Christine LaMonte — Craft, Collaboration & Creative Excellence

Christine La Monte, producer/director/writer and former film marketing executive at Universal, Disney, and Orion is the founder/president of La Monte Productions where current projects include VIVA VERDI! the feature documentary Shortlisted for Best Song, where she serves as producer, writer and executive producer. Also on the awards circuit, AI WEIWEI’S TURANDOT, a co-production with Italy’s Incipit Film and La Monte Productions

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 1:16

So glad you could join us on the Art of Film Funding podcast, where we give independent filmmakers the tools, insights, and inspiration they need to bring powerful stories to life. And From the Heart Productions is a nonprofit that has supported independent filmmakers for over three decades. Today's conversation is one I'm especially excited to share. Our guest, Christine Lamont, is a producer, director, writer, and former film marketing executive at Universal Disney and Orion. She's the founder president of Lamont Productions, where current projects include Viva Verdi, the feature documentary shortlisted for Best Song, where she serves as producer, writer, and executive producer. Also on the award circuit, I Weiwe's Tour de Dot, a co-production with Italy's Insipat Film and Lamont Productions. Christine produced the Palm Spring International Film Festival Audience Award-winning short film Dandelion Dharma, the Gary Goldstein scripted play, Three Grooms and a Bride, and syndicated television talk show Mary Lou, starring Mary Lou Henner. Christine has been a member of the Academy since 1987. She's also a frequent guest speaker panelist at independent filmmaking events and has been the chair of the Humanitas Awards jury panel for the previous two years. With U.S. Italian Dual Citizenship, she divides her time between Los Angeles and Rome. And Carol Dean, I know you're a major fan of Christine and her work.

SPEAKER_02 3:19

Thank you so much. Christine, what a joy to have you with us.

SPEAKER_01 3:24

So great to be here, Carol. You know, I've always been a fan of your work and of From the Heart and all that you do for filmmakers. So thank you for having me today.

SPEAKER_02 3:32

Oh, it's a pleasure. Yes, we're going to have a wonderful time here. So for filmmakers who may just be discovering your work, Christine, can you share your journey into filmmaking and what first drew you to this medium as your creative path?

SPEAKER_01 3:51

Well, I feel like I've always been obsessed with film since I was a young girl. I remember being at my grandmother's on her Sunday sauce and um just begging anyone to take me to the movies. And once we were there, I would beg them to stay to see it a second time because I love being immersed in those worlds where all my senses are engaged, my mind was stimulated, I was seeing things that I didn't know about and curious to learn. So it comes from a very very long time ago. And I think my real entry into filmmaking was through the studios and uh as a marketing executive, I had also produced events when I lived in Aspen after college. So producing came kind of easy, easily to me. Um, I uh worked at the jazz workshop Paul's mall in Boston, so I learned uh my publicity and marketing chops there. And I also worked for an 82 theater chain sack theaters in Boston, where Universal hired me and and um moved me to New York, and I was the East Coast field drop. So I think being at the studio, you know, increased obviously my love and my knowledge of film. And I think um I was always learning at the feet of these masters, and it was a natural segue to produce and to create um stories and to make stories manifest that I believed in. So, and and documentaries just came to me. I was lucky in that regard. It was um easy.

SPEAKER_02 5:24

Good. So you really loved making docs, you found that out.

SPEAKER_01 5:28

Yes, I do. I think um it's a different process than um this the short that I did was um a scripted film. Non-scripted is kind of interesting, it's a different challenge because you really you have an idea, you have a budget, and then you go from there. Um, so you you do these paper cuts, and um, as I said, you you do a first budget, and then it kind of takes you on a journey on its own, discovering and being curious about a subject, especially we'll talk about Verdi. That started in 2013. And being uh when when my my producing partner, Ivan Russa, who uh directed the film, uh came to me and said, I have this great idea, I'd love you to be a part of it. And she said, it has to do with Verdi, Milan, shooting in Milan, and an older Italians. I said, That's that's heaven for me. Those are all the things that I love. So we went there and started, and it just wasn't it was easy in many ways. I mean, producing is not always easy, but this was um a joy because it's musical. It had wonderful stories of people that I um respected and enjoyed hearing their stories and telling them as well. So it was an easy segue for me, I think, into that world. I I love documentaries and I Weiwei too, learning so much about um the background, um more about him. I've always been a fan of Iwe's in LA, there's always been great installations. So I've I've followed him for years. So it was easy to jump into that. And I'm an opera fan because I grew up with my grandmother when she made her sauce, playing Mario Lanza on these great red vinyl albums I remember so clearly. So I feel like it was in my DNA. So I was very lucky to spend time with Verdi and Puccini these this last decade or plus years. It's been wonderful.

