corporate training day job not so much although I do appreciate it. I get to use my acting skills in a different setting and I get paid for it, which is always great. Acting on stage is so different from other types because it’s in front of a live audience with other actors - all living, breathing entities. The challenge is to keep it fresh and exciting for the audience and for you as an artist if you have multiple performances.
CS: What made you transition from acting to filmmaking? LS: I got hoodwinked into it [laughs]. I was approached by an acquaintance who found out I was an actor and suggested I make a documentary film. I pointed out my work was all in front of the camera and not behind the camera so I said I could help her, but somehow I wound up producing, directing and writing the documentary Abandoned Adopted Here. CS: But Abandoned Adopted Here also tells your story, that of the transracial adoptees. Is that why you agreed to make the film? LS: Yes, I felt it was important to make a documentary about what it means to grow up as a transracial adoptee and what it means to be British East Asian. CS: Was it difficult making a film about such a personal topic? What was that like for you emotionally? LS: It would have been harder had I not been directing and writing. I would have more time to stew in my own juices. I didn’t give myself time to think about the personal nature of the project. It wasn’t until I observed other people watching the film that I realized how emotional they found it. CS: If I may say so, your personal story seems to be one of struggle. Struggling to find quality work, to navigate the completed waters of identity, esp. in the British colonial context, as a “transracial adoptee,” struggling for the rights and representations of Asians in film and theater, struggling with dyslexia and so on. What injustices and limitations have you faced in your line of work? LS: As I’ve gotten older I’ve become less tolerant of inequality and injustice. When you first come out of drama school you want to work. You can end up compromising yourself and you have youth as an excuse. I was lucky, however. When I left drama school in the 80s, I was a “jobbing actor,” although there were limitations. I got radio work because they wanted a Chinese person but since I grew up in the UK I had to put on an East Asian accent. And yet I couldn’t be in radio for anything other than those Chinese roles, which is quite bizarre and still happens now. In England, East Asians are viewed separately from other British minority ethnics, such as Black, African, Caribbean and Southeast Asian. We have always been further segregated and seen very much as the Other, the thing to be feared, to be ridiculed; you find it in the practice of yellowface. If you were to continue the racist practices of black- or brownface, you wouldn’t get away with it in the UK, but for some strange reason this continues to happen to East Asians. So we are, in many ways, so far behind and it confines what I can do as a performer CS: And what was it like dealing with your dyslexia? LS: I didn’t know I was dyslexic until I did all of my studies. It wasn’t a recognized condition when I was a kid in the 50s-60s. They thought that I was being thick and insubordinate. This kind of reaction hasn’t changed much over time, even with more awareness of learning disabilities, but you do find ways of coping. Dealing with text and words as an actor is still probably not the best profession to go into when you’re dyslexic. I had to learn to train my eyes to slow down and my brain to focus. I’m not very good at sight readings. In a student production of King Lear, for the line “Put on what weary negligence you please,” I once famously said “put on what weary negligees you please” instead. These kinds of things were embarrassing at the time but are now quite amusing. Because of my experiences I work with dyslexic charities and offer advice. I tell people you can succeed in world of words and literature. Today there is so much technology that makes things easier. It still takes me twice as long to read a script though. Join us again on Saturday for Part Two of Christina's interview with Lucy Sheen where she talks about combatting stereotypes, experiencing the #MeToo movement and promoting diversity in the UK!  A young Lucy Sheen in "Ping Pong" (still from film)
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Interview conducted by Marina Brafa  Natalie attented the 2018 Cannes Film Festval (Photo: Natalie MacMahon) Natalie MacMahon is a Berlin-based actress, director, writer, translator, interpreter, voice over artist and presenter. Currently, she is working on the script of her first feature film Hot Scary Summer and on her Esperanto web series Malsano Nomata Amo (A Disease Called Loved) and organizing the Female Filmmakers Festival Berlin. - Submissions to the festival are being accepted until October! - Read Part One of the interview here. Natalie tells us about being a director in a male-dominated industry, her experiences at the Cannes film festival and how important it was to find her own way of working.   Marina Brafa: Last year you and your crew, all women working in film, founded the Female Filmmakers Festival Berlin. Where did this idea come from?
