Napa Valley Film Festival

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Writer/Director Jeannie Donohoe presented her short film 'Game' to this year's Napa Valley Film Festival as one of four short films in the Lexus Short Films (LSF) series at the 2016 NVFF. In its 3^rd year as part of a production and distribution partnership between NVFF, the Weinstein Company and Lexus International for Lexus Short Films (LSF), four talented LSF directors, Alexis Michalik, Damian Walshe-Howling, Jeannie Donohoe and Kev Cahill featured their short films. Honorary Director Lee Daniels hosted the event.

I interviewed Jeannie Donohoe about her experience at NVFF. Here is what she had to say:

What inspired you to tell this story? Is it based on real events?

JEANNIE: A few different interests converged for me when I was writing Game. The story isn’t based on real events, but the idea of a woman wanting to compete and succeed at the highest level is certainly personal.  I also love basketball, the history of the sport, and athletics in general. I’ve wanted to take on the challenge of making a sports movie for a while, and I actually think there are a lot of parallels between team sports and filmmaking.  I did a lot of research when coming up with this idea, and the women players from the earliest records through current WNBA, NCAA, and international leagues are so inspiring to me, especially those who broke new ground. In terms of the high school setting, I was a public school teacher before becoming a filmmaker, and I find working with young people very fun and inspiring. These youthful, lively characters sparked my imagination. Within all of these ideas, I wanted to pursue some complicated questions about gender equality and constraints in sports and society.

It seems to happen more often than not that gender is an issue in sports teams. What can you say about this issue?

JEANNIE: The issues of gender and biology in sports are complex, and like many people inside and outside of the sports world, I don’t have an easy answer. I do think that institutions and the public are hesitant to disrupt the status quo of gender-segregated sports. I see the benefits of separation in many ways for women athletes, but I also see the problems. As a society and sports culture—despite great strides in recent decades—we still don’t give nearly the attention or resources to women’s sports that we do to men’s, and that was an important topic I wanted to address in Game. The lead character AJ tests these limitations and expectations with her ambition, talent, and dedication.

Was it difficult to cast? Are shorts hard to cast with budget limits?

JEANNIE: Casting Game was an exciting challenge. We had a great casting director duo, Lisa Pantone and Gigi Berry, and they scoured the field of actors and non-actors for potential AJ’s. It was a tough role to cast: AJ had to be a great basketball player, look young enough to be in high school, look androgynous enough to pass as a boy, and be a natural, compelling actor. We saw a number of talented players, and Nicole Williams really stood out. It was her first time acting in anything, and she was amazing to work with. I also wanted to make sure the boys were actual basketball players, so that was a priority in addition to casting for acting and types. Tye White (Collins), Dominique Columbus (Theo), and Michael Purdie (Luke) were so great to work with as the lead boys on the team, as were all the teammates. Jamie McShane came on board as Assistant Coach, which was a joy, and Charles Parnell played AJ’s father in a pivotal scene, which was terrific. I’m saving Rick Fox for last because it was such an incredible win for the film to have him play Coach, and it really helped bring the whole movie together. He’s everything I could have hoped for in that role, and then some, and I think he lends an important authenticity to the character and scenario. The cast truly is this movie, and it was a huge pleasure to work with and learn from all the actors.

In terms of budget, I was extremely lucky to have a generous budget through Lexus Short Films, but at a certain level of production, even a big budget goes quickly.

How long did it take you to make the film?

JEANNIE: The film took four months to make, start to finish, from writing the first draft to completing post-production. We shot for five days (though we filmed almost everything in the first four) and then had one additional pickup day during the editing process.

Will you turn it into a feature? Do you want to write and direct features in the future?

JEANNIE: I’ve gotten a lot of feedback that people want to see more with these characters and this situation, so that’s exciting. I do think the subject matter is ripe for a longer tale. I’ve been working on a feature screenplay that’s also set in the world of basketball, but it’s different from Game—much bigger in scope. I’d love to make that as my first feature. I also have a feature script set in Ireland that’s thematically related to my previous short film, Lambing Season. I’m eager to direct one of these as soon as possible.

You have The Weinstein Company distributing your short. That’s incredible, as most shorts never even get distributed. How did that happen?

JEANNIE: The Weinstein Company produced Game and they're now distributing it, which is indeed an incredibly rare opportunity for a short film. It’s been amazing to work in partnership with Weinstein and Lexus on this project. I’m very grateful. The opportunity came from entering my last short film (Lambing Season) into the Lexus Short Films competition, which I saw on Without-a-Box. Four filmmakers from around the world were selected to each write and direct a fully-funded short film. The Weinstein Company and Lexus were deeply supportive of Game at every step, and now they’re submitting Game to festivals worldwide. It’s been a filmmaker’s dream.

You screened your film at the Napa Valley Film Festival. How was that experience?

JEANNIE: Napa Valley Film Festival is a terrific event. It’s a fun, unique festival that’s very supportive of filmmakers, and I'm very appreciative of the warm, generous reception. We finished post-production three days before the screening event at Napa with Game’s first audience, so that was a whirlwind. It was nice to celebrate the work with so many people who supported the film and collaborated on it. Lee Daniels hosted the discussion after the screening, and it was great to hear his feedback and support for the project.

How have audiences reacted to your film?

JEANNIE: The audiences reacted super well. One man asked me afterward if AJ was really a girl, which helped ease my concern of whether she passes as a boy. I heard from many audience members that they wanted to follow these characters and the story even longer than the 15 minutes. And a lot of people told me the story resonated with them from their own experiences in sports or breaking boundaries in other realms. I really enjoy connecting with audiences through film. It’s the other half of the conversation once you make a piece of work and put it out into the world, and I think it’s one of the most rewarding aspects of being a filmmaker.

What are you planning to work on next?

JEANNIE: I’d like to direct my first feature-length film very soon, whether it’s the basketball story or the family drama set in Ireland. And I'm working on my jump shot.

Rick Fox as 'Coach'.

Interview by Vanessa McMahon