SPEAKER_02 7:33

Oh, Mario Lanza was my first record as a child.

SPEAKER_01 7:38

Was it red, Carol? Because my grandmothers were red, her albums.

SPEAKER_02 7:42

Yes, and it was so wonderful. And my father, my uncle gave it to me, and I played it over and over with my ear to the speaker to get the Italian words. And my father said, What is it about that? Because you either love it or hate it, you know.

SPEAKER_01 8:00

Right, yeah, so isn't that interesting? That's great. No one I've ever talked to knows about those red albums. That's great.

SPEAKER_02 8:08

Oh, yeah, that was the beginning of my love for good music.

SPEAKER_01 8:13

And me too, me too. And then I was lucky enough when I was at Universal to uh work with Franco Zaffarelli on La Traviata, another Verdi opera. So I've been blessed, very blessed in that respect. He kind of took me under his wings and I got even a more proper education on opera and spent a lot of time with him in Italy and here. So I was I've been very lucky. The opera gods have smiled on me. So it's been good, very good.

SPEAKER_02 8:44

Zephyrelli did a um set for uh an opera in New York. I've forgotten the name, but I I went uh with the season with season tickets all the time. And when the curtain opened with Zefferelli's background, everyone said, ah, and they inhaled, we all inhale together, was so gorgeous.

SPEAKER_01 9:09

Oh, all of his work is just beyond uh Tusca is probably one of his most famous ones, but as well as Turin Dot and La Traviata as well. So he's he does a lot of Verdi and Puccini.

SPEAKER_02 9:21

Yes, it's marvelous. Oh boy, you're getting to work with the very, very best. How wonderful.

SPEAKER_01 9:26

Very lucky, very lucky, right?

SPEAKER_02 9:28

Now, what motivates you personally to keep making films at such a high level when projects get difficult, like they always do? What keeps you?

SPEAKER_01 9:39

Well, I think I I really love a challenge. I'm an Aries, so I'm and I have I grew up with four brothers, so no sisters, and that was a little challenging as well, but I met the challenge and they kind of groomed me to be able to um respond and you know have an opinion and be able to back it up. And I think that's that was important growing up. And I also had a Catholic education that was very good and was always um questioning and and um introduced me to new things, very curious about things. So, and I have a great passion for the arts. I grew up with the arts, as I said. So, and I when I believe in a project, I embrace it full on. Um, and I I feel I have a formidable work ethic. I grew up with that with for my parents and being a Catholic as well, Catholic schools, and um I'm tenacious and relentless. And so um I think that's the role of a producer to see it through to the end, to deliver for the creative team and for the executive producers that have given you financial support for the film. So no matter what it takes, um, more creative thinking, which it always does, more financial means, more rallying the troops to keep spirits up, that's what I do. And it's it's easy for me. I um I embrace it, um, I like it. And it's really funny. I was sent a t-shirt for Christmas that said, being a producer is easy. It's like riding a bike, except the bike is on fire, you're on fire, everything is on fire. It's not always that bad, but at times it feels that way. Editors don't work out, more funds are needed to move forward, pandemics happen. What can you do to keep going? And I I guess I like that challenge. I embrace it, and I've always had a very um creative um mind and ways of doing things, so it seems to work out.

SPEAKER_02 11:38

It's great, and tenacity is the backbone of the filmmaker. That's what you said. You fall back.

SPEAKER_01 11:44

Absolutely, yeah. If you don't have that, if if you can't put 100% in, um you you probably should look to do something else.

SPEAKER_02 11:54

Absolutely. Well, now tell me about the new film that you have, where you have a song that is up for Academy Award.

