“THE DILEMMA OF DESIRE has taken much of its inspiration from the ground- breaking essay Uses of the Erotic by feminist Audre Lorde. In her essay, Lorde tells us that, the erotic is a force within all of us, including men. Women are warned against it all their lives by the male world, and so as a result, for women this means a suppression of the erotic as a considered source of power and information in our lives. This is at the heart of THE DILEMMA OF DESIRE and why I believe deeply that this film is timely and important.” Director Maria Finitzo on THE DILEMMA OF DESIRE which screens at the 2020 edition of SxSW Film.
Editor’s Note: While SxSW was officially cancelled on March 6th, 2020, the below interview was one of many that already took place prior to the festival. To respect the creators, all already performed interviews are presented in their unedited entirety below. All of the below works WILL make their way out into the world in one way or another, and we will update this article with updated information when we have it. — JW
Is your first time at SxSW and are you planning to attend your screenings?
Yes it is the first time at SXSW and I will be attending all of the screenings except the two on the 18th.
Great! Let’s hear more about you and how you got started in the business and what you have worked on in the past?
I am a two-time Peabody Award-winning social issue documentary filmmaker whose body of work has won every major broadcast award including most recently the Alfred E duPont Award, broadcasting’s equivalent to the Pulitzer Prize. My films have been screened in festivals and theaters around the world. A coming of age story, FIVE GIRLS reveals the resilience of adolescent girls, a father determined to heal his daughter after a tragic accident (Mapping Stem Cell Research: Terra Incognita) investigates the role of science in a democratic society, a young man, leaving foster care (With No Direction Home) explores the challenges of trying to find one’s place in the world, a soccer coach committed to teaching his players – Hispanic girls – about winning in life (In the Game), and a young couple, both working minimum wage jobs struggling to make ends meet while building a life for themselves and their children (Hard- Earned ) are all films that explore different realms of storytelling by investigating the important social issues of the day.
My films tackle a variety of subjects from the controversial science of stem cell research and the complex questions surrounding the command and control of nuclear weapons to the psychology of adolescent girls. I am a long time associate of four time Oscar nominated Kartemquin Films, recently awarded a Peabody to honor the work of all of their associates.
I am also a screenwriter and fiction film director. THOSE LEFT BEHIND, my first feature film from an original screenplay premiered at festivals throughout the country and is in distribution with Random Media and The Orchard. Also in development is my next fiction film, A TASTE OF LIFE, an adaptation of the award-winning story Passion by Nobel Prize winning author Alice Munro.
How did this project come together?
This project was a long time coming. My interest was first sparked by a book about the science of female sexual desire. From there I went on to research how to make a film about this topic cinematic and also profound. I Found the subjects who I would profile in the film. Fundraising began and continued throughout the entire process; it was not easy to raise funds to make this film.I was fortunate to work closely with very committed producers and with a creative team that believed deeply in the film.
What keeps you going while making a movie? What drives you?
I care deeply about the people in my films and the story I am telling.
What was your biggest challenge with this project, and the moment that was the most rewarding to you?
Raising the money was the biggest challenge and I heard the word “no” a lot. The biggest reward was hearing the positive response from the people who watched the film.
I am about to get technical, but I would love to know about the the visual design of the movie; what camera did you film with, your relationship to the director of photography and how the movie was photographed.
We shot on 4K with a Canon C300. I worked with a number of cinematographers who I know well and trust since shooting a verite film is not an easy thing to do.
What are you looking forward to the most about showing your movie here in Austin?
Finally getting it in front of an audience.
If you could show your movie in any theatre outside of Austin, where would you screen it and why?
I’d like to screen the film in all cities where my subjects are from: New York, Atlanta, Salt Lake City, San Francisco and Chicago.
We have a lot of readers on our site looking to make movies or get into the industry somehow. What is the ONE THING you would say to someone who is wanting to get into the filmmaking business?
Make sure it is the only thing you want to do.
For more information on this film and to follow its progress into the festival world, point your browser to www.sxsw.com/film!