Meet The All-Female Filmmakers Behind I Mind Collective
An interview with Jade Morash, one of the founders of the I Mind Collective – a troupe of female filmmakers looking to make an impact on the film industry and culture.
If you ever wondered what it feels like to be standing in the eye of a tornado, this, my friend, is it. It’s the same tornado that left Hollywood harassers amid the rubble of their million dollar careers; the one that raised up women from far and wide and gave them the power to roar #metoo. This is no time for quietness and apology. If International Women’s Day 2018 is anything, it’s a battle cry. There’s no better time to stand up and say, I mind.
And what better way to get your voice heard than through film? I Mind Collective is on a mission to spotlight fundamental women’s issues, from sexual harassment to self-acceptance. Believing that filmmaking has no limits, the all-female group of Catalyst Film Production students aims to educate, empower and embolden their peers through their upcoming projects – and this is just the beginning.
We caught up with Jade Morash, one of I Mind Collective’s founding members, to find out more.
“Inspire, dare, create, educate and revolutionize”
Hi Jade, nice to meet you. How’s it going?
Hi! I’m good thank you, how about you?
Great, thanks! Let’s open with a challenge: Describe your mission in five words.
I Mind Collective’s mission in five words… we would say our mission is: inspire, dare, create, educate and revolutionize.
How did you go from “I mind” to I Mind Collective?
We came to this name because we wanted to emphasize that we do mind, and we do care. We are being proactive in our mission to raise awareness about the topics that we are passionate about.
Which issues are you most passionate about exploring?
We are passionate about exploring issues that females in modern society face on a daily basis. For our first film, some of the issues we are exploring are female rights, sexuality and self-acceptance. We feel that it is important to stand up and address these topics as young women, so that we can educate the next generation on women’s rights and issues.
Who or what are your biggest inspirations?
We don’t think that I Mind Collective is inspired by any one thing, person or event. We think it’s a culmination of both little and big experiences that we have had as individuals throughout our personal and professional lives.
Tell us about your members.
Our members met in September at the beginning of our studies at Catalyst. We are a very diverse group of young, creative females, ranging from 18 to 31 years old. Together we represent the nationalities of Canada, Colombia, Italy, Netherlands, Switzerland, UK and the USA. We are all connected by our passion for filmmaking and storytelling.
How long have you been making films together?
We have been making films together for the last six months. However, the collective was created in December 2017.
What are you working on right now?
Right now, we are working on our first feature film. The film is an episodic, multi-genre story. Some of the episodes revolve around topics like sexual harassment, body image and empowerment.
We saw you went to Berlinale last month. What did you get up to?
A few of the members were able to go to Berlinale last month. Silvia Cannarozzi, Cadenza Zhao and Tatianna Peckham spent their time going to screenings, panels and industry events like the European Film Market. Some of the highlights for our members were being able to network with professionals in the film industry and looking for opportunities to finance our projects.
“Filmmaking has no limitations”
Why do you think film is an important medium for feminist projects?
Because filmmaking has no limitations. When telling stories through filmmaking, we are able to get our audience absorbed in the worlds that we create and introduce them to new points of view. This is a more effective way to communicate our values and our perspectives on modern issues.
You say that you aim to educate, encourage and embolden your female peers. Do you think women feel discouraged from taking the leading roles in filmmaking?
We don’t think that females feel discouraged about taking leading roles in filmmaking, but that there’s a lack of opportunity for females to take on those roles. It seems like the industry has a deeper trust for male leadership, and is sheepish towards accepting females in those same roles.
We have to ask, what’s your opinion of the #metoo movement?
We think that the #metoo movement is a powerful and necessary movement that is helping to shed light on the issues that females are experiencing every day. The #metoo movement is liberating for those who suffered in silence for so many years. As unfortunate as it is that we need a movement like this to make ourselves heard, it is also beautiful to see the community and the impact it has created.
What’s next for I Mind Collective?
Currently, we are still in the pre-production stages for the feature film I mentioned before. Beyond the film, we are working on creating a name for ourselves and developing our brand. We are planning on going to events to network with like-minded individuals.
We can’t wait to see it! Thanks for chatting to us.
This was great! Thanks so much for talking to us.