SLIFF 2014 Interview: Katie Mustard – Producer And Women in Film Award Recipient

The recipient of the 2014 St. Louis International Film Festival’s Women in Film Award is producer Katie Mustard.

Mustard has two feature films screening at SLIFF – GROWING UP AND OTHER LIES and I BELIEVE IN UNICORNS.

She joins previous Women in Film Award winners Yvonne Welbon, Barbara Hammer, Lynn Hershman Leeson, Marsha Hunt, Ry Russo-Young, Pamela Yates, Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg, and Nina Davenport.

Directors Darren Grodsky & Danny Jacobs GROWING UP AND OTHER LIES stars Adam Brody (The O.C.), Josh Lawson (House of Lies), Wyatt Cenac (The Daily Show), Amber Tamblyn (Two and a Half Men). After living for years as a struggling artist in New York City, Jake is calling it quits and returning home to Ohio. On his last day in the city, he persuades his three oldest friends to help him retrace their greatest adventure together: a walk down the entire length of Manhattan. The film shows Sat., Nov 22 at 5:30pm at the Tivoli Theatre.

Director Leah Meyerhoff’s I BELIEVE IN UNICORNS stars Natalia Dyer (The Healer), Peter Vack (I Just Want My Pants Back), Julia Garner (Electrick Children), Amy Seimetz (Upstream Color) alongside the director’s mother Toni Meyerhoff. Davina is an imaginative and strong-willed teenage girl who often escapes into a beautifully twisted fantasy life. Having grown up quickly as the sole caretaker of her disabled mother, she looks for salvation in a new relationship with an older boy. Davina is swept into a whirlwind of romance and adventure, but the enchantment of her new relationship quickly fades when Sterling’s volatile side begins to emerge. I BELIEVE IN UNICORNS takes us on a road trip through the stunning and complex landscape of troubled young love. The film shows Fri., Nov 21 at 7:15pm at the Tivoli Theatre.

Named as one of Variety’s Top 10 Producers in 2014, Katie Mustard has an impressive resume for a young producer. An Honors graduate of the USC film school, Katie has overseen the production of 35 movies, 20 short films, 3 feature documentaries and dozens of commercials in just under a decade.

Last year, Katie Produced 5 films including Simon Helberg’s WE’LL NEVER HAVE PARIS (SXSW 2014) with Alfred Molina and Maggie Grace; Paul Bettany’s directorial debut SHELTER (TIFF 2014) with Jennifer Connelly and Anthony Mackie; & the Documentary feature THE CONSOLE WARS with Scott Rudin and Seth Rogen.

This January, Katie had her Ninth film premiere at the Sundance Film Festival with Desiree Akhavan’s debut APPROPRIATE BEHAVIOR. Other past Sundance premieres include Andrew Dosunmu’s RESTLESS CITY; THE GREATEST (Pierce Brosnan, Carey Mulligan, Susan Sarandon); NIGHT CATCHES US (Kerry Washington and Anthony Mackie) which went onto be nominated for an Independent Spirit Award; & the highly acclaimed short IN THE MORNING which screened before the US Congress on Human Rights.

As a physical producer, her credits include MADE IN CHINA (winner Best Feature at SXSW 2009); Natalie Portman’s short film EVE (Venice FF 2008 starring Lauren Bacall, Ben Gazzara, and Olivia Thirlby); THE SON OF NO ONE (Sundance 2010 with Al Pacino, Katie Holmes, & Channing Tatum); THE MISSING PERSON (Sundance 2009 with Michael Shannon & Amy Ryan); & A CASE OF YOU (Tribeca 2013 with Evan Rachel Wood, Justin Long, Sam Rockwell, & Vince Vaughn). Katie has also worked in the Studio space with Paramount Pictures on films such as THE DEVIL INSIDE which top’d the box office scales as the largest grossing genre film of its time.

Currently, Katie is producing DAUGHTER OF GOD starring Keanu Reeves & STICKY NOTES with Ray Liotta, Rose Leslie and Justin Bartha. Katie is represented by UTA.

I caught up with the Missouri native on the set of Keanu Reeves’ new film DAUGHTER OF GOD. During our phone conversation, Mustard and I spoke about producing big and small films and how her two movies showing at SLIFF are really a labor of love.

WAMG: Congratulations on the award. What drew you to the producing side of the camera?

Katie Mustard: I always wanted to be a filmmaker. Even before I went to film school, in high school I was shooting, editing, directing and producing my own shorts and documentaries. I guess you naturally gravitate towards the thing you’re good at and I was drawn toward the business side as well as the creative. I really enjoyed the logistics of managing the business side of filmmaking while still being involved in the creative part.

I really liked it early on. I liked being the one in charge of everything. It’s like being the captain of a ship. Plus it’s great working with directors because it’s a very collaborative process. I wanted to be the one ultimately in charge of making the movie.

WAMG: Your new film, GROWING UP AND OTHER LIES, is showing at the Napa Valley Film Festival and then the St. Louis International Film Festival. It’s a movie about guys at different stages of life – Marriage, dating, impending parenthood. There comes a point where we all have to face the future. How were you brought onto the project?

KM: The two directors are from St. Louis. I met the two of them years ago in Los Angeles before they made their first film. We met through the film industry and I read their first script. While I was involved in their first film, I knew that I liked them a lot as directors. When they wrote their second script, I was one of the first people they sent it to. They sent it to me as producer and I loved it immediately. I thought it was a really smart, dramatic comedy. I’m always looking for fresh material with unique voices to be heard. That’s hard because there’s an overabundance of material out there. You’re seeing the same stories over and over again.

