Hilary Brougher writes and directs films which blend the mechanics of original storytelling with gritty development of character. Through incisive dialogue; emotional harbingers of hope followed by inevitable glimpses of realism, Hilary’s projects each carry with them a distinct piece of the era in which they were constructed. Growing up in Catskill, NY, she would frequent the cinema every week to catch a taste of the latest auteur to be featured, such as Fellini. Jim Jarmusch, Spike Lee, Gillian Armstrong and Jane Campion were among the filmmakers she admired into the 80’s. She made her film debut as writer and director of The Sticky Fingers of Time (Terumi Matthews; Nicole Zaray; James Urbaniak), which premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 1997. Shot on Super 16 in Williamsburg, the film captured the scent of the 1950’s noir genre in unparalleled unique fashion and flair through the vein of time-travel, feeling stuck and reminiscing about the future. Her next feature film, Stephanie Daley, was developed at the Sundance Lab and starred Academy Award Winner Tilda Swinton and Amber Tamblyn in lead roles; the film portrayed themes of trauma, pregnancy and the search for truth fueled by heavy emotions and performances which followed suit. Timothy Hutton, Denis O’Hare, Melissa Leo and Jim Gaffigan support the storyline in masterful and different ways. Hilary won the Waldo Scott Screenplay Award at the Sundance Film Festival, and Best Director at the Milan International Film Festival; Stephanie Daley was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, while Tamblyn was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for her gripping performance as the title character. Hilary then adapted Jane Mendelsohn’s novel Innocence into a feature film of the same name, which starred Kelly Reilly, Sophie Lane Curtis, Sarita Choudhury and delved into the teen horror, vampire fiction genre. Her latest film, South Mountain, is a poetic expanse on life, liberty and morality through lens of masterful performances by Talia Balsam, Scott Cohen and Andrus Nichols. She worked with “Sticky Fingers” collaborator, cinematographer and husband, Ethan Mass, on the project, and displayed the craft she has continued to execute with charm throughout her illustrious career. She is Professor of Professional Practice in Film at Columbia University. In our conversation, we discussed shooting on film; practical considerations in distribution; and directing some of the best actors of all time.
Opening Credits: Delay 77 - Nothing at All I Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0); Closing Credits: HoliznaCC0 - The Dull Blade Of Repetition I CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication