Ava’s Impossible Things
Letters from a Lesbian…
Dear World,
If you don’t know Marina Rice Bader, let me take this opportunity to introduce you to her. She’s a filmmaker, and an incredible one at that.
I recently had the chance to watch her latest movie, Ava’s Impossible Things. Which proved to me that nothing is impossible for Rice Bader.
In just nine days, she and her cast and crew had completed a beautiful, full-length, feature film. Marina Rice Bader wrote, directed, and produced the movie. It was originally slated for 15 days of shooting, with a larger budget. Unfortunately, things changed at the last minute, so they lost several days of shooting time, and even the cast had to be cut down. Rice Bader said in an interview with Afterellen.com that she would stay up after filming every night to re-write the script to fit the new budget and time frame. Yet in watching in the piece, you would never know any of that took place.
Another quill in Marina’s hat is that she was the first recipient of Vimeo’s Share the Screen Female Filmmaker Fund for Ava’s Impossible Things. Vimeo wants to support female directors, and to make it a more level playing field for women, and there is no one more deserving of the inaugural award than Marina Rice Bader.
Ava’s Impossible Things is a film that tackles the heart-breaking topic of aging and dying parents. Specifically, the film addresses Huntington’s Disease, which to put in the most simplistic of terms, is very much akin to Alzheimer’s, though it has very distinct symptoms of its own. In facing her mother’s mortality, Ava escapes into a dream world until she can truly come to terms with reality – in every facet of her life. This film is beautiful and powerful in so many ways. It is poignant and emotional and absolutely stunning.
Ava’s Impossible things is actually Marina Rice Bader’s fifth film. Rice Bader was a successful photographer and mother of three, who said that she felt “empty” and unfulfilled. She took a leap, and at fifty three, started Soul Kiss films. Since 2009, she has produced Elena Undone, A Perfect Ending, Raven’s Touch, and one of my personal favorite lesbian films, Anatomy of a Love Seen. Her movies are touching, deep and provocative. There is such beauty and artistry to all of her films.
I highly recommend that you go to Vimeo to watch Ava’s Impossible Things. And if you haven’t watched her other films, please check those out as well. These films are so well done. This is the art, the class, and the voice that our community needs, and it is so vital that we support her and her incredible work.
Live life in your own special way,
Lauren