Sundance Film Festival

Zoe Cassavetes, a multi-talented artist, has worked in many facets of filmmaking. Zoe‘s first film, Broken English, will premiere in the Dramatic competition at 2007 Sundance Film Festival. She has also just completed directing an in-house video for hotel mogul Andre Balazs, as well as three-minute short advertisement for French handbag company Lamarthe in the Nouvelle Vauge style starring Elletra Rosselini.

She began her career by creating and hosting the experimental digital video show High Octane with longtime friend Sofia Coppola. Airing in 1993 on Comedy Central, the show mixed cultural commentary with humorous skits and featured Martin Scorsese, The Beastie Boys, and Keanu Reeves and experimental artists such as painter Robert Williams and stunt driver Buddy Joe Hooker.

How did you get into filmmaking?

I think it was a natural thing for me to get into. I grew up in a house where films were being made, and I loved the sense of family as well as the creativity that was fostered. My father was a director and an actor. My mother is an actress, and both my brother and sister are writer/directors.

What inspired you to write this story?

When I thought of the idea for Broken English it was at a time when I was totally overwhelmed by people asking me whether I was married or had a boyfriend. I saw that it was happening to a lot of my friends as well. I think it comes at a certain age where society almost insists that you fall in love, get married and have children. However, it seems that we are all more confused about relationships than ever. I wanted to explore these themes about what it is like to be lonely and to be ashamed of that feeling.

What about the story do you identify with most?

I love truly human stories. I love that these characters can feel pain and insecurity and look at other people’s lives and envy what they don’t have.

How much of the film is autobiographical?

Is it possible for a writer to not write about things they know? I’m not afraid to use my own stories as part of the bigger picture, but I’ve also been an observer of others for as long as I can remember.

Why do you think audiences are fascinated by stories of what people will do for love?

Love is a common factor in all human beings and at some point everyone feels both pain and happiness from all types of love. I think it’s comforting to know no one ever has it easy when it comes to relationships.

Is your film a traditional love story?

Broken English is a story that has been told many times before. Yet I don’t think of it as a traditional romantic comedy; it’s more of a story of self-exploration.

How much does your pedigree influence your filmmaking journeys into probing personal storytelling?

I’ve always been a storyteller. I’ve always written. Exploring feelings has always been encouraged in our family.

Which one of your dad‘s [John Cassavetes] films has influenced you the most, or is your favorite, and why?

I think my father’s films are some of the most painful and daring films I’ve ever seen. He had a gift for showing people in pain and I have always been attracted to those themes as well. I love that they have different meanings the older I get and the more I’ve experienced in my own life. I love Opening Night because it has so many themes and it is shot so beautifully. My mother [Gena Rowlands] is spectacular in it, and she gets to be glamorous even while suffering. The cast is amazing and I love to see my parents act together, even though my father always seems to cast himself as kind of a brute.

What does your film say about loneliness and love?

It feels so painful to be alone and think you are never going to find “real love.” It’s brave to really look at yourself and take chances based on what is going to make you happy in life, but that mission can’t rest on other people’s perceptions of you.

What point should audiences take away from the film?

Try to love yourself.

What‘s the most ambitious thing you‘ve ever done for love?

I willed this movie to happen.