Natalie MacMahon: There are a few festivals for female filmmakers, especially in the U.S. But I noticed many times that I did not want to submit my films to these festivals because the description of the festival - why they do what they do and what the festival is about - was too extreme. MB: In which sense? NM: A lot of them send out a very clear feminist message. I think it is possible to showcase female directors without excluding or being against anyone else. I can say that I personally did not identify with their message and did not think my films would fit. Therefore, I wanted to create an alternative festival, a platform for female directors whose films do not have to be about a certain theme. MB: But you still screen films made by women only? NM: We show films where the most important roles are filled by women and where the team is mostly female. We could have a film with a male director with a mostly-female cast with female themes. That’s what I wanted: to be more open and to create a place to connect with each other. MB: Berlin has a festival called the “Berlin Feminist Film Week.” What is the difference between your festival and this one? NM: We are not their competitor because we are not a feminist festival. As I said, we want to give women a platform, support new talents and show international productions. In addition, we present films from countries with underrepresented film markets. We also want to include workshops and panels in our festival about topics that are unclear to many filmmakers, for example financing. A topic many people do not want to hear about, especially creative types [laughs]. In that sense, it is less a cultural event but a platform by filmmakers for other filmmakers based on our own experience. MB: On the Female Filmmakers Festival’s website you state that the focus will be on Ireland and Spain. How will this be reflected in the festival’s program? NM: We will have special screenings with films from Spain and Ireland and feature music from these countries. In two years, Italy will be one of our featured countries, partly because we are already working with an established Italian music festival, the Siren Festival. This year they are including film on their program for the first time so we added a Music Video category to our festival. MB: How many submissions did you receive so far? NM: As of right now, we have received around 450 submissions including short and feature films and music videos from all parts of the world. And we are still accepting submissions until October! We added a pre-event in February, which will take place during the Berlinale, because we have so many good submissions and we want to give people the chance to connect before the actual festival in June. MB: The pre-event in February 2019 will be during the Berlinale but is not directly associated with it? NM: Correct. The pre-event is not connected to the Berlinale but takes place at the same time just to make people aware of our new Female Filmmakers Festival. At the pre-event, we will show some short films, the audience will get to vote for the best one and this short film is going to open our festival in June. MB: That’s a good marketing idea! NM: Yes, but we also have good films and people like to connect! It’s a chance to test the waters. MB: Do you think that it helps holding the FFF in Berlin? NM: Yes, Berlin attracts creative people from all over the world. People here love culture and make time to attend events. There are film festivals about pretty much everything in Berlin. I still think in a way there are never enough! MB: Do you have any advice for women who want to organize a film festival or are in the film business in general? NM: Don’t overthink, just do something. If you have an idea, if you have a script, you should just find a way to do it, for example as a short film. Learn more step by step and develop your own voice. MB: So, “Just do it”? NB: [laughs] Yeah, easier said than done! MB: Many many thanks Natalie for your time! You want to know more about Natalie's film projects? Check out her Website and follow her on Facebook! Also, find more info about the Female Filmmakers Festival Berlin here - submissions are open until October!  Natalie supports the recent empowerment of female filmmakers and actors at Cannes Film Festival (photo: Natalie MacMahon) Interview conducted by Marina Brafa Natalie MacMahon is a Berlin-based actress, director, writer, translator, interpreter, voice over artist and presenter. Currently, she is working on the script of her first feature film Hot Scary Summer and on her Esperanto web series Malsano Nomata Amo (A Disease Called Loved) and organizing the Female Filmmakers Festival Berlin. Read Part Two of the interview here, where Natalie speaks about founding a film festival in Berlin and her work as a female filmmaker. Marina Brafa: Hi Natalie. You attended the film festival in Cannes this year. How was your stay there? Natalie MacMahon: Cannes was really interesting this time! It was my third visit and every year I have different agendas. This year I wanted to promote my Female Filmmakers Festival Berlin (FFFB), look for funding and meet filmmakers. I noticed people had already heard about the festival even though we haven’t promoted it yet because it will take place in June 2019, so we still have plenty of time. We will, however, have a pre-event in February 2019 and screen the short films sent to us as part of our “Cannes special.” The best one will then open the festival in June! I was also at Cannes to promote my short films. Some of which have been shown at other festivals and I am currently looking for distribution for my latest one.  Film still of "The Readhead" (Still: Natalie MacMahon) MB: You are talking about your film The Redhead?
