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Independent Producer Visits Tampa

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By KEVIN WALKER The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 25, 2007

TAMPA - Film producer Christine Vachon is cool. Or hot. Whatever.

Let's put it this way: Take the current popular term for producing artistic material that runs contrary to, perhaps even challenges, the mainstream, and that's what she is.

Needless to say, she has her fans.

'There are just so many things about her to admire,' said Tom Garrett, visiting assistant professor of communications at the University of Tampa.

One of the things Garrett admires about Vachon is her willingness to talk to young people about how she got into filmmaking, which she will do at 4 p.m. today in Reeves Theater in UT's Vaughn Center.

The event, sponsored by UT and the Tampa Bay Film Commission, is free and open to the public. The university is at 401 W. Kennedy Blvd.

Vachon, who spoke recently from the New York City offices of her Killer Films production company, said she plans to screen excerpts from her latest movie, the Todd Haynes film 'I'm Not There.' The film features six actors - including Cate Blanchett - portraying Bob Dylan.

It's the latest in a string of impressive films Vachon has produced, including 'Boys Don't Cry,' 'Far From Heaven,' 'Velvet Goldmine,' 'Storytelling,' 'A Home at the End of the World' and the Truman Capote biopic, 'Infamous.'

But don't call 'I'm Not There' a biopic.

'I'm certainly not calling it that, for reasons that will become apparent when people see the movie,' Vachon said.

But is it a film about identity, which also was the focus of Haynes' 1998 film, 'Velvet Goldmine,' about the glam rock movement?

'Well, they are films by the same director, so...' Vachon said. 'I know one of the ideas that attracted Todd is Dylan's ability to shift his identity and completely rid himself of the old one.'

Vachon plans to discuss how she got into filmmaking - the subject of her 2006 book, 'A Killer Life: How an Independent Film Producer Survives Deals and Disasters in Hollywood and Beyond,' which comes out in paperback in November.

While making independent films might be somewhat difficult when dealing with a 'risk averse' Hollywood, Vachon said, there also are more creative outlets for filmmakers than ever.

'I get a lot of young people who come in here and want to get into the business, and they aren't interested in making a film. They're interested in television,' Vachon said. 'We're in a golden age of television right now, I think. TV is as exciting as it's ever been.'

Garrett said he hopes Vachon's appearance will motivate and inspire UT students and other filmmakers in the area. He particularly mentioned women, noting that the ratio of female to male students at UT is 15-1.

'Among her many talents, she is a strong businesswoman who has made it in a tough field,' Garrett said.

In a prepared statement, film commission manager Lindsey Norris said: 'It's opportunities like this that will help grow the Tampa Bay area into the film destination that we know it can be.'

Reporter Kevin Walker can be reached at (813) 259-7975 or kwalker@tampatrib.com.

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