Sarah Price grew up around the world, attended high school in Germany and Kenya, and now lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Sarah is an award-winning filmmaker, most noted for her work as producer and co-creator of the acclaimed feature documentary American Movie (Sony Pictures Classics, Grand Jury Prize Sundance Film Festival 1999). Other credits include editor of Chris Smith's American Job (Sundance Film Festival 1996), sound on Michael Moore's The Big One (Miramax 1997), director of photography on Lisa Gildehaus' Oracle of Omaha and segment director for IFC's Split Screen. Her most recent feature film Caesar's Park received Best of Fest honors at both Edinburgh and Chicago Int'l Film Festivals in 2000, and is premiering on the Sundance Channel in September 2003. She has also co-directed national commercials for Nokia and Volkswagon, and recently completed a music video for Har Mar Superstar (Warner Bros.). Sarah has been a visiting professor at the University of Iowa, also lecturing extensively at various colleges, universities and film festivals throughout the world, She is currently in post production on two documentaries, one on anti-globalization activists (The Yes Men) and the other on UNICEF's relief efforts in Afghanistan in 2002. She also plays drums in her band Competitorr (Neapolitan Records).

Sarah Price was interviewed by Nicolas Lampert in January, 2003 via email questions.

Could you talk about the recent documentary film that you worked on in Afghanistan. What was the focus of the film?  

I originally went to Afghanistan in Dec. 2001 to follow the emergency relief work through the eyes of one relief worker, who was a friend of mine since high school in Kenya. I went over for three weeks, came back for three weeks in January to tour the West Coast with my band, and then went back over for what ended up being almost two months. The second time I arrived, the situation had completely changed because of security issues, etc. so the access I had was limited. I ended up documenting UNICEF's Back-to-School campaign through the eyes of the aid workers, particularly one female Afghani aid worker. It turned out to be the biggest mobilization they've done to date, and they additionally contracted me to shoot footage for them too, so it all worked out. 

 
Were there any particular difficulties that came about while filming in Afghanistan? 

This was probably the most difficult shoot I've done, for many reasons, technically and emotionally. Technically, I was shooting alone with a DV camera and various mics, which can be draining because you're trying to follow a scene and establish a rapport with the person you're shooting while trying to pay attention to your shot---I found it very challenging, and sometimes it didn't work out so well, but other times it did. Also, there was a TON of dust everywhere. I would clean the lens completely and then 10 minutes later it was covered again. I asked some news crews how they were dealing with it and they said they were taping off any crevices and just cleaning, cleaning, cleaning. But one guy said their camera actually broke because of the dust and they had to fly in a new one…

Emotionally, it was crazy. I expected some of the heat because I was female with a camera, and for the most part things were fine, but I always wore a headscarf and I couldn't walk out onto a street without an escort. Even then, I couldn't be in one place with a set-up shot for more than 5 minutes because crowds would gather and that can be potentially bad news. So I found it to be pretty restricting. And I also experienced times where, for instance, I was shooting in a school along-side a Japanese news crew, and I stepped out of the room to shoot some cutaways, and some 14-year-old kid that was an escort basically scolded me for doing that and wouldn't allow me to leave. A few minutes later, the Japanese camera guy wanted to do the same thing and the kid let him leave--so that would be an example of the restrictions of what I could and couldn't do over there, based purely on the fact that I was female. And I really couldn't have said anything, I just had to let it go and respect their culture at the time. Although what I really wanted to do was yell at the kid and go get my shot… 

How did people in Afghanistan receive you and the idea of a documentary film? 

Besides the typical curiosity that a woman had a camera, I think by the time I got there they were used to all the press, all the camera people and westerners. They still were curious to the extent that if you stopped long enough, groups would form around you, and some of the older men didn’t want their women filmed, but for the most part, there was an excitement about what was happening. From the UN side of things, I think they thought I was a pest. 

What were you surprised by with your experience in Afghanistan? Did you have some assumptions about the people and the culture that turned out to be far different than what you had expected? 

My most basic assumption was that I would be finding people shell-shocked and in need of aid workers literally taking care of them. What I found was an intense humanity in this group of people whose resilience, warmth, and positive energy blew me away--everyone is actively involved in the rebuilding of their country, and they are very thankful for outside help, but they also have a distinct pride that is admirable. They also have a saying "In shalla," meaning "As God wills.." which they firmly believe. Things happen for a reason, they will take things as they come and grow stronger for it. I found this to be very inspiring and admirable.  

US culture, especially main stream media, has a short attention span. The emphasis is on the headline and a desire to always move onto the next story. An important event will surface in the news and disappear the next week. In the case of Afghanistan, the main stream media has moved away from that particular issue and has instead focused on Iraq. The result of this type of media for people in the US is two fold. Not only is the US public led by the hand by the media but viewers/readers can not form a deep understanding and connection to the issues and the people who are most affected. 

Do you feel any need to get this film out to the public soon?  

There is a certain amount of media fatigue that people are led by in terms of their ability to be interested in this topic, so I do feel a subtle urgency to get it out soon. But I have faith that people will be interested in seeing this take on things no matter when it comes out. I've set desired time-line goals based on specific film festivals, and I hope to be done by the spring, but these things always take longer than expected. 

Are their any particular film documentaries or directors that you admire? 

I love the documentaries of the 70's and 80's. I'm inspired by the usual suspects: Frederick Wiseman, Errol Morris, Ross McElwee, Barbara Kopple, Pennebaker/Hegedus, the Maysles bros, Jeff Kreines and Joel DeMott, Michael Apted, Michael Moore, the list goes on for a while. Films most inspired by: Sherman's March, Seventeen, Gates of Heaven, the whole 7-UP series. I love any films that resonate with a subtle observation about our social reality. 

Is there a political message one can take away from “American Movie”? 

I'm sure there is a political message in American Movie, but I've always seen it as more of a social and personal commentary. As a social commentary it speaks to the misguided perceptions about class boundaries, basically defying them, and defining the "American dream." As a personal commentary it hopefully inspires people to think about their lives and time on this planet in a much more liberated way--we should be working to fulfill our most deepest desires everyday, regardless of the pressures and responsibilities we face. 

I often hear people talk about “American Movie” as a Chris Smith film. They neglect to mention the other director-Sarah Price. I find this to be very backward and insulting. What are your thoughts about working in a medium that is very male dominated? Is the climate for woman directors in the US improving?  

Part of that is that I was given the credit of "Producer," rather than co-director. That was our fault for listening to advice given by older white men, and for not understanding that people won't assume your role regardless of title. That said, had Chris' partner been male, he would have surely been considered a co-director a majority of the time. I found the press to be the worst at this stuff…and I have stories about some of our interviews that would enrage even the most complacent souls out there. But although I find dealing with the "male dominated" factor to be extremely tiresome, obvious, and frustrating at times, the climate is definitely improving for women in all areas of the film world. It's a lot easier to call some twerp out on his subtle sexism these days, and it's a lot easier for women to support each other and not be so competitive--there's room for everyone. 

The new film that you are working on about the “Yes Men” was recently turned down by the Sundance Film Festival. Was this a political decision?  

We're not sure why they passed on it, but I'm sure they have their reasons. That festival is extremely competitive these days and they might have thought it wasn't a strong enough film structurally, or they might have been turned off by the politics of it--it's completely random sometimes, and I really couldn't venture to guess what their reasons were. 

If you were given unlimited time/funding to make a new documentary film, what would it be about? 

I would love to document either a real alien, or some spiritual manifestation on earth that would blow people away to the extent that they couldn't deny the idea that we are living in a larger universe than we know, and that this lifetime is just the tip of the iceberg.