It’s a story about four guys on a trip through New York City. I knew they loved it and as a female I responded to it the same way. Here they are in their early 30’s trying to figure out “when do you actually grow up?” I thought it was a universal story and the two directors are hilarious and smart guys. I saw so much potential in them as directors. Those two elements were enough to get me involved.

It took a couple of years to raise the money and to put it all together. New material is always the number thing I’m looking at. Do you respond to the story personally? You get involved in these projects for years of your life, so you better like the story. It should be a movie that you personally want to go and see.

WAMG: I like the script and the interaction between the guys.

KM: I thought the dialogue was not only entertaining but very real. You don’t see a lot of films of that nature.

WAMG: I BELIEVE IN UNICORNS is screening at SLIFF. It premiered at SXSW where it received a Grand Jury Award nomination for Narrative Feature. The film recently showed in Switzerland and Variety gave it a positive review.

“I Believe in Unicorns” represents a worthy and largely successful attempt to mine heartfelt drama from material too frequently played for manipulative melodrama. That Meyerhoff cast her own MS-afflicted mother in the small but key role of Davina’s wheelchair-bound mom is merely one indication that she’s working in an autobiographical mode. But many simpatico members of the audience — and not just impressionable young women — doubtless will see elements of their own lives in the story as well.

From the opening credits, I’ve become a big fan of this film. There’s some beautiful animation and symbolism taking place throughout. How did you get involved with Leah Meyerhoff’s movie?

KM: I’ve known Leah for a long time through the mutual contacts we share in the independent film community. It’s not that big, so I’ve known her forever. I was aware of the project toward the end of production. I wasn’t involved with the shooting aspects, but the filmed it on a micro-budget. She came to me at the end, with a majority of the work still to do. I came on and produced all the post-production. The animation had yet to be done.

I supervised the delivery of the film to festival circuits. There were a lot of people involved – it was a real labor of love. You really need a lot of support. Many people have to come on board in different capacities to get the film made. Leah is a friend and I believe in her as a director. I read the script and signed on. I knew this could be something special. This was all more than two years ago.

It was a film that needed to be made and seen. It’s a film that needed a young female audience and it’s not a group that’s targeted often by the independent community. The quality of film is so important.

WAMG: How were you brought onto Paul Bettany’s SHELTER project – his film screened at the Toronto Film Festival.

KM: Paul and I are both represented by the same talent agency, UTA. He had a script that nobody was attached to, except for his wife, actress Jennifer Connelly. I was introduced to him through my agent. We met and I really spearheaded that film. I was the lead producer as far as pulling that film together and bringing in other producers.

That material is a harsh subject matter and a dark film about a homeless couple on the streets of New York City, trying to save each other. I knew it was quality material and that it would have great performances from the actors with great people involved. People whose work I respected. Paul Bettany and Jennifer Connelly as actor have a big track record. When we got Anthony Mackie on board, I knew it would be great material.

WAMG: You’ve worked with many women filmmakers. Is it finally time for a woman director to helm a superhero feature like a Wonder Woman film (starring Gal Gadot – 2017 ) or Captain Marvel/Carol Danvers movie (scheduled for a July 6, 2018 release)?

KM: Yes! Of course you want to see more women directors. The last statistics I read were crazy – 9 percent of studio-level, commercially available films were directed by women. That’s way under what it should be considering women make up half the population. If there’s a good script, and it’s directed or written by a woman, it’s sort of a bonus. I tend to reach out for that type of a film.  The more that I can produce on an independent level, even a small film like UNICORNS, the more women directors are being noticed.

Hopefully that trickles up so that more women directors continue to work on a studio level. I’ve been able to work with many women directors. I have three films playing at the Citizen Jane Film Festival directed by women, along with more projects coming out. It seems coincidental, but I’m pleasantly surprised.

WAMG: What films do you have coming up?

KM: I’m actually on the set of DAUGHTER OF GOD right now shooting that film. It’s a really interesting dark, mystery thriller that’s set in New York City and stars Keanu Reeves and Mira Sorvino. It has domestic and foreign distribution so that will definitely be out in theaters sometime next year.

Plus I’m producing director Amanda Sharp’s STICKY NOTES and we’re aiming for Sundance and other film festivals early next year. I’m really excited about this one – its stars Ray Liotta, Rose Leslie (HBO’s “Game of Thrones”), and Justin Bartha (THE HANGOVER). It’s a really great script and story so I have really high hopes for that one as well.

(via Just Jared)

WAMG: What advice do you have for other young women considering a career in filmmaking?

KM: Make use of the resources you have. I grew up in Missouri, and while it’s not the film capital, I was working at KOMU and taking the radio/TV production classes. Even if you’re not in New York or Los Angeles, you can be making your own film. One of the best thing people can do, even in high school, is start creating content. Make YouTube videos, or shorts or documentaries. Plus it’s a good way to figure out what you like to do. When I was on high school, I was shooting these short films and I enjoyed editing, but when I got to film school I was already on this line toward producing from my previous work.

Again, utilizing what you have around you to create content. Literally it can be anything. Music videos, I edited commercials for six years. You don’t have to be making a feature film to be a filmmaker.

WAMG: Thanks for talking with me and congratulations again on the award!