SPEAKER_01 12:02

Right. Well, this is Viva Verdi, the one that I was seeing that Yvonne uh initially came to me. We we went um in 2013 to do development, got some development reel going, and we fell in love with the this place. It's just stunning, uh, just as beautiful it was when Verdi built it in um 1896, where he spared no expense. It's just beautiful. And the people that were there, because it's intergenerational with these um residents who live there, these opera opera, ballet, um, musicians, conductors, they're all masters. And they teach students who live there. So there were about um 80 residents who live there, and there were 17 students who live there with them. So every day there were classes, there were music therapy, there were um teaching classes, there were um concerts. It was just an exciting place to be. And you could see these young people and masters and older generation walking arm in arm, having lunch, talking about music, the thing that they were all obsessed about, which is such I'm obsessed about music. So how beautiful to be around that energy and to have music going all the time in every room. And Yvonne always said when she first went there, it was for a National Geographic um piece that she was doing on the gems, the hidden gems of Milan. She said she saw Sonic Colors, which to me is an exact description of what you feel when you walk in there. There's music all over and color and this energy that you can't describe. Verdi did something very special that was very groundbreaking. It was he was very, you know, it was 1896 in Who Thought About Other People. To me, Verdi was a humanitarian first and foremost. And then he was an incredible composer of some of the most beautiful music in the world and the most beloved. In Italy, when he died in 1901, there were over 300,000 people that came to his funeral. And these photos are remarkable. People are sitting in trees, and he was just beloved. So um, to to have that legacy in my hands with Ivan and um the artists that we chose to work with us was a responsibility that I did not take lightly. It was um a very serious, very serious thing for me, especially because I loved opera so much. So growing up and um having that um handle with Verdi, especially, and then with Franco Zeffarelli, and then having this um in my hands with Yvonne to create something, we set an intention the first day, and we said, sorry, this would be the most beautiful film. Every frame, every sound um will be um like Verdi's legacy. It will be a leg like his legacy, like his music. Um, so we were and we would remind each other all the time when it was a matter of a cut or someone that we were hiring. Uh, we wanted them to fit into this intention, into this um idea that we had, this goal that we had for this film to be beautiful on every level, artistic, like Verdi's work. So um we we we um had a development reel created. We did an Indiegogo campaign and raised money, went back a second time and um got beautiful footage. We brought on Yassik Laskis, incredible cinematographer who worked with um Robert Altman. He was one of the best from the Polish School of Cinema, right? Cinematography, the best. So he was there with us, and then we came back. It took a lot of time because you would raise money, you know. As everybody knows, you you know, you kind of patchwork this together, quilt patchwork this these things together, you raise money, you can do a little bit more, hire an editor. And we had Federico Rodelli, who is um I hired as a an um an AP initially, but he was our man on the ground in in that area in Parliament in Milan. So he eventually now he's a co-producer on the film, but he was one of the cameramen. And there's a lot of these concentric circles in my life. So Max, it goes back to Maxime Derevenko when I was living in Rome. He was my mentee. Um, uh, one of my friends there. I said, I have a son who's in school. We think he's talented. Would you look at his film? I looked at his film, I said, Oh, this guy's brilliant. He's an artist. And so I helped him with his film. He ended up being the director of I Weighways Turned out, which I'll get back to. So that was in 2012. In 2013, I'm I'm up in Milan and I said, Maxim you hikmati, come up and be our cameraman. So he came up, did incredible work at a young age. He was, I think he was 22, maybe at the time, 23. And so he did beautiful work. Um, as I said, we created this reel, raised more money, went back, and then we came back and um Federica Rodelli created a string out. We had a paper cut, he created a string out, we put all these select scenes together, created the string out, and then went from there. So going on, we we um the pandemic happened, we were able to edit remotely with Ivana, New York, me in LA, and Federico in Parma, and we went from there. So it was, you know, you do whatever you can. So we ended up with this beautiful film, did a lot of festivals, about 20 festivals. We had our our launch, our world premiere at Woodstock in 2024 in October. Then we went on to Santa Barbara and Mendocino, we did uh hot docs. There were so many great um festivals that we did, and it gained a lot of momentum. Then we had our LA opening uh for Oscar consideration, um, qualifying week at Lemmley. Greg Lemmley is the best. We love working with him, and um, that was in October. And then we submitted, and we were we were a contender, which was great. Uh, for Deadline Hollywood, we ended up being a contender with I Weiwe and with uh with about 10 other documentaries, and then we ended up being shortlisted for our beautiful song that Nicholas Pike wrote, Sweet Dreams of Joy. And this is the thing, Carol, that we talk about is this networks, right? Being an academy member, I'm very lucky to be in LA and going to screenings and events. I meet um a lot of my peers, and um, somebody introduced me to Nick and said, To Nick, Christine's got a great project you should get involved with. So Nick said, Why don't you send me something? So I sent him this 11-minute reel that we had, and in two days, Nick was inspired. He's an incredible, he's British and Grammy Award-winning um composer. He sent us back this amazing song, Sweet Dreams of Joy. And I said to Yvonne, this is really so stunning. She listened, she said, That's it, let's do it, let's hire him. We did. That was a while ago, and he's been a great partner for us. He's been with us all the way. We didn't always have the funds to, you know, some people deferred some of their pay. We eventually paid everybody, but they hung in with us and they were as dedicated as we were. And they had their crafts, they were craftsmen, they were artists. And I think that's important when you can hire people that you know have the highest standards and the best quality and have a passion and believe in the project as well, as much as you and your partner, you know, director and producing partner. So we were very fortunate to have him. And it's unusual. We there were 65 other films that were up against these films for this coveted 15 short-listed spot. And we were one of them up against Netflix and the big studios, animated films, other films, and I don't think there's been very many arias. Our our song is an aria that um Anna Maria Martinez, the great Met Soprano, she's incredible, um, performs for us. So um, we were lucky and definitely uh worth it and well deserved, I feel. So now we're up against uh trying to get to the final five. And uh so we have a the um Italian Council General is hosting a screening on Monday at the Italian Cultural Institute, and Nick will do a QA, and it was going to be exciting. I hope you'll join us, Carol and Claire, both of you vice.

