Ada- My Mother The Architect
Interview with director Yael Melamede
Film Opens May 8 at the Angelica NYC Theatrical, Other screenings: Cities Nationwide
Describe the film for us in your own words
Ada - My Mother The Architect is a personal portrait of an architect who is deeply connected to home and who is tested by the impossible choices between career, country and motherhood. Ada also happens to be my mother.
What drew you to this story?
As a filmmaker and former architect, I wanted to reimagine the heroic image of architecture and architects often portrayed in books and movies and find a way to make this essential work both more relevant and relatable. I found that opportunity close to home through the story of Ada Karmi Melamede, my mother.
Ada is a particularly poignant figure for our time. She has spent the last four decades working in Israel, dedicated to a socially oriented architecture that reflects the values of the idealistic and socialist country she grew up with, while the values around her - professionally and politically - have radically changed.
What do you want people to think about?
This film began with questions about “place” and “home”. The Israeli story is often relegated to a binary lens, but the reality is far more complicated. As many of us are shaken by the fragility of democracies we call home, Ada’s experience brings us closer to the difficulty and sadness around perseverance in the midst of social and political upheaval.
What was the biggest challenge in making this?
Beyond the difficulties brought on by Covid in terms of continuing to travel and shoot the film, the ongoing difficulty of financing independent film, the creative challenge of a protagonist who would prefer not to be filmed, the greatest challenge has been getting the film out into the world post October 7th.
What was the development process? How did you get green lit?
This film was made through experimentation both financially and creatively. I began filming in 2017 to see if I thought my reluctant mother would actually be a good character on film. We then filmed again in 2019 at which point I decided that the film could work creatively. I was then able to find a partner in Israel’s broadcaster YesDoco. Then came a few years of creating trailers, filming, raising money sporadically, finding the right creative partners (producer, DPs, a graphic designer, the editor, composer). It was a slow but methodical and collaborative process.
What inspired you to become a storyteller?
My first love was photography and the ability to tell a story through one frame seemed magical to me. The ability to extend that exponentially through film was a natural extension of that spark.
What’s the best and worst advice you've received?
Best advice: go work for other people so you don’t learn everything at your own expense, on a personal level. I think that’s really wise.
Worst advice: if you just put your head down and work hard, everything will sort itself out. That’s just bullshit in creative fields - collaboration is such a key factor.
What advice do you have for other female creatives?
Make decisions faster and don’t be afraid of failing. I’ve learned more from failure than success.
Name your favorite woman directed film and why.
I can’t name just one but I’m a big fan of Petra Costa’s THE EDGE OF DEMOCRACY which I think of a lot given the times we live in.
Feel free to share anything else you would like people to know about this film.
I would love people to know that this film deals with notions of home: “what is home, where is home, who is home, and what ultimately makes a home?” through the lens of an Israeli, an architect, and a parent. The film offers no easy answers and no clear judgments but a journey nonetheless.
BIO
Yael Melamede is the co-founder of SALTY Features, an independent production company focused on telling impactful stories. Her work spans award-winning documentaries and fiction, driven by a deep curiosity about people and systems. Recent projects include DEATH & TAXES, FLOYD ABRAMS: SPEAKING FREELY, and PAY OR DIE. She directed (Dis)Honesty: The Truth About Lies and produced the Oscar-winning Inocente, Emmy-winning When I Walk, and Oscar-nominated My Architect. Trained as an architect, Melamede brings a design-thinking approach to filmmaking. She serves on the boards of UnionDocs and the Living City Project, and is a member of AMPAS and the Documentary Producers Alliance.
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