Lilly

Interview with Director and Co-Writer Rachel Feldman

Film opens on May 9th in Atlanta, Baltimore, Birmingham, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland, Denver, Detroit, Ft. Lauderdale, Ft. Worth, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Knoxville, LA, Memphis, Nashville, NYC, New Orleans, Philly, Phoenix, Portland, San Francisco, San Rafael and DC. More info

Describe the film for us in your own words.

LILLY is a drama that centers around the question of how activism is born, what’s the grit needed to be the voice and face of an issue, what are the personal costs? I like to say it’s a roller coaster ride of suspense, heartbreak and euphoria. Bring your hankie.

What drew you to this story?

I grew up in a household where social justice was important. My grandparents came to this country without language or means, yet were active in the labor movement immediately. Compound that with the experiences I encountered in the early years of my professional career, when fewer than 1% of the top 250 movies were directed by women, and you might image how I felt when I saw Lilly Ledbetter on television speaking at the 2008 DNC taking about equity and justice in front of millions! Something about her grabbed me by the throat.

My mother was a movie lover and the movies of her generation like “How Green Was My Valley,” “Pinky” and “The Boy with Green Hair” were touchstones for me. These are deeply emotional movies that carry powerful social themes. So, when I heard Lilly’s story, I thought, “that’s a movie!” A poor, high school educated, Southern woman takes on a corporation, the courts and Congress, withstanding enormous losses, yet manages to make lasting impact for society. How could I resist?

What do you want people to think about?

That ordinary people can do extraordinary things. That one single person can make a difference. To offer hope and inspiration to folks all over the world, no matter where, matter the issues they face, that they might find a path forward by joining forces with others who share their beliefs.

What was the biggest challenge in making this?

Making independent films is one challenge after another. I optioned Lilly Ledbetter’s life rights and the rights to the great book, “Grace and Grit,” written by Lilly Ledbetter and Lanier Isom, without any backing. Despite many others being interested in her rights, I assured Lilly and her attorney Jon Goldfarb that I would do everything humanly possible to get this movie made. Lord knows why they chose me over studios with big bucks, but they did. I quickly brought on co-writer, Adam Prince, who helped me structure a complex life into screenplay structure.

I didn’t have reps who believed in the project, so getting the script to producers was the next hurdle. Writing letters, cold calls, and sheer scrappiness got the script in front of producers. Over the course of several years, after a few different, well-established producers either couldn’t get the film set up, or believed they couldn’t set it up with me attached as the director (even though I’d been a professional director in television for 25 years) I had to come up with Plan B.

I met J. Todd Harris, who had successfully raised financing for independent films. Than a childhood friend of mine introduced us to one of our seed investors, Julie Kaufman, who was extremely passionate about telling Lilly’s story and her enthusiasm carried over to many others. Soon after, producer Kelly Ashton joined us. I really didn’t want to go down the fund raising road, but so many serendipitous events fell into place, I couldn’t ignore the path forward.

What was the development process? How did you get green lit?

Two of my producers, the amazing Jyoti Sarda and Simone Pero, come from docs and social impact films. They suggested early on that we try to fundraise via a combination of both investment equity and non-profit donations. They call it “filmanthropy.” We attracted both investors interested in financial returns as well as those whose primary motivation was the ROI of social impact. Kerianne Flynn and Christine Schwarzman came aboard at a juncture when we really needed them. Things looked promising.

We had many, many Zooms during Covid which turned out to be a fortuitous time to gain interest. Broadway financiers didn’t have shows to invest in and we were able to create exciting, digital events with our hero, Lilly Ledbetter, without the expense of flight, hotels and catering. Lilly was captivating. Once folks met her “face to face” our future was kind of undeniable.

When we felt were on solid financial ground, we approached the brilliant actor Patricia Clarkson. We were so lucky that Patti knew about Lilly Ledbetter and wanted to play her. She says her mother cried, when she learned that she’d be playing Lilly. Patti brought gravitas to our production. I cannot state strongly enough how that single decision to sign on to LILLY was for the future of the project, and I’m incredibly grateful that she’s the kind of actor who trusts her gut. The choice she made to work with a director she’d never heard of is a testament to her unique sensibility. Eventually, we brought in a super experienced, hands-on producer, the great Allyn Stewart, and from that point on it was (relative) smooth sailing.

I could never have done this alone. We became TEAM LILLY. Each and every one of my partners made this happen.

What inspired you to become a storyteller?

My imagination has always been a vital part of me. My childhood bedroom had ballerina wallpaper and those dancers came alive to me, crayons were royal courts of kings and queens, and the perfume bottles on my mother’s vanity, soldiers going to battle. I loved my dolls, I played with them into my early teens. I didn’t realize I was writing primitive scripts. Between my Barbies, Madame Alexander dolls and Patty Play Pal, I had a spectacular rep company.

I was a professional child actor from the ages of about 5-12, I worked a lot in New York. I loved being on set. I still do. Storytelling for me always begins with character. I’m fascinated by humans in all their complexity. My company name is Dollface Films.

What’s the best and worst advice you've received?

I’m not good at these kinds of questions. But here are some thoughts I’ve collected over time. 1- Nobody knows anything. 2- Make sure you have a happy personal life. 3- Always tell the truth in a story even if the characters have to lie. 4- Let a “no” motivate you to do better. Rejection is hard, fall down for a day or so and then bounce back, and if you can’t, it’s okay but you might try another line of work. Seriously, it’s all about resilience. 5- And always be kind.

What advice do you have for other female creatives?

There are only so many stories to tell, so many notes on the keyboard, and art, like everything else sadly, tends to follow trends. But it’s your own personal truth that will make your creation worthwhile. So, believe in that, follow tropes only far enough to set you on a path and then deviate into radical, subversive originality.

Name your favorite woman directed film and why.

Gosh, so many. Here are a few recent ones: CODA - Sian Heder, LADY BIRD – Greta Gerwig, PRIVATE LIFE – Tamara Jenkins. All deeply human, quirky, personal stories told with creative panache. Love them all.

And I’d like to tip my hat to Lena Wertmuller and Agnes Varda, the first directors I recognized as female filmmakers. Even though I’d been on sets early in life, I didn’t realize that being behind the camera was an option until I saw their powerful films and felt their strong points of view. Thank you to the European governments who sponsor the arts, creating an environment where artists, men and women, can flourish.

Feel free to share anything else you would like people to know about this film.

Lilly Ledbetter passed away two days after our world premiere at the Hamptons International Film Festival. Her daughter Vickie was with us at the festival, then ran home to her mother, who was already in the ICU, to share with her how the audience laughed and cried, cheered and shouted at the screen, and how they had jumped to their feet in a standing ovation. She died a few hours later.

Lilly had been a great partner though the entire process of making the film. Getting the film made was very important to her. Lilly always made herself available to me for a story, a line of dialogue, an opinion, and throughout the years she read many drafts of the script and saw a few cuts. She saw the final version and loved it. She was deeply moved by the notion of her legacy living on, particularly for young women.

LILLY opens on Mother’s Day weekend, a date that’s personal for me, as it’s the day my own mother passed away in 2014. Lilly was a devoted mother and grandmother. I would like to dedicate the release of LILLY to all the mothers of the world.

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