SPEAKER_02 21:17

And this is in Los Angeles.

SPEAKER_01 21:19

Yes, yes, yeah. So we're we're excited to be here, and we we've got um great support around us, and we'll we'll see what happens. Fingers crossed. Yes, and that that is announced. People start voting, the music branch starts voting next week, and then it's announced on the 22nd.

SPEAKER_02 21:39

Okay, of February. Thank you. Thanks. Okay, now this is so fabulous because this is the heart of filmmaking, setting an attend intention, bringing other people in to having a partnership with one vision, and then working together to achieve that. That's exact that's the best example of on top filmmaking that you can do. Congratulations.

SPEAKER_01 22:09

That's right. That's right. And if, you know, I've had meetings with people, um, not on Viva Verdi, and some other films where I've said, if you don't believe that this is an Academy Award contender, and this is right in the beginning, you probably don't belong in in this meeting with us. It has to be that high of a belief. We have to put all of our energy, all of our belief, all of our positive thinking into creating a work of art and and embracing it that way and putting it out to the public that way from the beginning.

SPEAKER_02 22:42

And telling the universe what you want. Exactly, and only taking the best of the best. Wow. But the key here is that people are on this film because they love the energy of the film, right? Right.

SPEAKER_01 22:58

Yes, that's right. And it's so beautiful when you have people that love the subject matter, like like Verdi. So um, I remember uh Federico Conforti, we had incredible editors, Federico. Quinforti was our lead editor then, and Dariana Cardili, both Italian, both living in LA, that I found and hired, they were incredible and they brought such sensitivity and nuance to our film. And I remember Federico coming with these all these new ideas about Verdi and Dariana, you know, being able to go to these arias because the Italians are versed in the arts from the beginning, from when they're very young. So they're able to sing any aria. They can talk about any philosopher, they can recite poetry. They are they embrace the arts in a very big way more than Europeans, I should say, and probably South Americans as well. I says, I wish that we did as well. I wish there was more of a focus on that for young people so they grow up being comfortable, because it it changes your life to understand the arts without a doubt. And to um it brings joy, it's a rewarding thing to go to concerts to be moved on different levels by the arts, by music, by reading, by poetry.

SPEAKER_02 24:22

Wow, that's so true. Thank you very much, and good luck with that. Thank you. So really, what do you believe is the secret sauce of a successful creative partnership? What do you and uh Al Wewi bring out in each other that elevates your product?

SPEAKER_01 24:45

Well, I think that trust and a shared vision make for a great relationship and open communication. Sharing intentions and goals on a film are essential. You know, as I said, Ivana and I did that in early 2020 2013 and repeated it to ourselves and to each other throughout the process, trusting your intuition on things as well, setting high standards. And those red flags, when they come up, only look at them once and then act on that because when they come up, they will also come up a second and third time, and by that time you're in trouble. So trusting your intuition is essential, and especially when it comes to red flags. Honestly, if something's not working out, an editor doesn't feel right, just discuss it, open communication and move on. That's what I feel. And I think that's important that as I said, you all can agree that we're doing this together, that it's sacred. Work is sacred. And when you have the responsibility, uh, especially of someone like Verdi's legacy uh on your hands, that's that's a that's a big deal, and that's a sacred thing. And especially with Aiwe and Puccini, that's important. So that we all agree on that and go move forward together as a unit is important.

SPEAKER_02 26:10

Right, as a unit going forward, right? Right, right, right. Uh so will your films constantly feel thoughtful, they do feel intentional. I mean, you get into the film and it's there, you're so engrossed you don't think about anything. And uh so what are you most focused on during production to ensure that level? Uh you want the best people of the highest caliber, and your script has to be perfect, right? Tell me more.

