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Oak City Move is a podcast on WKNC's 88.1 FM HD1 Raleigh where we highlight people and organizations creating positive change in the triangle and beyond. Oak City Move can be heard on air every other Monday on 88.1 FM HD1 Raleigh or online at wknc.org slash listen. For episodes and more information go to our blog at blog.wknc.org or follow us on soundcloud at wknc881.
Hello 88.1 WKNC Raleigh, the song you just heard was Sweaty Linen by Surf Ninja 3. I am Sophia Magninini, your host, and you're listening to Oak City Move. Today we're joined by a very special guest, Christine Parker, the director of the Sick Chick Flick Film Festival, a festival that showcases female-driven independent films. First off, I just wanted to say thank you for taking the time to join me and if you wanted to start off by talking a little bit about yourself and also telling us about how the Sick Chick Flick Film Festival first began and what inspired it.
Sure, okay, so I'm Christine Parker, I'm a filmmaker. I've been making films for a little over 20 years now. About the past 15 years or so we have formed a film group called the Sick Chick Flicks and we would make, it was just run by women, and what part of the reason I did that because I had noticed that, you know, when a lot of times when female filmmakers are, have a lot of men around, they lose their voice, but when it's just the girls, you know, we're much more open and more creative and we allow ourselves to be heard and we have no fear.
So I wanted to foster an environment where women were encouraged to make movies and not feel like they have to, you know, defer to men a lot. So we started our film group and we started making movies and then we thought, you know, it'd be really great if we could show films that were made by women because as I was entering into festivals, I was noticing there were not a whole lot of, there was not a whole lot of representation for women filmmakers and I myself got rejected a bunch of times. I mean, it could have just been because I had a bad movie, but there seemed to be a kind of an old boys club going on, you know.
So that's part of the reason why I started this, the Sick Chick Flicks Film Fest and me and the other ladies in our group have kind of, you know, come together to support it and a lot of the films that we see in our festival, I mean, there's tons of, obviously there's tons of women making movies, we're just not seeing them and there's some fantastic films that you won't see in a lot of the mainstream film festivals. So it's just been, it's been wonderful, you know, to get it started. No, that's awesome, especially, yeah, giving the voices because like you were saying, I can only imagine how much of a like boys club it is, especially in like trying to actually get yourself out there and promoting your films and such and that's just really, really cool that's like a strict people can come with their films and feel safe.
It's a safe space to share media and stuff. When you first launched the Sick Chick Flick Film Festival, what kind of gap were you hoping to fill? I know you kind of went into that last, but is there something very specific in your head that you were thinking, okay, I want it to be kind of like this and this is how it'll work? Well, I mean, I wanted, I didn't want it to just be local, you know, just local filmmakers. I wanted to reach out to women all over the world and I feel like we have done that, especially this year, almost half our films are from other countries.
So it's a good representation and it's really interesting to see how women in different places have their own sense of what a horror film or sci-fi or fantasy film is. They have different stories to tell than we do here in the US. So it's really interesting.
No, that's really cool because yeah, I can only imagine with all the different kind of cultures put into it, it creates such a cool, different, like broad range of what is horror, what is sci-fi, what is fantasy, which was probably super, super cool to see. And as you're saying, there's a lot of people from not just the US, has it kind of evolved over time where there's more and more of people from not just North Carolina doing it? Or how have you seen the festival kind of evolve? I think our first couple of years, we didn't get a whole lot of foreign films. We got a lot more from the US and a lot of local filmmakers, people that I knew and stuff, just because word hadn't gone out about our film festival yet.
But it has definitely gotten increased quite a bit. This is the most we've had from overseas this year. So it's really nice to see.
The only bad thing, of course, is they can't all come travel to the film festival and see their films on the screen. But it's still really neat. It's the balance.
It's what you can get for right now. Do you guys ever think of taking the festival on the road and going to different places? Oh, yeah, I would love to do that. But we really don't have the budget for it.
No, I can imagine that has probably a lot to plan and as well budget. Yeah. But as we're talking about, even though you are creating such a safe space for female filmmakers, can you still see like certain challenges that the women filmmakers face in these genres and how the festival? Well, I mean, there's always a challenge, you know, for women, I think.
It's gotten better. I will say it's gotten better. And I know a lot of my male filmmakers just by me doing this have definitely paid more attention to female filmmakers.
And some of them have film festivals as well. And some of them have poached some of my films from my film festival, you know, and shown them in theirs, which is great. But yeah, I think that's definitely helped a lot.
That's just really important, too, because not only is it just the people attending the films that are going to love them, but also possible other filmmakers. And then it creates just kind of this chain reaction where it's like, it might inspire someone or might inspire a female filmmaker to really take that step and be like, oh, I can actually have my work be appreciated and shown in a place that is. Yeah.
In fact, we would really love to have some film students come out and watch these films. In fact, we're letting people that anyone from UNC or NC State who's in the film program can get in for free by showing their ID. Oh, that's really cool.
