Females in Film | Filmmaking | Interviews

An Interview with Filmmaker Gretl Claggett

9 Oct , 2014  

Written by Catherine Stewart | Posted by:

Fellow female filmmakers discuss work, life, and more in this new series, Females in Film. For this installment, NewEnglandFilm.com writer Catherine Stewart talks to Gretle Claggett about making work that breaks a silence in her first piece of work, Happy Hour, now screening at the 2014 Online New England Film Festival.

This series of articles features interviews with established and emerging female filmmakers living and working in New England, as well as prominent industry figures from our region. Filmmaker Catherine Stewart discusses distribution, finding work, making connections, and handling collaborations, along with whatever else comes along. We encourage you to join the conversation here on NewEnglandFilm.com or on Twitter using #femalesinfilm.

Gretl Claggett grew up in Hannibal, Missouri and holds MFAs in poetry, creative nonfiction and acting, respectively from Sarah Lawrence College, Goucher College and Western Illinois University. As an actress, Gretl performed at New York City theaters such as Playwrights Horizons, Circle in the Square, Soho Rep, La MaMa and HERE, and also at many regional theaters, including Actors Theater of Louisville, known for its development of new plays. And now Claggett turns to film – creating her first piece of work, Happy Hour (now screening at the 2014 Online New England Film Festival), which tells a deeply personal story in an attempt to break the silence.

“I wrote the poem Happy Hour more than a decade ago when I was deep in the labyrinth of recovery, after one of my parents’ best friends, whom I called “Uncle,” sexually abused me from before I could speak until I was 16.” Claggett explains. The poem, can be found as part of the collection MONSOON SOLO: Voices Once Submerged (WordTech Editions, 2012) which won a National Forward Literature Award and was named a Winning Finalist for an International Book Award as well as a ForeWord Reviews Book of the Year Award.

“Sadly, my story isn’t unique. It’s estimated that one in four girls and one in six boys are sexually abused before turning 18. This translates into roughly 40 million adult survivors in the U.S. alone.” Claggett tells me. However, making art has helped her to heal and transform, and the creation of Happy Hour seems integral to that process.

“When I felt strong enough to give back, I knew I wanted to make a piece of art that might spread awareness and help others who’ve lived through similar experiences. Anytime I spoke the poem at public readings, audiences viscerally reacted. Inevitably, at least several people — usually women — would approach me after and share their own stories. Sometimes, they’d never disclosed their secret to anyone before that moment.” Claggett says. She began to realize the importance of sharing her story, and that perhaps poetry wasn’t the only medium in which to do that. “Today, poetry has a limited audience. So, with its potential to reach millions, I chose the medium of film.”

Claggett believes that the entire team involved in bringing Happy Hour to the screen worked to dispel fear and shame; forge a better understanding of complicity plus the psychological aftermath most survivors face even in adulthood. “It was a huge undertaking and definitely a passion project for all involved. I was blessed to attract an immensely talented and committed team of actors and crew members. My main artistic collaborator on the film was Eve Cuyen, who also wore many hats: cinematographer, editor and sound designer.”

Happy Hour premiered in Los Angeles in late 2013 at the International Film Festival of Cinematic Arts, where it received the ‘Award for Excellence in Cinematography: Short Form.’ It was then featured in a ‘Women Directors Spotlight’ at the 2013 St. Louis International Film Festival, and was named a winning finalist in the ItsFilm International Short Film Competition. So far in 2014, the film has screened as an official selection at the Julien Dubuque International Film Festival, the Woods Hole Film Festival, and the Hollyshorts Film Festival. This fall, Happy Hour will screen as an official selection at the Oregon Independent Film Festival (September), and at both the Minneapolis Underground Film Festival and the Silent River Film Festival (October).

“I’m honored that Happy Hour was invited to participate in the Online NewEnglandFilm.com Festival. The platform reaches a large number of loyal viewers, and the more people who watch Happy Hour, think about — and then hopefully talk about — the complex issues that the film explores, the better.” The Online NewEnglandFilm.com Festival runs from September 1st through October 15th, and you can watch Happy Hour along with countless awarding winning films from across the region.

Currently Claggett is hard at work on a novel and a feature-length script, as well as revising her tragicomic short screenplay The Storm Chaser. “As a writer and independent filmmaker, there’s an ongoing juggling act between money-work and passion-work. There are only so many hours in a day and many times it’s quite challenging to find a happy balance. I’ve learned that the process of making anything meaningful takes time — usually a lot more than you first imagine — so I just keep chipping away at my various crafts and practice patience as much as possible.”

You can learn more about Gretl Claggett’s work at http://www.gretlclaggett.com/. If you want to share your views, or be part of the Females in Film series get in touch with us at NewEnglandFilm.com, on twitter using #femalesinfilm or by emailing me at catherine@filmunbound.com.


You can learn more about Gretl Claggett’s work at http://www.gretlclaggett.com/. If you want to share your views, or be part of the Females in Film series get in touch with us at NewEnglandFilm.com, on twitter using #femalesinfilm or by emailing me at catherine@filmunbound.com.

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