SPEAKER_01 26:40

Well, yeah, you know, you you it's a very interesting balance between intellect and emotion, right? And you, as I said, you start with um an idea, you do a paper cut after you've been there and understand, you know, what's in front of you, and you have a budget and you have a log line and maybe some marketing ideas. I always have marketing ideas, so that's a given for me. So and then you you go from there and you have to be um steady and have some stability to keep a focus on the goal and the intention and you know what what you're initially trying to create, but also be flexible enough that if it goes in a different direction, that you know you can support it in ways. So, you know, to me, it's like you're you're a sculptor and you have a block of marble and you start chipping in, that's when you're creating all these, these, you know, you're you're filming, and then you're starting to see a shape and a form, and then it kind of develops itself in a way. I I really believe this creative process, I think it's all kind of challenged, uh, or I'm sorry, uh channeled. Um I believe in you know other dimensions, and I believe this is uh we're it's all out there. I remember living with um a lot of my boyfriends were musicians and composers, and I remember their fingers were always going because they were always listening, they always heard things that maybe we couldn't hear. So I believe the arts are there. You kind of breathe them in, you you bring them in somehow, and then you exhale them out and create and manifest this these things. So I think um this um this balance between intellect and emotion is important. Um, the in I and as I said, the intent and the goal, but being flexible enough to give if we have to. And for a producer, you know, do you stay on, you have to stay on track, you have to be careful with your budget, you have to um make sure everyone is safe and so that they're able to do their best work. Um, intimacy and authenticity is essential as a filmmaker on film, um the partners that you choose to get involved with. Um, if it takes more money, if it takes um, you know, putting it on your card until the funds come in, you do it. You just have to believe in it. You've got to don't settle for your second best or anything that's inferior. If you have to wait, you wait. As I said, safety is important um so they can be stress-free. And encouragement is important too. I mean, that's the job of a producer as well, just to encourage people to keep going, to give their best and to be a part of the unit and to trust that everything will work out. Um, and even if we have to go back to revisit something, get better archival or whatever it is to find a balance, respect for the subject, our story process, our creative process is also important. Respect for the people that we bring on as well.

SPEAKER_02 30:05

Exactly. Well, what I have heard filmmakers say, and what I have seen, is that when you think you know the film, but when you turn on the camera and people start talking, a whole new world opens up to you. Right, right, right. And that can take your story in a whole new direction.

SPEAKER_01 30:23

That's right, that's right. Um, it does. Um it happens, as I said, you know, you have an idea of what it should be, but then you start, it could go in different directions. You just have to trust that, you know, stay true to the core, the gem of what you're trying to do, but then trust that it's going in a direction and let it go. Um, the stories that we we were had an embarrassment of riches with I with um both both films, actually, with uh Viva Verdi. We had so many rich stories to follow. Um, but when you start with people when they're 91 and you you you try to get an arc and you go back, we were lucky to go back three times to Milan. And so some of the people after the first time ended up in the fourth floor, which is the area where there's assisted, you know, either people going into dementia or Alzheimer's. So we had to shift gears a little bit and pivot a little bit and concentrate on some other people, but there were so many that had rich stories and that we fell in love with. Claudio Giombi for me was one of the ones he was uh a shaman. You would love that, Carol. He did energy work, and so all of his books were all of my books at home from the Castaneta books to um Zen, you know, Zen Buddhist books to all these great um religions. So our conversations were very philosophical and exciting, and um he had such a great following. He was um he was an actor in movies, he was on stage as a um theatrical actor, he was a great baritone and La Scala Lamette, he had a beautiful story, he was, and you've just fallen in love with him, he was bigger than life and so kind and so loving, and had a wink in his in his eye and a little mischief here and there, but so sweet and wonderful. And we were lucky to have a diverse group also with um with chitose Japanese coming from Japan and taking so many days to get to Italy because she couldn't sing Italian opera in in Japan at the time. And because I lived in Japan for a year, I was able to speak some Japanese with her and relate on these very different levels. It was a very enriching time for me, very joyful, and just being able to film in Italy is always a joy. Um, there's a different way of living there, a different way of life. I have my Italian citizenship, and I've spent a lot of time there. I go back and forth a lot. So to be able to work there on three three documentaries has been such a dream and such a gift, and I'm very grateful for that. With Iwe as well, um, we had a very rich um rich archives to pull from. I Wewe gave us his archives, access to his archives, which was so generous and kind. He was wonderful. Um, because um it was such a tight project, and because um, when Maxime started, it was um he had been in the process for seven years of writing this and thinking about it. His father was a ballet Bolshoi ballet dancer, and um, because he fell in love with an Italian woman who was a prima ballerina, he was he had to leave Russia. So he was exiled by himself. He exiled, he was and left Italy. I mean, he I'm sorry, he left Russia. Like Iwewe's father was exiled. Uh, he was a poet. So Iwewe and Maxime had um this sympatico, they their lives resonated, they understood each other. So Maxime was able to get access to Aywewe uh and his process to be able to record his conversations, his collaboration with other artists and the top artists in Italy. You can imagine an opera who costumes and set designs have access to that. Yeah, that was so rich. I know that you saw that, Carol, in in Santa Barbara.

