Shoshannah Stern. Photo Credit: David Carlson.
Filmmaker, actress, and writer Shoshannah Stern spoke about directing the new “Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore” documentary.
This movie explores Academy Award winner Marlee Matlin’s life as a groundbreaking Deaf performer.
Synopsis of the film
In 1987, Marlee Matlin became the first Deaf actor to win an Academy Award and was thrust into the spotlight at 21 years old. She won for “Best Actress” for “Children of a Lesser God.”
Reflecting on her life in her primary language of American Sign Language (ASL), Matlin explores the complexities of what it means to be a trailblazer.
How was your experience directing this documentary?
It might sound cliché to say but I loved every minute of it. I was so lucky to have such an amazing team behind me.
Even though we were doing things that none of them had ever done before, and it was my first time directing, I was never met with resistance or the sentiment that we were breaking form even though we were.
Instead of my team saying, “this isn’t how things are done,” they said, “this is going to be so exciting to do!” And I hope that sort of feeling is palpable to the viewer when they watch the film.
What was it like working with Oscar winner Marlee Matlin?
It was extraordinary. She has always been courageous, but I think she just becomes braver as time goes on. I was thrilled to be considered for the job. I had no idea it was her idea to hire me for it until much later in the process!
It is a testament to her that she decided to gift the responsibility of telling the story of her life to someone who had never directed before.
I don’t know what she saw in me, because it’s something I didn’t know I could do until I actually did it. But I’m so grateful to her that she saw it before I did.
What motivates you each day as a filmmaker?
To make the intangible tangible, and to bring a different sort of lens to the world.
How does it feel to be a filmmaker in the digital age? (Now with streaming, technology and social media being so prevalent)?
I never really had a choice, since I have never experienced filmmaking at any other age. I do know that growing up, I never saw or even thought anyone like me could have done what I have been lucky enough to get to do.
I think there’s a lot of value about seeing all kinds of people represented because they choose to represent themselves, and to be fair, we get so much of that through social media.
I do wonder about the future of filmmaking and what people choose to invest in, both financially and attention-wise, because of the immediate gratification of it all.
It brings me hope that there has been so much support for the documentary so far, so I’m just holding on to that.
What is your advice for young and aspiring filmmakers?
Your perspective has value, even if you haven’t seen it represented yet.
What did this documentary teach you about yourself?
It taught me that it is okay to make mistakes. It is the only way you get to learn.
It was actually Marlee who told me that. It really resonated with me and made me unpack the shame I feel when I do make a mistake. I realized I had unconsciously held myself to a standard where I believed I wasn’t allowed to make mistakes at all.
When you’re the only female Deaf person in the room, you are often hyperconscious that you have to do better than anyone else. I’m so grateful to Marlee for being generous and wise enough to say that to me and making sure I listened.
Were there any moments in your career that have helped define you?
I showed up for work once as a young actor to be met by a speech therapist who had been hired by the studio to make me sound less Deaf. Prior to that, I had thought that job was a dream come true.
I’m grateful for that moment now because it made me realize it really matters who tells the story, and who executes it. Without that moment I don’t think I would have started writing or directing.
What does the word success mean to you? (My favorite question)
It means looking within for success in your thoughts and ideas and how you work with people. That’s the only way you’ll ever discover the value that lies in yourself. What happens to you externally is only temporary.
What’s the one thing you want our readers to get out of the new documentary?
I’ve really loved meeting audience members after they have seen the documentary and learning what their takeaways were.
They’ve all been so varied and so valid, so I don’t want them to feel like there’s a specific one they should have. But if I had to say one, it’s knowing that there are so many different ways to exist in this world.
Most of us have misconceptions about ways that are different than our own.
I wanted to immerse our audiences into the way Marlee and I exist, and the way it has been perceived. I hope it shows that there’s so much beauty and value in that.
To learn more about Shoshannah Stern, follow her on Instagram, and check out her IMDb page.
Read More: “Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore” documentary review.
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