Lisa Rideout

Every year the Creatives of Colour Incubator concludes with the big pitch in partnership with Tiff, where all participants have the unique opportunity to pitch their projects to a selected jury of industry leaders and professionals. This year’s jury prize winner is Lisa Rideout with her film What Night Taught Them.

https://creatorsofcolour.com/the-big-pitch/

One Leg In, One Leg Out wins the award for Best Documentary Short at the La Film Festival. For a list of all the award recipients visit: http://www.awardsdaily.com/2018/09/27/la-film-festival-announces-its-2018-winners/

In anticipation of One Leg In, One Leg Out’s screening at the LA Film Festival, Lisa describes what her hopes for the the film are.

“I think sex work is still very much taboo. Even with people I consider progressive, there is this subconscious puritan belief that selling your body is wrong. I hope this film helps illustrate that these women are doing what they have to do to survive and that it is important to create safe spaces for sex workers. I also want it to complicate the understanding of sex workers and choice. Yes, some sex workers chose it as a profession, others don’t. All should be kept safe and those that feel forced into it should be given support to leave it.”

https://justcelebritymag.com/2018/09/12/2260-lisa-rideout-one-leg-in-one-leg-out-interview-documentary/

In this shared interview Iman, the subject of One Leg In, One Leg Out reveals why she got in to sex work, the role the film has played in her life and where she sees herself in the next ten years. Lisa talks about what she learned getting to know Iman over two years.

"They really tell me they have no choice. They walk into retail stores or offices and they've applied and they feel the judgement on them and they never get called back for interview," Lisa continues. It's a frustrating reality, which Iman echoes when we chat. "I always wanted to do something to help people like me, for girls like me, because we cannot get jobs the way we are," Iman tells me."

For the full interview visit:

https://www.refinery29.com/en-gb/one-leg-in-one-leg-out-documentary

In this article for CBC, Lisa Rideout recounts her own experience growing up mixed- race and why she decided to make a documentary about identity and belonging:

I was the last student to the map. I added my yellow to Britain and Canada easily enough. Then on to India, which my mom had shown me on a map before, then Portugal — my teacher guided my hand; she had been there on vacation.

My last yellow dot stuck to the tip of my index finger as I tried to find Armenia. I couldn’t. My teacher couldn’t. My classmates had no idea. One Scottish-Irish boy watched me, perplexed, before finally asking, “What’s an Armenia?”

I didn’t know.

To read the full article visit: https://www.cbc.ca/shortdocs/blog/a-case-of-too-many-identities-growing-up-mixed-race-meant-i-didnt-know-wher

Lisa chats with Global Morning TV about what inspired her to make Take a Walk on the Wildside.

Watch the live interview here: https://globalnews.ca/video/3385665/helping-men-walk-on-the-wild-side#

Lisa discusses her film Take a Walk on the Wildside, in anticipation of its world premiere at the Hot Docs International Film Festival.

“That tone was important for me because my aim was to make a film that would reach people who might not immediately see a film about cross-dressing. Rather than overtly hammer an overtly political message, it lets them simply observe people as people.”

For full interview visit: http://povmagazine.com/articles/view/the-pov-interview-lisa-rideout-talks-take-a-walk-on-the-wild-side

To compliment her role as a panelist on Breakthrough’s Your Audience Panel, Lisa spoke about her work and what other emerging female filmmakers might learn from her experience in this spotlight.

“Watch films, read books, spend time writing and learning about storytelling. Work with people who are better than you. No one is good at anything right away, keep at it, don’t get discouraged, do the work. Practice, practice, practice, and don’t put all your practice online.”

To read Lisa’s director spotlight visit: http://www.breakthroughsfilmfestival.com/blog/2018/7/5/director-spotlight-lisa-rideout-take-a-walk-on-the-wildside

To accompany the premiere of her film at RIIFF, Lisa discusses the challenges and aims of directing One Leg In, One Leg Out.

“I hope the film shows how challenging it can be for transgender women to find “traditional” employment. That is something I heard often from Iman and her friends. And that once you get into the sex industry, if you are from a low-income background, how difficult it can be to leave. I hope this helps alleviate judgement toward sex workers but also illustrates that there needs to be support to help people like Iman transition into a new career path.”

For the full interview visit: https://rifilmfest.blogspot.com/2018/06/riiff-filmmaker-spotlight-series-lisa.html 

Lisa reveals what inspires her to make films based in Toronto.

“I think the something special is the diversity of this city. There are so many different people, doing so many different things with their lives. I have also found people are quite warm and open, contrary to popular belief, ha. I think I could probably make Toronto-based films for a long time.”

For full interview visit: https://www.topictureshow.com/interview/2018/rideout-dunphy

Lisa discusses the creative process behind Take a Walk on the Wildside.

“The style of the film materialized from the days I spent observing Paddy in the store. I wanted viewers to be able to see those genuine and important moments between Paddy and her customers. Based on this, I decided that the best approach stylistically would be an observational-fly on the wall documentary. Some of the documentaries that were inspirations were Rich Hill, Above and Below and the short documentary film Hotel 22. They are all beautiful films that tell important stories through a “fly on the wall” lens.”

For the full interview visit: http://www.shedoesthecity.com/hotdocs17-take-a-walk-on-the-wildside-w-director-lisa-rideout

Lisa discusses production on One Leg In, One Leg Out.

“There were 3-5 people on set at all time. Documentary crews are always nimble so it wasn’t much different than other shoots. We were often shooting in tight spaces and there wasn’t room for too many bodies. But also keeping the crew small meant Iman got to know everyone and she was comfortable with them. That was important to me, to keep the environment comfortable and intimate.”

Read the full interview: https://www.indieactivity.com/lisa-rideout-unlocks-incredible-documentary-one-leg-in-one-leg-out/

Lisa chats goals of her film Take a Walk on the Wildside.

“I don’t think [cross-dressers] have a huge deal of representation in media, or when they are represented, that one person has a certain reason why they’re doing it. And that cannot represent an entire community…..for both Paddy and I, that was important to showcase [individuality] in the film.”

For full interview visit: https://torontoist.com/2017/04/meet-woman-helping-men-walk-wildside/

Lisa talks about her win at the Canadian Screen Awards for Best Short Documentary.

“The win is amazing. To me, it says that audiences want to hear stories from voices that have not always had a space in the traditional media. I think the time is now to support these stories.”

For full interview visit: http://ryersonian.ca/ru-grad-wins-big-at-the-canadian-film-awards/

Lisa chats with Canadian Doc Institution About her work and career lessons:

“Look for experience outside of documentary. Some of the most valuable experience I’ve had is on narrative film sets. It showed me the value of a team, which can often be lost in documentary. Seek out team members. When you’re just starting out, you need to pair with a strong producer. It’s great to find people who fill in your knowledge gaps and bring collaboration and talent to your film.”

For full interview: 

http://docinstitute.com/it-exposed-me-to-what-funding-was-like-in-canada-how-the-breakthrough-program-can-help-your-career/