Yeah, because we just really want people to see, you know, and be inspired and maybe talk to a couple of filmmakers that are there. And, you know, there's a lot of networking that goes on at the film festival. When we have the filmmakers there, they end up making movies together and collaborating and stuff, which is really cool.
No, I really love that, because also I feel like a lot of times when people think of the film industry, they think of it as very competitive. But you guys are very much helping to build one another up and to kind of share this wealth, share the the joy of creating and inspiration. So that's really cool.
I was going to ask, since you're talking kind of like the local, like the colleges and stuff, what's the festival? How have you seen that? What's the local community's response to it? Well, I mean, it's been a bit slow because we changed venues a couple of years ago after COVID. We went from the Cary Theater to the Varsity in Chapel Hill. And it's been slow building the audience there.
But downtown Chapel Hill has been pretty supportive. They always put us in their newsletter and the Tar Heel newspaper. They've also always done articles.
So and we usually have maybe a student or two that will come and just help out and volunteer, which has been nice. That's really nice. Yeah, because, yeah, I can imagine.
How was it during COVID? Did you guys continue doing the festival or was it online? Did you guys do something like that? Or did you kind of just wait until everything was kind of more safer? We waited. We just kind of like rescheduled it. I think maybe more than once.
Well, one time we did, we went ahead and just went ahead and did the awards and just, you know, because we didn't want filmmakers to wait so long. And everybody had submitted. And then we also gave them a waiver for resubmitting in the following year if they wanted to submit something.
So it was tough because, you know, we really wanted to get going again. And we lost a bit of momentum, you know, during the COVID years. And it took a while for filmmakers to start making movies again, too, because everybody hadn't been able to get together and do stuff.
So there was a little bit of like a hiatus between COVID, which it makes sense. It's kind of especially with like switching locations and such, I could see how it's harder to kind of get back up there. And then your original base where it's like some people might have been there because it was very closed.
It's like hard to now they got to do transit. But I think it's still the Varsity Theater is really, really nice. I like it.
It's got a really good vibe for the type of film. For someone who is kind of new to the indie horror or woman led genres, what what do you suggest that they do to get the most out of this film festival? Um, just talk to us, you know, come and watch and discuss amongst yourselves amongst the filmmakers talk to me, because I've been doing it for over 20 years, I'd be happy to talk to you and give you advice if you want to come and talk to me. And I will always be available.
So yeah, with this year's lineup, as well as the past, are there any well, we'll start with this year's, I guess. But are there any standout films or filmmakers that you're especially excited about seeing and showcasing this year? I'm not going to pick one out. That's a hard, hard.
Yeah. But they're, they're all really, really excellent. There's one called the girl that obviously had a big budget, but there's some really amazing acting in that one.
And then we have our feature film too. That's really good. So we always show one feature that we picked as the best of the features.
I love that. And in the past, are there any festivals or films that really, really stuck with you or that you saw kind of go on to amass more of a following? So Entropia is one that stuck with us through the years. It's part of our Sick Chick Flicks film showcase for our 10th anniversary.
And it is a very disturbing film. It's, it's one that we talk about every year, because we had just had the wildest audience response to it. And we even invented an award just for that film called the most disturbing film award.
So that's, that's one. Yeah. And then we had another one called the spectacular summer of Weird Dog and Amy, which is kind of a twist on a werewolf film.
I'm not going to give too much away. And then there's one called Devil's Advocate. And it was the first film, Michelle Ianantuno, I hope I'm pronouncing that right.
It was the first film she made as an adult. And then she has gone on to do amazing things. There's a link under that film blog that shows her bio and what she's up to on IMDB.
She's, she's done some really cool stuff. They all have actually evolved and doing really great stuff. But no, I love that.
I love especially creating the awards because then it's not only did you support them when the things first came out, but you're continuing support. Very nice for them. But I hope so.
Um, are there any ways that you'd like to expand the festival? Like you were saying international filmmakers earlier, or maybe adding workshops or collaborating with any other festivals in the future? I mean, I would really love to expand it. I'd like to we had it for two days. And then we cut back to one day.
Because you know, we were just having trouble getting an audience there at the I would love to expand it to two days and show more films to do more workshops and stuff. One thing that we did when we were the care that we haven't been able to do yet here is we had a picture project. And that's where the filmmakers would pitch their next project to the audience.
And the audience would vote on the one that they thought, you know, deserve to be funded. And the one that one would get a percentage of whatever we made from the film festival that year. That's really cool.
Yeah, so that's something that I'd like to bring back. We are going to have a couple of panels going on at the film festival and also an amazing, amazing special effects artist Sierra doll is going to be showing us some creature effects. Yeah, that does that says really sound it adds another level where it's like not only are you watching this art, but then you're able to connect with the creator of it.
