A Parallel Planets piece by Unknown
Parallel Planets presents Tanya Sleiman
in Crossing Borders Through Story-Telling
Interview by Erin Emocling
Mentioned: true crossroads, Helen Levitt, and being a force of nature
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Tanya Sleiman is an award-winning filmmaker from California, United States. She is known for her 2008 short essay, "A Chronicle of Concrete," her 2009 documentary "Iraq in the USA," and her most recent documentary shorts, "Serious Play: The Worlds of Helen Levitt" in 2011 and "Whatever It Takes" in 2013. Sleiman is currently working on a short documentary and video installation about Havana, Cuba while directing her feature debut "95 Lives," a documentary film about Helen Levitt.
Parallel Planets: Hi, Tanya. How are you doing? What were you doing before this interview?
Tanya Sleiman: Hi, Erin. Thanks very much for the invitation to share my thoughts. I am well. Just before doing this interview, I was reviewing footage I filmed today with NPR anchor Melissa Block.
Tell us something about yourself as a film-maker and before you became one.
As a filmmaker, I am drawn to character portraits about ordinary people doing extraordinary things, and also, I like film essays that connect unusual dots to create a new story. Before I became a filmmaker, I was living in New York City, working in higher education by day, and seeing art films and indie documentaries by night. While working full-time, I began to take courses in documentary film, and I made my first documentary short. It was the first time I’d held a video camera to tell a story. The exhilaration of creating a film confirmed for me that I wanted to work full-time in this artistic medium. I resigned from my position at the university to gain the technical training I needed. In 2006, a true crossroads challenged my resolve. I was recruited to a higher education position in Switzerland, which at one time, would have seemed my ideal job. Yet, the call of documentary and the thrill of creative work were too great. I turned down the overseas job and instead, pursued my path of filmmaking.
When/How did your inclination with film begin?
I’ve always loved to document people and places with straight photography. I learned from my father, an amateur photographer, and from fun experiments with film cameras. I never studied photography in my teen years or college undergrad days. But I know my visual language began with photography. Instead of the arts, I was an undergraduate in the social sciences. I would escape by theory of social change readings in the university’s art house cinema. There, new worlds unfolded through film. I didn’t realize it at the time, but Berkeley’s Pacific Film Archive launched my film inclinations, and a few years later, New York’s international and experimental scene sealed the deal. Watching a film was always a window to another world, another set of metaphors for life. I loved it. Yet in my years of undergrad studies, I never imagined I’d be someone who would make films. I thought I’d be a diplomat or a policy maker or educator or social justice crusader. Something responsible. Something that made a difference. To me, film and photography were hobbies, not professions. I didn’t ever imagine being a filmmaker. When I moved to New York City, my free time was once again at the movies. After my attending many screenings with the artists present, I began to see that the filmmakers didn’t look too different from me. I began to think I might be able to tell stories through image and sound. I am sure I would not have become a filmmaker if I had not lived in a city with a major thriving arts scene.
What defines your artistic style? What are your “trademarks”?
I leave it to viewers to see my work over time and decide what style I’m sharing. I hope that soundscapes will be part of what viewers will enjoy without even realizing it was part of the piece. I hope to always be learning.
What/Who inspires you?
In film, I love the work and persona of Heddy Honigmann. She was born in Peru to Polish Jewish immigrants, and she almost became a doctor, but fate intervened, and she became a filmmaker. She lives in Holland now. Her sound design, interview style and subject matter all inspire me. From my colleagues, I admire Canadian documentary artist Caroline Martel. She is smart, funny and charming, and her films make you think. Sounds and accents I hear when I travel or in my hometown equally inspire me. Shadows and patterns excite me to find a fun framing.
‘95 Lives’ is your documentary film about the life and works of iconic photographer, Helen Levitt. Tell us all about this project.
This project began with a question: how come I don’t know Helen Levitt?! How could there be nothing in film documenting her legacy? I’d absolutely seen her images before. How come I knew nothing about the artist? How could I not know anything about a major female photographer? With that glaring lack of a film on a major artist, I was convinced I would make a modest film on Helen Levitt. She was still living that year, so I flew to New York that October to meet her. When I asked what she thought about my making a small film about her life and legacy, she said very matter-of-factly, “Wait ‘til I’m dead hon.”
How do you deal with negativity? What do you do to overcome the so-called “artist’s block”?
This is a great question. In practical terms, creating a little bit every day is a great way to not get stuck in a block. Make a scene. Take a picture. Draw a 30-second sketch. Record a water droplet. Do something like this when you are stuck and you will find that you got started. Also, having fun with the art process is necessary to not take yourself too seriously. For dealing with negativity, I thank my mother and a wonderful teacher from film school with two pillars to overcome challenges. My mother always told me I could do anything if I set my mind to it. I believed her, since I didn’t know any better! My teacher encouraged all of us to go out and “be a force of nature.” Sometimes, willing yourself to find your force is needed to make a phone call, overcome “artist’s block” or anything uncooperative in your path. And recently, I’ve been learning the notion of “There’s reality, and there’s what you do with it.” To me, this means that if I get a grant application rejected, or a scene of a film that isn’t working, instead of sulking, I take it as data. Information to help me improve the scene or re-imagine my next steps.
What is your mantra in life?
I don’t have one. In general, I’m “Carpe Diem.” When I am teaching students of film, I try before I enter the classroom to remember how to create excitement for an artform. So, maybe it’s also “Carpe Arte.” In doing documentary film, I try to cause no harm and create space for more creative thought in the world. Pete Seeger recently passed away and many of his sayings were in with the obituaries. One Seeger quote I really appreciate is: “Being generous of spirit is a wonderful way to live.”
Aside from film, what other creative pursuits are you also interested in?
Cooking, dancing, gardening, learning the cello.
Mention three of your favorite things in the world.
Children cracking up with laughter; fresh fruits; swimming in oceans.
Do you have any weird habits? Strange desires? Unlikely fetishes? Surprise us.
I smile on the streets while walking when I remember something nice that happened. It causes other people to smile at me, because they think I’m smiling at them. Worse things could happen. I also talk aloud to myself when I need to get motivated. It works for me.
In this planet that we're thriving in—
What is your power animal?
Prior to your question, I didn’t have a power animal, and didn’t truly know even what the totem animals were. However, when I read the prompt “turtle” came to mind. Then I looked it up. I loved the meaning! The turtle totem teaches us about walking our path in peace and sticking to it with determination and serenity. Slow moving on earth, yet also incredibly fast and agile in water, those who have the turtle as totem or spirit animal may be encouraged to take a break in their busy lives and look around or within themselves for more grounded, long-lasting solutions. Traditionally, the turtle is symbolic of the way of peace, whether it’s inviting us to cultivate peace of mind or a peaceful relationship with our environment. Yes!
Who is your alternate ego?
It might be fair to call her Aynat. My name backwards. If you mess with things I think are lovely and just in the world, I become an avenger. Tanya is nice. Aynat is the opposite of nice. You will never meet Aynat if you are a kind soul.
In an alternate universe where film does not exist—
What would your name be?
Blaer. It means “light summer’s breeze that touches your cheek” (Icelandic). If film didn’t exist, I would be outside a lot more than now. I would be in the sun with a musical instrument, competing with a summer’s breeze in the land of the midnight sun.
What would you be doing instead?
Musician. I love music. I just didn’t start early enough to do it more than a hobbyist can pursue.
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