SPEAKER_02 34:36

It's one of the greatest films I've seen. To go into I Wewe's mind and look at Tarando from that, Tarandot, sorry. It was thank you very much for that. But I want to know how your what's your marketing plan for your film?

SPEAKER_01 34:55

Well, um, you know, this is Iwe Ai We's um right now is still we're we're both doing festivals, we're still doing festivals, and both films have been Oscar contenders. And as I said with uh Viva Verde, we're shortlisted for original song. So now our our next move is to um have theatrical, and I Weiwe actually has been released theatrically in Germany and in Belgium and in Switzerland and will continue to roll out. And then um we'll we'll have um a we have a sales agent uh Rise and Shine out of Berlin, and after Oscar, they will then go forward with getting um a streaming deal. We wanted to wait until after the Academy Awards um in case because everything changes if you're shortlisted, if you win anything. So that would be the next step for both of them. I think both of these films kind of bring a fresh lens to very timely cultural subjects. Verdi, the home in Milan, and I Weiwe's is really a manifesto of hope and opera for peace, as you saw.

SPEAKER_02 36:05

Yes, yeah, yes, show to say connection of one country to the world.

SPEAKER_01 36:13

Right, right. And for I Wewe drawing on Puccini's classic to challenge oppression and to reflect urgent issues from the Ukraine war to the pandemic. It was um it was exciting. And we knew it was going to be like that rough right from the very beginning. So uh I am considering myself an activist. And then I brought on um Andy Cohen, who had worked with Iweiwe as an executive producer on some of his other films. He's uh he's a journalist and an activist, and then he brought on Julian Lennon, a great activist. So, and then Marcy Pullier, my friend, I brought in as an EP as well. And we've all understand that this is such an important thing to move forward, um, that that films like this really can change the way people think, their perception and their preconceived ideas. And that was an important thing for for all of us to um to embrace and share. There's another thing that we share, the intention, right? And agreed on the goal of this.

SPEAKER_02 37:17

This is so important. Intention is a key to manifesting your future. I believe that.

SPEAKER_01 37:24

Absolutely. You know, Carol, um, I always wanted to live in in Rome, and I had this um this R that's made out of um, and it's this interesting material, and it has a red tassel, and I put it in front of me for years, and I said, this is gonna be the key to my apartment when I live in Rome. And that is that this intention and that materialized, that manifested. And it's the same thing with film, with art, with anything. I think it's important. There's there's a thing when I lived in Japan, there's um there's a thing, the Daruma. I don't know if you know what a daruma is, but I have one for you, Carol. Um, and I'll and for Claire too. Um, it's a Buddha that has sat in meditation so long that he's round and he sits on his hands. And so if something pushes him back, he bounces back to the center. If something attacks him from the side, he comes back to the center, and it has two empty eyes. And when you start a new project or new year, you fill in the left eye and you keep the right one blank until your idea, your inspiration, your wish is manifest, and then you fill in the other one. But you keep this daoduma next to you because looking at it intensifies your intention because you're thinking about it, you're imagining it, you're visualizing it, and it helps bring in the reality and helps you to manifest this. So, so when I I'm always giving them out um when people start on projects to uh and that helps us to manifest and to intensify the manifestation.

SPEAKER_02 39:15

Oh, how lovely, what a perfect gift, Claire and I.

SPEAKER_01 39:19

That's right. So you'll have to very soon.

SPEAKER_02 39:23

Right, perfect. Um, all right, now what about creative discipline and daily practice? Can you share some of your habits or rituals that you use to support your ability to do so much strong work and consistently be up there with a high level of vibration and making films that contribute to society?