And it kind of gives you this more, it plants seeds in your mind to be like, yeah, the all the possible possible things that can come in the filmmaking industry. If you really just put your mind to it. Yeah, if you wanted to talk about any of your past films, I know you're saying how you were, um, well, you are a filmmaker.
And if there's any, or your any of your films ever featured in the festival, or have they been? No, no, I never show my own films, because I don't want to take time away from the other filmmakers. So it's all about promoting them, you know, that. Yeah, I mean, we've been we, we were really busy up until about 2019.
And then COVID hit, and we are just now starting to make movies together. Unfortunately, we're all a lot older. So we're like, how did we ever do this? We get tired.
So so we just finished shooting a film this weekend. And we're all worn out now. Oh, that's cool, though.
Yeah. And do you is it a lot of like your long time friends that are well, I guess friendships that you've made, but that you work with? That's really, that's really nice. Yeah, we've all been making movies together for many years.
That's awesome. Because not only is it you're in a I feel like I've said safe space a lot, but you're in a safe space where you can kind of not worry about your ideas being like shut down, like, you know, you're going to be heard. But also, it's just fun being able to work with the people that you're close to and kind of bounce off one another and help each other create which is how each other thinks, you know, which is really cool.
And in the past, how about has it always been horror fantasy sci fi? Yeah, the film festivals always been horror fantasy. No, that's really cool. Is there any specific reason that you wanted to give a platform to those genres in filmmaking? They're kind of like the bastards of filmmaking, I feel like, you know, because everybody takes dramas really seriously.
And everybody loves a good comedy or whatever. But the horror sci fi and fantasy films, they kind of always kind of get pushed to the side of the Oscars and stuff. But we have the most rabid fans, you know, so that those are the ones that are dear to my heart, you know, so those are the ones that I wanted to represent.
I feel like those are also the ones where it can you can kind of use the most of your imagination and like creative abilities when you're working on, because there's just so many possible things that you could do so many possible ways that you can make it. And so that's really, really cool, as well as I feel like in the past with those genres as well. It's been like you're saying of a boys club where a lot of these very famous ones that aren't that are good, but also, it's like, um, are getting all the spotlight when there's these unknown filmmakers that are creating such amazing works.
And it's like, if they were given the proper budget, they could create amazing, amazing things. So that's really cool. Yeah, guys are putting that on a pedestal.
Yeah, yeah. Yeah, let me just say women, female horror is a lot more twisted than male horror, in my opinion, because women have a lot of, you know, pent up anger and issues over the years that they just get out in the horror films, you know, it's like, in fact, one of our panels is the catharsis of making films, you know, so it's, it's really cool. Because I feel like, especially, like you were saying, women have so much, well, everything they kind of, they're just very so much creative ability that and emotions that can help translate into all these different things.
And we kind of see it in a different light that is is able to make these things that are crazy and unknown and, and just really cool. So I love what what is some advice that you would give to aspiring women film filmmakers who want to break into these genres like horror, sci fi fantasy? Have a good script, and have a good crew. And don't be afraid to make a bad film, because that's how you make better films, you know, everybody wants their first film to be perfect in it.
It just never is unless you're really, really fortunate. So you know, go ahead and make a bad movie if you have to just make a movie and learn from that and keep doing it. And I think I've told a lot of people if you're into an independent filmmaker, don't do it for the money, do it for the love of making movies, because you're not going to get rich off of it.
Most of us don't. It's very rare. It is it is like the love drives the creativity, the creation, which is just really awesome that you're also supporting that with this festival and helping people say, hey, it is all about learning, like they can see from these other films.
It's like, okay, they've done this now they're building up to this and this and this. So it isn't just a one movie made and you're rich or one movie made and like you're done. So yeah, that's really cool.
If you want, are there any other ways that listeners could help the festival besides just like showing up? Tell everybody about it, you know, word of mouth is like the best thing and you can pay at the door so you don't have to, you know, buy a ticket online, although it would be nice to buy a ticket online. Just tell everybody, just spread the word on social media, you know, get a bunch of people to come out. It's a fun time, you know, downtown Chapel Hill is a great place to be.
So it's a good way to spend a Saturday. Awesome. And if you did want to shout out the dates and when the actual festival is, or if you want to shout out the website that people can find information.
Yeah. So the film festival is Saturday, September 20th, and it runs from noon until midnight. And the film festival website is sickchickflixfilmfest.com. As we come up on the end of our chat, I just want to thank you all again for listening.
And I thank you, Christine, for coming in and chatting with me about all that you and the festival does for the community and women filmmakers as a whole. It's just truly inspirational and I love it. I love everything about it.
But once again, thank you all for listening to Oak City Move. I'm your host, Sophia Magnanini. And if you're interested in listening to this episode or to past episodes of the show, you can go to WKNC.org slash podcast and make sure to tune to our show every Monday.
Yep. Every Monday on WKNC at 8.1 FM Raleigh. Have a great one.
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