Magazine Interview/Pictorial on "Tara Browne in EMPIRICAL MAGAZINE, California, USA

7/16/2019 Magazine Interview/Pictorial on "Tara Browne in EMPIRICAL MAGAZINE, California, USA

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this month, writer richard jones provides us with a lookinto the world of canadian indie actress and director

tara browne, who helps to reveal the beauty of diversity

photo: tvi Snk

all photoS courteSy of: Divsi f fims





on the path of the digital film

In 2005 she began studying method act-ing at Methodica Acting Studio in Vancou-

ver, receiving a diploma in 2007.From there, she ound a platorm at Van-

couver’s Pocket Stage that specialized incutting-edge playwrights. Canada’s lm

world began taking notice o the versatile young woman on Vancouver’s stages, oer-ing Browne a role in Te Ovum Factor by Marvin L. Zimmerman. Some have called

this venture to the Amazon an “eco thrill-er” crossed with indigenous respect or protecting wildlie systems.

Ten Europe called. Browne headedacross the Atlantic to star as the “Asian Girl”in a NIVEA beauty commercial that airedacross Europe. While in Hamburg she di-rected an all-German crew and starred inTe Audition, a short lm inspired by JaneMartin’s play. She managed this neat trick although she does not speak German.

Back in Canada, she set up residencein oronto in 2010. Aer careul thought,Browne decided that a lm career oeredthe most ecacious vehicle to supporther vision. Tus she launched her own“independent platorm o artistic vision.”Named Diversity Face Films, it was in no

way modeled on any Hollywood studiosteeped in tentpole mentality. She denedher goal as one “to create human stories o diversity that help generate greater integra-tion, inclusiveness and understanding. Weseek to break down dierences and to helpbuild greater social harmony.”

o ensure that the world would take herseriously, Browne has emphasized state-o-the-art quality. She described her goal asbecoming “a new independent lm plat-orm that produces high-quality, visually beautiul, thought-provoking lms dedi-cated to diversity. Tat includes [diversity in] actors, stories, and crews. We are here to

promote diverse aces, diverse stories anddiverse lm crews rom around the world.”

Ethnic equity remains a ar o goal in

the lm industry. “When you go into a vid-eo store, look at all the covers on the DVDsand movie posters,” she suggests. “Tencount how many ethnic [minorities] are

playing the leads. . . . Ten go outside thestore and walk around your neighborhood[and] see i this is equal representation.”

“North America is largely made up o immigrants and yet when you turn on a V it seems that the actors are mainly white

with a [ew] Arican Americans [to] makeup or all other races. . . . I’m not saying allo Hollywood is racist. I think there areseveral actors involved. Tere is just not alot o encouragement or ethnic people inthe arts rom their amilies. . . . Tat’s why it’s important to ocus on your inner sel . . .

your unique sel. Stop trying to t in.”Browne encourages minorities to stay

true to themselves. “In the end, we shouldall ocus inwards. Tat’s where the power is.. . .” Who else can create an authentic mi-nority viewpoint? “Ethnic people have atremendous opportunity to tell their story.It’s just that being an artist is not promoted

very much amongst immigrant amilies.”Diversity implies that there are dozens,

perhaps hundreds, o ways that an indi- vidual might approach any problem. otake advantage o diversity, her crew on ev-ery project includes members rom a widenumber o backgrounds. Tis not only o-ers many alternatives to consider, but morecreative solutions. On a broader palette,this could serve as a model to bring betterunderstanding and broader paths to a more

just world.Following the Picasso dictum “Art is a liethat tells the truth,” Browne produced Te

Poacher , a western unlike any other. Tetheme demonstrates that women can take

on challenges as well as mcasts the mother as Nativethe ather as white. “I purphave a mixed-race amily. I that such amilies did in athese times in the Wild We

Browne called or a nuencountered techniques. S

woods o Langley, Britishlm uses several devices to favor, including sets with e

pieces.Te black and white ph

the silent lm opening addtina–until the rst gunshoo our seats. By then we arcept Browne as a hard-ridining woman. Not surprisinBrowne is both.

In addition to creating aBrowne put special importing “high production valushe worked with a 60 man rienced proessional teamtographer Pieter Stathis (ies on his credits) and ItaliLuca Carati, who has woin Europe, Asia, and Norhad a beautiul art director

ul crew,” Browne says. “Testimated value o $178,0on a shoestring budget o $

pulled avors. Period.”In Elinor Svoboda’s recen

o the ears o Canadian lmmaker ara Browne, “diversity” signi-es considerably more than a eel-good word. It sums up every aceto her lie, both the good days as well as the downright ugly ones.

With seven ethnic streams jockeying or position in her DNA–Aus-trian, British, Scottish, Hawaiian, Philippine, Spanish, Chinese–shecould hardly avoid the mantle o diversity.

Browne grew up in a charming middle class neighborhood in Van-couver, British Columbia. Te neighbors all looked nice. However,a person’s açade o gentility does not necessarily guarantee an innercore o civility.

“I stood out–which I hated,” Browne recalls. A little blonde, blue-eyed girl once said to her, “Your hair is brown, your name is Browneand your skin’s brown too.” Another time, neighborhood punks ina car chased Browne and her brother and sister. “Tey tried to scareus–and they certainly did,” she admits.