SPEAKER_01 39:50

Yes, I um I I have a few mantras and I have a few things that are really important to me. Saying yes and showing up is essential. Um, you know, I think there's such power in those three letters, yes, much more than no. And a lot of people think that no is the thing. I think it might be male-oriented. I hope I don't get into trouble saying that because uh women obviously do that too. But that CEO um thing of control and saying no, but saying yes to me is the big deal. Showing up, saying yes, showing up, being fearless, uh praying uh for something is that's an intention, meditating, taking a break and looking at things from the short end and the long end, keeping your stamina up, if you, you know, working out, getting fresh air, finding a balance in your life if you can, although most producers that I know are obsessed and driven, so it's kind of hard, but you do the best that you can so that you have a fresh mind and fresh energy and fresh attitude. That's I love working with emerging filmmakers. They have unusual approaches and unusual ideas. And I I I work at keeping that fresh in myself as well, and that helps me. So I always have interns around. I'm always teaching if I can or giving a class or a course or workshop. I like that.

SPEAKER_02 41:17

Oh, that's wonderful to hear. So, where would they find out about that? On your website or something you can share with us?

SPEAKER_01 41:24

Oh, oh, sure. Yes, it's Lamont Productions.com. Mm-hmm. Yes, I I list those. I I just did one for Greenlight Women. And I wanted to say that those organizations are so important as well. The places like Greenlight Women, um, uh the IDA, um, the documentary producers alliance, um, the alliance of women directors, all those things are so important because you have a network of people to bounce ideas around, to network, to learn from. And um, I have found those invaluable. And from some of those, I've from um women independent producers out of New York, I've formed uh a small group of five, five of us, five producers, and we share our our angst, our joy, our wins, our losses, and the all of us are much richer and smarter because of that. So every Monday at 10:30, we meet for an hour and just give a little, you know, update. And that support is remarkable. And even being able to talk about your process and or your problems uh helps to identify, and then it helps to clarify what's needed. And um, they all have ideas, they're all smart, incredible women that I respect, very successful. And so those are important things, I think, also for emerging filmmakers to understand and to embrace.

SPEAKER_02 43:00

That's brilliant. What a kind thing to do. I'm sure it's beneficial because sometimes my problem is uh recognized quickly by the other producers. They've been there, they've hooked, they've seen other people in that place, and they can share guidance and you don't feel so alone.

SPEAKER_01 43:22

Exactly. Exactly. It's so important. Yeah, and those women, they got my front, my back. We hold each other's hands. And as you said, if I've been through something, I can save you the the you know, the problems of uh, you know, going straight to what would make it a success instead of these rough patches that we come across. And also people, you know, if there I've had a good experience with a distributor or with a festival, we share those two. It's really important. Introductions, we introduce each other to different fundraisers, to different festivals, really help each other a lot. And they're they're very smart and very and lovely and loving and kind and non-judgmental. So you use a safe place to to talk. Very important.

SPEAKER_02 44:14

Yeah, a safe place to talk. Right. You have so much responsibility as a producer that maybe it starts with safety first, feed your crew and go and get everybody on the set, regardless of what's happening with weather, traffic, whatever, on to getting an Academy Award nomination. It's a marvelous journey that you're on here.

SPEAKER_01 44:39

You know, Carol, I um I'm very lucky because I've I am studio trained. I'm I was in that army of um studio executives, and it's fierce and there's a lot at stake, so you can't make a mistake. And um so I bring that with me to the indie world, and it's daunting sometimes for some people because I'm very strict about certain things, because I bring this uh studio. Training with me. And some people don't have that. And it's it's an unusual thing to because they're a little bit looser. It's an indie production. But I have found that the reasons why studios are successful and some films are successful is that they have this playbook that you go by. And that is that you have an image and a log line that you don't change until you have to, till it's distributed, because changing things is um confusing to the public. So it's branding. There are so many levels that as a producer who understands marketing, as I said, especially from the studio perspective, um, it it it helps us to organize and to understand step by step what's needed. There's definitely a rollout. And I'm lucky to know a lot of the press, because I've been in the business for such a long time, to know a lot of the distributors, to understand um how things work and to understand some of the secret ways of maneuvering, of getting around. So if anybody can get an education in the studios, I definitely think it's the place to start or at a PR agency. Um, because um if you want to be in film, it really helps you to understand and to position things. We don't have to hire an outside PR for for the life of the film until we get to the end when we have a big strategy, and you need obviously some people to get reviews and to do other things, but all along, um, if you've got someone who comes from that world, they're able to bring uh a richness of um experience. And I've been lucky to be able to do that with both films, and I think that's helped us to get to where we are and strategically to have a strategic marketing mind helps you. So if you can bring that on board, that's one of the secrets, I think, is to to have somebody who understands that world that can can bring those those things to the film.

