When the door is closed, open a window. When I finished film school I had a huge shock. Everything happens through contacts in the film industry. It was a very tightly knit circle. I didn’t know anybody. Social media didn’t exist yet. And when you looked at the decision-makers back then, selection committees who decided which stories are told, investors who gave the money, there wasn’t a huge openness for diverse voices. I couldn’t figure out how to get in. So for years I worked as a writer in another industry. At night and on weekends I would work on my scripts. It took me about 5 years to make my first short film. In the meantime I honed my skills as a writer and kept learning.
As a part of our series about “Filmmakers Making A Social Impact” I had the pleasure of interviewing Marilyn Cooke.
Based in Montreal, Canada, Marilyn Cooke brings her unique voice to every story she crafts. Since completing her degree in film studies at Université du Québec à Montréal, she has written and directed three short fiction films and two web series.
Her latest short, No Ghost in the Morgue (TIFF, Palm Springs) won the Best Narrative Short Film Award at its world premiere at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, making it an Academy Award qualifier for 2023.
Her previous film Wanted: Strong Woman has screened in more than 40 festivals (Palm Springs, Vienna Shorts, Dresden) and won 7 mentions and awards, including Best Director Grand Prize at the Rhode Island International Film Festival.
Her first feature film, La fille du manguier, has received support from the TIFF Filmmaker Lab. She has also directed two web series including Pa t’mentir, winner of a Prix Gémeaux for Best Digital Series: Talk-Show.
As a writer-director, Marilyn brings complex characters and dreamlike worlds to the screen. Her approach touches on Caribbean themes, namely the importance of dreams and honouring the ancestors. It is also very important to her to feature Black women as leads in multidimensional and complex roles, using a singular visual style and immersive soundscapes.
Thank you so much for doing this interview with us! Before we dive in, our readers would love to get to know you a bit. Can you share your “backstory” that brought you to this career?
When I was a child, my dream was to become a great artist and to have a tragic fate, or to be a prophet (believe it or not!). And then when I was a teenager, I discovered poetry and I wanted to become a “poète maudit” like Rimbaud. I don’t know why but being a starving writer tortured by inner demons appealed to me. As you can probably gather, I was a tad melodramatic. But I really liked writing poems, short stories and plays. My parents were staunchly against me being a tortured poet so I had to start considering other options.
Around the same time, I started working at a local video rental store. I could rent films for free, and suddenly I had access to an array of independent and foreign films that were not on my radar before. I started seeing movies that I could feel were written by a person with a specific point of view, and I had this sense that there was an “auteur” behind it. And it dawned on me that cinema was an art. It was a vision of the world, these were not products like other films that I had seen before. And that’s when I said to myself: this is what I want to do. I want to make films like this. That feeling has stayed with me all throughout film school and to this day.
It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
On the first day of my first shoot as a director, I was so anxious. Everyone on set had more experience than I did. I had the biggest impostor syndrome but I tried really hard to hide it. I had this idea in my head of what a film director was supposed to be, a really decisive and firm person, so I pretended I knew exactly what I was doing. As we were getting ready to shoot the first take, I got so nervous that I yelled “Action” at completely the wrong time. Everyone stopped and looked at me. I was so embarrassed, I wanted to sink into the floor.
I think the lesson is that it’s okay to have a bit of vulnerability and to tell people what you don’t know. It’s what I’ve done ever since and it’s always led to better collaboration than pretending to be something you are not. People can feel it when you’re insecure anyway.
Who are some of the most interesting people you have interacted with? What was that like? Do you have any stories?
One of the great things about working in film is that you get to meet so many people from different backgrounds and walks of life. My previous short film was on wrestling and I worked with actual wrestlers who wanted to get into the WWE. I was really impressed with their dedication and their love for it. Wrestling is part extreme sport, where they actually hurt themselves quite often, and part theatre. It was fascinating to get a glimpse into their world which is a bit marginal.