Browne’s parents were not spared rom violence. When the amily went camping, people threw rocks at her parents’ tent. Ethnic hostil-ity did not cease with rocks. “When I was a little girl, about seven,I witnessed a neighbor shout out racist remarks to my ather,” sherecalls. “He thought my ather was the gardener.” Aer some moreangry words, the neighbor and her ather began throwing punchesat each other.

Later in her lie, Browne’s varied background became a negative

actor when she auditioned or a role. “I have a dicult time tting into the mold o casting,” she says. “I’m not Asian enough, not whiteenough, not Spanish enough. A casting director even told me thatto my ace. He is a riend and he told me [that’s] the way the busi-ness is.” All these elements began shaping her concept o diversity.Perhaps that is why she reuses to be bundled into someone’s littlebox o ethnic clichés.

“I am many things,” says Browne with ormidable justication. “Idon’t like to be put in one category.” Consider her degree in crimi-nology which preceded her studies in the perorming arts. Browne’sather told her the only way she would gain respect was to get aneducation or make a lot o money by ascending a corporate ladder orbecoming a lawyer or a doctor. Browne says, “I kind o bypassed allthat and became an artist. I took the harder route. What can I say? Ilike challenges!”

But rst, she spent our years in Simon Fraser’s criminology pro-gram, where she sought to understand “how social and political lie isshaped through power.” I one considers criminology and art unrelat-ed, one would do well to dust o Alexander Pope’s pithiest aphorism:“Te proper study o Mankind is Man.” Tat includes not only saintsand sinners, but also the bulk o humankind harboring both personas

within their crania.

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photo: tvi Snk photo: tvi Snk

By richard jones

diversity blossoms in canada’s cinematic centers





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ing ction lm, It Remains Unsaid , Browne starred as the prin-cipal antagonist. Composed by twin musicians egan and Sara,this oronto production eatured Browne as a torn and conusedlesbian “coming out” in early adulthood.

Currently Browne has accepted the lead role in Delerium, aGothic horror lm by Allen Legac y. Unlike most groan-and-goreepics, this one has a strong point o view. It will address breaking a cycle o domestic abuse, certainly an all-too-common practicein the world.

In the lm, she says, “I had to do a ght stunt scene. [In thatscene] I elt the pain o a woman in an abusive relationship. It wasso painul. I thought, this is what I have to do, or those womenstuck in a violent domestic relationship. For some reason I eel likeI have a responsibility or this world and it’s just the b eginning Ithink. I just wish I could do more.”

Meanwhile, Browne wrote a “semi-autobiographical” scriptinspired by the lie o Buy Sainte-Marie. Te Grammy-winning Native American olk singer gained ame or her war protest song “Universal Soldier.” Browne calls Sainte-Marie “a truly remark-able woman who continues to make positive changes in the worldthrough her music.”

Four decades later, Browne aims to “bring orth a message o peace and activism . . . or everyone to see. We plan to produce anaward winning short which brings orth Buy’s message o peace.”Browne is just the right person or the project. “I have been re-searching her lie since 2008,” she says. Here, Browne’s ten years o training as a classical pianist and a knack or vocals came into play.

Tis lm marks a new level or Browne. “We are being backedby a well-known production company in oronto,” she says. “Tisis my rst well-nanced production.” She plans to use this as abase or a uture project. “From this lm we are spawning the ea-ture lm.”

Here and there, aer college, Browne absorbed uncountableexamples o abuse by megalomaniac power-mongers rom classicliterature through tomorrow morning’s newspaper. Even more in-

fammatory were rst-hand accounts related to her by the victimso persecution who had fed to Canada to avoid death or torture.Te melding o Browne’s skills–and an encounter with a reu-

gee rom Burma (now Myanmar)–led her to write, produce, anddirect I Met a Man fom Burma in 2011. Te award-winning lmhighlights the experiences o reedom ghter Ler Wah Lo Bo. Tischaracter-driven documentary short explores the oldest on-going

confict in the world. Te narrative is expressed through the eyeso Ler Wah Lo Bo, a Burmese reugee. As a ormer revolutionary ghter or the Karen National Liberation he turned activist. Telm touches on the current state o Burma with a ocus on the useo child soldiers.

A number o estivals have accepted this documentary, includ-ing the Berlin International Film Festival, Berlinale Film Cloud,

where it was chosen out o a thousand entries. It also appeared atthe Vancouver International Film Reel Causes program, oronto’sHot Docs. Most recently, Te Female Eye Film Festival in oron-to added I Met a Man fom Burmato its screenings.

Te lm caught the attention o SHAW V. An interview withBrowne soon ollowed, reaching an estimated three million view-ers. Soon, local newspapers and magazines contacted her, request-ing interviews. Browne sent the Canadian immigration minister acopy o the lm. About two months later, the minister called Ler

Wah on May 6, 2012, to say that an upgrade rom reugee status toull citizenship would soon take place. A lm can generate more

virtues than simply “putting butts in the buckets.” Te proud lm-maker smiles the smile o satisaction with this humanitarian act.“I eel this is my biggest accomplishment so ar in my lie,” shesays.

photo: tvi Snk

Documents

Magazine Interview/Pictorial on "Tara Browne in EMPIRICAL MAGAZINE, California, USA