Past Filmmakers

Francesca Talenti
Poetry in Motion

1. How did you come up with the idea for the film?
I was living and teaching in Austin, Texas at the time.  I had finished a huge live-action project, a feature film I wrote, produced, and directed.  I wanted to work on something smaller, where I could do everything myself (unlike the feature).  So I landed on the idea of making short animations, which would feature local poets.  I worked in collaboration with Austin PBS station KLRU, and the animations were shown locally, as interstitials (meaning between programs).

2. How long did the production process take?
The whole series took a total of 4 years.  After I made the first three, based on local Austin poets, I applied for a grant from ITVS to make more, for a national audience.  I got the grant, and the series expanded to nine animations.

3. What challenges did you experience in the creation of the film?
For me the biggest challenges are usually in the producing, and distribution of a film.  I am best at creating, so the creative part was really completely enjoyable.  Putting grants and promotional materials together, however, I find far less compelling.

4. What is your favorite memory from creating the film?
On Writing Hat Poms was shown at the Guggenheim museum in New York.  My favorite memory is how pleased Marvin Kimbrough, the writer of that poem, was when I told her the good news.

5. When someone has finished watching the film, what do you hope they take away from the experience?
A desire to see it again; an appreciation of the poem, and appreciation of the artistry that went into the piece.

6. What type of reaction has your film received from viewers?
I've had quite a bit of success with these animations.  They've been to many festivals, have won a number of awards.  Most recently (in January 2004), WNET-NY packaged five of them to be shown nationally on PBS, under the title Quintet.  Quintet was then selected to represent the US in May 2004 at INPUT, a conference featuring the best of public television worldwide.  Only five US shows were selected, and Quintet was one of them.

7. What advice would you give to aspiring young filmmakers?
Since I teach film I give all kinds of advice daily!  But if I had only one thing to say, I guess it would be to persist.  If you have a vision, just stick to it.

8. Please tell us about the next film you plan to work on.
I am in the finishing stages of an animation entitled A Brief History of Voting, which is really a history of voting systems or voting machines, from the Greeks until now.  I cover everything in four minutes.

9. What are your thoughts on the film industry in NC?
I wish there were more!  We have more and more good festivals—Full Frame, Cucalorus, Riverrun, and Asheville, among others.  But Wilmington is no longer thriving as a studio town.  South Carolina lawmakers just passed a law with incentives for filmmaking.  North Carolina might benefit in doing the same.