On October 20, ahead of their online meeting, the Women’s Steering Committee (WSC) hosted the discussion, Best Practices: Feature Film Directing 2020. The event featured Directors Radha Blank (The Forty-Year- Old Version), Maureen Bharoocha (Golden Arm), Tara Miele (Wander Darkly), and Alice Wu (The Half of It) in a conversation moderated by Director Shaz Bennett (Alaska is a Drag).
Following an introduction by WSC Co-Chair Maria Burton, the panelists covered subjects including the origins of their films as well as their inspirations and influences, and more.
During the conversation, Bharoocha revealed how she sometimes has to 'think out of the box' to work around a budget and achieve an action shot. Miele explained how rehearsal and collaboration with actors is vital to demonstrate the narrative shifts in character thinking. Blank discussed how she uses documentary/mockumentary filmmaking style to capture the edginess and rawness of her main characters. Wu spoke about using shots as a hint to chart the progression of her characters’ development through the film
Following the moderated portion of the conversation, the panelists fielded questions submitted by the online audience.
About the Panelists:
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 Shaz Bennett (moderator)
Bennett’s directorial credits include feature film, Alaska is a Drag, based on her short of the same name; as well as episodes of the series Billions, Queen Sugar, Animal Kingdom and Bosch; and the short films Desert Rats, Top of the Circle and Tunnels. Bennett joined the Guild in 2019 and serves as the Co-Coordinator of the WSC’s Activities & Events Committee.
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 Maureen Bharoocha
After starting her career career with her short film, Abajee, Bharoocha made her feature directorial debut with her 2015 film. Fatal Flip. She would go on to direct the feature Golden Arm and the movie for television I Am Watching You. She was also a segment director on Jimmy Kimmel Live! for the 20016-2019. Named one of IndieWire’s Rising Female Directors of 2020, Bharoocha has been a DGA member since 2017 and participated in the Guild's 2019 Diversity Initiative.
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 Radha Blank
Blank was named one of “10 Directors to Watch for 2020” by Variety. Her script for her feature directorial debut, The Forty-Year- Old Version, was chosen for the 2017 Sundance Directors and Screenwriters Labs and garnered the 2017 Adrienne Shelly Women’s Filmmaker Award. The completed film also won Blank the 2020 Sundance Institute Vanguard Award and Sundance Film Festival U.S. Dramatic Directing Award. She also directed the movie for television Sam Bowe: Speech Writer. Blank joined the DGA in 2019. |
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 Tara Miele
Miele’s most recent film, Wander Darkly, premiered in US Dramatic Competition at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. Her other projects include the feature films Starving in Suburbia, Gone Missingand The Lake Effect and the movie for television Lost Boy. She is also well known for the viral video Meet a Muslim which she created to combat Islamophobia and directed the backdoor pilot, Green Arrow and The Canaries, in addition to episodes of Batwoman, Arrow, and Hawaii Five-0. Miele joined the DGA in 2015. |
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 Alice Wu
Wu’s debut feature,Saving Face, made its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. She also wrote and directed her next film,The Half of It, the script for which was a 2018 selection for the prestigious “Black List,” an annual survey of Hollywood executives' favorite unproduced screenplays. Wu joined the DGA in 2019. |
ABOUT THE COMMITTEE:
The Women's Steering Committee (WSC) was created to advance the professional interests of its members, and to heighten their visibility and career opportunities in the entertainment industry. The WSC currently promotes diversity through sponsoring net-working events, screenings and seminars, and fosters relationships between the members to provide support, mentoring and networking opportunities. The WSC’s current Co-Chairs are Maria Burton, Hanelle Culpepper and Liz Ryan.
See video from this event in the gallery below.