SPEAKER_02 47:34

Absolutely. Thank you so much, because that's just what filmmakers need to hear. That old world is crumbling now, and that's right. Anyone who had a part in that is so valuable, it's important.

SPEAKER_01 47:49

I agree, and because a solid base um keeps things steady and stable, and that's what you get from those that studio education. You build on these solid blocks. You know, we were at a studio, you would have that log line, you would have an image, uh, a poster, you would make that right away if you could, um, and you would have um some marketing ideas. Those were springboards that your editor, that your cinematographer would all everything would spring from that. And it was again, it was like an intention and a goal that was set together that you would agree on. And this was the base for a film. You'd go from there.

SPEAKER_02 48:39

You go from there. That's intentional filmmaking. That's right. That is wonderful. Thank you so much for sharing with us. I sincerely appreciate it.

SPEAKER_01 48:50

Uh yeah, yes, and and I, you know, this other film that I have, this uh third Italian documentary, Children of the River, is another very interesting thing. I I like unusual approaches. This is soul slow cinema, and it's um it's more meditative, it's less dialogue and more visual. It's really beautiful. It's about three men who live along the Po River in search of ancestral roots, and it's um it's really beautiful. It's in post-production, and so I'm excited to get that out as well and into festivals um this coming year. Be exciting.

SPEAKER_02 49:28

Oh my goodness. Well, please, Christine, we need you to come back and tell us about that.

SPEAKER_01 49:35

I will, I would love to. Yes, I will. Thank you, Carol. I love talking to you. It's um talking with you. It's uh it's exciting. We have similar, very similar mindsets, especially because of that. I think I have a spiritual approach to the arts.

SPEAKER_02 49:52

Exactly. You do, and it works, and you trust your intuition. And thank you for sharing that because so many people don't want to talk about that. But this is the key to a good producer.

SPEAKER_01 50:04

Well, I think so. It's worked for me. I'm I'm very proud and happy, especially after Viva Verdi with 13 years and I Weiwe with seven years of being at this place where you know, really robust film festivals and great reviews, amazing reviews, audiences um loving the film and coming up at festivals saying we can't thank you enough. We are hungry for this kind of intelligent, sophisticated fare that we don't find. And festivals saying we need an encore screening because of an audience demand. That happened so many times. And even um this summer, uh Woods Hole coming back to us and saying we in the fall we want to do another series and dinner in a film, and your film is one of the ones we'd like to do that with. So it keeps going. It's very strong to have films that you believe in that have um that that reach um a that have a humanity to them, that have a um something to uh think about, something, and and that's the difference, you know. You think about great films. What makes a great film, right? A film that you think about, a film that you go back to, a film that you can change your perception of things that makes you think that you want to see again and again, and that you want to talk to your friends about.

SPEAKER_02 51:30

Yes, I love it when I wake up thinking about a film and what did he mean by this, or what I get from the film. It's just wonderful when it I know.

SPEAKER_01 51:42

One of my favorite films is Black Orpheus. I don't know if you ever saw that or remember, it was from 1959, and it won actually, I think in 1960 it won Best Foreign Film for an Oscar, but it's one of those um based on Eurydice and Orpheo, uh, a myth, and but it takes place in Rio in carnival time, and the music and the imagery and the cinematography is just as fresh today as it was then. It's stunning, and I recommend that anybody who hasn't seen it take a look at it. It's exciting.

SPEAKER_02 52:18

Oh, I will, I will. Thank you for that. And what is so wonderful? Thank you for sharing your intuition, your trust, and how collaboration is an important aspect of filmmaking. We really appreciate, and I hope you'll come back and share more on your current film that you're working on your Italian documentary that has the meditation and the three men living on the river.

SPEAKER_01 52:43

That's right, children of the river. Thank you, Carol. I love being on your show, and I appreciate I appreciate all that you do for filmmakers. It's um you're a gift. Thank you.

SPEAKER_02 52:55

Oh, you're so welcome, Christine. Thank you. All right, so what I want to do is say thank you for listening. And if this episode resonated with you, I encourage you to reflect on how you're approaching your own creative partnerships, your process, and the standards you're holding for your work. And you can find more resources resources, uh, funding opportunities and educational programs at FromTheHard Productions.com. I'm Carol Dean, and this has been the Art of Film Funding. Thank you very much, Claire Papin, for your support and for your information, Christine. And we'll see you again next week.