Interview – Jane Spencer South Of Hope Street Director

Streaming now in the UK on Prime Video is South Of Hope Street., and we recently had a chat with writer/director Jane Spencer who shared her thoughts on exploring ‘the big questions’, working with Michael Madsen, black shoes, and shunning the Hollywood system.

Your latest film, the visually arresting dystopian drama SOUTH OF HOPE STREET, depicts an oppressed society surrounded by wars. As Writer and Director, what inspired you to make it? I have always been very much interested in ‘the Big Questions’: Why do we exist? What, exactly, ARE we? Why are we here? A great way to pose these questions is to place us against the forces that do not allow free thought and to think about these questions.

I wanted t to explore this in an allegory, a sci-film film, with all the characters representing forces in our world: forces of repression, forces of peace, mystery, poetry. Films like this are films that are inspiring to me, so I attempted to make one. I love films like ‘Fahrenheit 451’, ‘Alphaville’, ‘Brazil’ or ‘Solaris’ (the original version).

This is the second of your films that features Michael Madsen, as he starred in The Ninth Cloud. What is it about him that artistically appeals to you?

Michael is much more than the ‘thug’-type he sometimes plays in films, the guy with the gun, and he – in reality – is actually a poet and is a very kind, compassionate being. This appealed to me as it goes against his ‘image’ in all the Tarantino films and action or gun-driven films. So, for instance, I thought it would be much more interesting to have an actor known for OTHER, very opposite, roles play a poet…as he does in The Ninth Cloud. Or, as in this film, for him to be conflicting: handing out flowers as a hippie type and revolutionary one minute, and then betraying the peaceniks the next minute. Michael is a very good actor.

Tanna Frederick is particularly memorable as Denise, the rebellious misfit at the heart of the story. How did you discover her?

One day I checked out Henry Jaglom’s film ‘Irene in Time’ – Tanna was the lead – and I thought she was just amazing: heartbreaking one minute, annoying the next minute, ethereal the next minute — truly a varied and fascinating performance! So, I called up Henry and asked him if he could introduce me, got her the script, and she joined on our journey to make this film. I think she is flat-out amazing in the role.

In the film mystery and nonconformity are forbidden and so called ‘normal’ people start wearing large black shoes, very fascist in tone. Does this reflect some of your own concerns about authoritarianism and the future of the planet?

Absolutely. I guess you and every other thinking person have been noticing the rise of right-wing, fascistic forces going on all over the planet right now. I think normal people can be dragged into this way of thinking with enough fear and propaganda. I definitely wanted to make that point with the Black Shoes. I actually was thinking of the Brownshirts, if you know what I mean. Also, from Sylvia Plath’s poem ‘Daddy’, I think for her a black shoe meant authoritarian, patriarchal forces and fascists.

The 1960’s soundtrack is outstanding. How did you persuade Donavan to provide original music?

Well, I worked with a wonderful music supervising person out of the UK named Ivan Chandler , who knew some of Donovan’s people, put me in touch, and Donovan looked at what I wanted to do re visuals I sent him with his songs over them, and he approved it for a reasonable price, which was really fantastic of him I chose this kind of music to mirror the retro ‘peaceniks’ who hide in the mountains in the film, and I love that era of music anyway…so it was a good excuse.

What would like audiences to take away from the film?

I hope, audiences will at least look hard at what is going on in the world, and if they can get something out of the film, I hope it is that one must take action to change things for the better – even if only small actions , and not just ignore things that are definitely wrong or join with them out of fear or whatever…Or at the least, I would like to provoke thought on some of these themes and questions…

You recently won an award at the Venice Film Festival 2023 for ‘Auteur and Poetic Filmmaking’. A proud moment? And what did it mean to you?

It was absolutely a surprise, and I was very honored to receive it. As it is for what was called ‘poetic’ filmmaking, that especially touched me in that my films are not really so much ‘plot’ driven films, but more – I hope – dealing with philosophical questions and metaphysical ideas – and far more thematic than plot-driven. It was very moving to have an award for that as a lot of films require just a plot to get attention.

Your feature films reflect an unwavering commitment to independent filmmaking. Have you made a conscious decision not to work within the studio system?

Lately the studio system doesn’t really offer an independent filmmaker much to work with – especially with the super-hero movies. If you’re going to spend a couple of years or more making a film, you want to be able to really care about what you are spending your time on. Time is precious.

What projects do you currently have in development?

Right now, we are developing a film called The Red Weather, to be filmed in Italy. It’s quite a different type of film than SOHS in that it is more a drama that takes place in a small village but has universal themes. One man against circumstance. Some have said it is kind of like an ‘Italian High Noon’. I love that description!

I’ve also written a film about the life of the great eccentric French composer Erik Satie, which will star the brilliant French actor Jean-Hugues Anglade in the title role of older Satie.

I am also working with writers Robbie Woliver and Bernadette Contreras on a film version of their award-winning play about Greenwich Village’s famous club Folk City, where Bob Dylan and so many other great iconic musicians got their start… Robbie used to own/run Folk City and I was honored to be chosen to work with them to write and direct the film.

South Of Hope Street is streaming on Prime Video now, and on Paramount+ from 15th November , courtesy of Ward9 Productions. Other digital platforms will follow.