NM: Yes. Another thing I did in Cannes was to get some ideas and raise funds for my first feature film. I am writing the script for it now but it is not finished yet. I was also scouting locations because I do not know where I am going to shoot the film. MB: Do you already have any concrete themes or a name for your first feature film? NM: The name of the film is Hot Scary Summer for now, and it is probably going to be in English, maybe in German. The film is set in the future, however, this is not emphasized aesthetically but rather narratively. It is about a couple that goes on a virtual reality honeymoon by visiting a studio and putting on AR glasses. Their brains then get scanned for triggers of emotions and experiences and with all this information the studio creates the perfect setting. In their case, the beach. But during the virtual trip something goes wrong and only the husband wakes up and the wife is in a coma-like state. Her mind is stuck in a different virtual reality and everything gets out of control from there. MB: You started with short films, now you are going to shoot a feature film. Why the switch? NM: I do like short films a lot because you can test out ideas and develop your skills. They also don’t require a lot of funding and are easier to make. I learned so much about the filmmaking process. For example, before I made my first short film I didn’t know how to edit, how to make a storyboard or how to direct people. It was really good to try out everything because when I make a film now, I can appreciate the people I work with more. Having a better understanding of all the processes makes it easier to work together and to explain what you want! MB: Besides your new film project Hot Scary Summer, what’s next? NM: For the fall I am planning an interactive web series based on my short film A Universal Love Story, which is partly in Esperanto. It was well received by the Esperanto community and has been shown at many festivals, so I decided to make the web series 50% in Esperanto and 50% in English. MB: Where will it be released? NM: I will probably just release it on Vimeo or Youtube. Usually I am not allowed to make my work available online because of the film festivals but the nice thing about a web series is that it can be online and at the same time I can send it to festivals so everyone has the opportunity to see it. MB: You work in many different fields of film: as a director, a screenwriter and an actor. How have you been treated, especially as a woman, in these different roles? NM: I remember when I went to Cannes for the first time three years ago with my short film. I had to decide if I would go to the festival as an actress, or director, or both – what should I tell people? I had to focus on one aspect, at least for the festivals, and I went as director instead of actress. It really was a different experience. There was less competition among directors, they were more supportive! As a woman it gets easier when you get older. But I guess I’m not that old yet, I just turned 31… MB: So belated congrats! NM: ...well it was in April but it feels like yesterday [laughs]. So it is not that old but it feels different compared to five or six years ago. I think it is definitely true that if you are a young woman other filmmakers tend to think you are naive and do not take you seriously, especially as a director. If you have to direct older, experienced actors, it is difficult until they work with you and notice that you are professional and well-prepared. MB: How does this look in your everyday work as director? NM: I am always open to other people’s ideas and suggestions but especially on shooting day somebody needs to be the boss and say: “That’s what we are going to do.” You have to be confident and trust yourself because you know what you are doing! When I tried to listen to everyone and make them all happy it was a mess. When you clearly tell people what you want, it works. MB: This year the jury in Cannes was mostly female and there was a movement called “5050 by 2020,” similar to “Time’s Up” in Hollywood. Were you aware of this during your stay? NM: Yes! When we got the festival bag there was a flyer with a hotline you could call if you felt like someone was approaching you in a weird way. I think that’s the first time they offered it. I do not know if anyone called it but I think it is a good idea. I never had bad experiences myself but I heard from other women who did, especially at Cannes. I also noticed a change in the panels and talks I attended. The speakers were mixed 50/50; not only men were giving talks. MB: Do you think we have an equivalent movement here in Germany? A German version of 5050 by 2020? NM: Yes. It never became that big but many things are happening, especially in Berlin. There are so many talks and events to support women. When it comes to funding there are also opportunities which are female-only. Many still do not know about the funding schemes that are out there. I think an important next step is to raise awareness of this in the film world. You want to know more about Natalie's film projects? Check out her Website and follow her on Facebook ! Get a taste of Natalie's short films by watching the trailers: The Readhead A Universal Love Story Like a Summer Sonata Two of her films are available on realeyz: The Man Who Coudln’t Cry Like a Summer Sonata |
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