Amy Heckerling has had a lifelong romance with the movies. All she ever wanted to do was work in film. But when she began her career, women were an endangered, almost non-existent, species in the movie business. Above all, women were certainly not considered as potential directors in that era. Flash forward to today when our guest, Amy Heckerling, is the seventh highest grossing female filmmaker of all time.
This week, renowned director and writer Amy Heckerlingwill be joining us “live” at Steiner Studios to tell her amazing story on Monday, December 4th at 5:00pm.
Please join us in person at Steiner Studios or click into our “live stream” on Monday at 5pm. Amy Heckerling’s session will remain available on our YouTube channel after Monday as well.
Much like our TVWS students, Amy was a film student. She did her undergraduate work in Film and TV at NYU and then enrolled at the American Film Institute where she earned her Masters. It was at AFI where she wrote and directed her attention-grabbing short, Getting It Over With. Amy will, no doubt talk about how that student film helped her forge a career at a time when barely a handful of women were “allowed” to direct. Directing and writing opportunities for women are different today. But are they that different? In 2016, only 7% of the top grossing 250 films were directed by women. You will certainly hear Amy Heckerling’s take on that subject.
Amy directed her breakout hit Fast Times at Ridgemont High when she was only 27. Fast Times… is considered the staple for high school films. And what about Clueless, which she wrote and directed in 1995? Those Amy Heckerling films stand as the two, which define the genre. National Lampoon’s European Vacation was Amy’s biggest box office hit, followed closely by the surprising mega-hits,Look Who’s Talking and its sequel, Look Who’s Talking Too, both starring John Travolta.
And let’s not forget my personal favorite, Johnny Dangerously, starring Michael Keaton. Both Amy and I have stories to tell about the making of that film. Three of her films—Fast Times…, Clueless and Look Who’s Talking have been made into television series, a medium in which Amy also directs. Her TV credits include Gossip Girl, The Office, The Carrie Diaries, The Muppets, Red Oaks and many others.
On Monday, December 4th we will have the extraordinary opportunity to hear and exchange ideas with this iconic figure in the cinema landscape. Amy Heckerling has had an amazing and ongoing career with the odds clearly stacked against her as a female artist. All of our attendees, especially the women, will benefit from Amy’s experiences.
The live stream of the lecture and Q&A will be available to watch on our YouTube channel starting at 5:00pm. To view this live stream, click (or copy and paste) the link below and the lecture will be available, along with many of our past lectures.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wqx9ldnPU0I
If you have any questions for Amy that you would like asked during the session please email them toalauzon12694@gmail.com and we will do our best to incorporate them into the Q&A. If you have any issues with the live stream, please email alauzon12694@gmail.comand we will do our best to alleviate the issue.