For No Ghost in the Morgue, I talked to people who work with dead bodies. That was quite something too. I had been curious for a while about people who work at the morgue, like how do you get started doing that. I had a personal experience with a worker who treated a loved one’s deceased body with a lot of compassion. She told me she speaks to them, and addresses them as if they were still alive. I was really comforted by that, I felt she was really taking care of them.
Which people in history inspire you the most? Why?
I’m inspired by all the anonymous people who have organized and created solidarity within their communities. I believe that a lot of change happens through sustained, small-scale grassroots efforts, from people helping each other and helping their neighbours.
These people are often nameless, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they were mostly women.
Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview, how are you using your success to bring goodness to the world? Can you share with us the meaningful or exciting social impact causes you are working on right now?
Women are still a minority in key creative positions in the film world, and black women are even more rare. As a biracial woman, I have had people not believe I was the director on my own set, and others have told me my stories are too niche to interest anyone. I had to trust in my vision and in myself. What helps me deal with it is creating a community with other Black filmmakers. I mentor artists from the younger generation, because validating their creativity can change someone’s life. I am impressed with how they are unafraid of breaking boundaries. They inspire me to go further and to assert our storytelling together. It’s my way of giving back in the spirit of our shared love of cinema. The progress is slow but we are starting to be seen.
Many of us have ideas, dreams, and passions, but never manifest it. But you did. Was there an “Aha Moment” that made you decide that you were actually going to step up and take action for this cause? What was that final trigger?
A script writing mentor advising me on my first script once told me she wished she had directed the films she wrote, but that she had never had the guts to do it. She urged me to try directing. I was fearful and thought I didn’t have what it takes. She said: “Just try it once — the worst that will happen is you will fail, or you will decide you don’t like it. And then what? You never do it again, people forget about you and it ends there. But you won’t know until you try.”
That was the kick in the pants I needed at that time. I’m really happy she shared those words of wisdom with me.
Can you tell us a story about a particular individual who was impacted or helped by your cause?
I don’t know how to answer this, I’m sorry.
Are there three things that individuals, society or the government can do to support you in this effort?
Same haha
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why. Please share a story or example for each.
1. When the door is closed, open a window.
When I finished film school I had a huge shock. Everything happens through contacts in the film industry. It was a very tightly knit circle. I didn’t know anybody. Social media didn’t exist yet. And when you looked at the decision-makers back then, selection committees who decided which stories are told, investors who gave the money, there wasn’t a huge openness for diverse voices. I couldn’t figure out how to get in. So for years I worked as a writer in another industry. At night and on weekends I would work on my scripts. It took me about 5 years to make my first short film. In the meantime I honed my skills as a writer and kept learning.
2. You don’t have to be what you’re not.
For a long time I thought directors were supposed to be (like the name says!) directive, to be commanding, to show strength at all times and to know everything, which are all qualities that are associated with being stereotypically masculine. Which is why I thought it would be even harder for me to be a director because it’s not in my nature to be authoritative like that, and I like to wear bright colours and even pink occasionally.
I also have a lot of empathy and sensitivity, I attune very easily to the emotions and needs of others. I had to build up my personal courage and leadership skills to not get easily flustered and to accept to bring these more “feminine qualities” to my directing style.
3. Don’t underestimate the importance of mentorship and community.
Someone somewhere has already been through what you are going through. Find someone who is where you want to be and ask them for advice on how to get there. You will save so much time and most of all you’ll realize that your struggles are not unique.
Whichever industry you are in, there are usually groups or mentoring programs you can join. If you don’t have access to that, it can help to find podcasts or Youtube videos about what you want to do. There are so many online communities right now. You’ll be surprised how open people are to mentoring others and giving back.
4. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there.
I believe that talent is overrated. Successful people are not always the ones who were the best in the beginning, they are often the ones who persisted over time and who continue to try things, to experiment and evolve. Give yourself permission to suck at first. You will learn by doing it. Get started and give yourself the space to create something that is not perfect.
5. Don’t love your work.
What I mean by that is don’t pressure yourself to love it every day. People say “Find something you love to do and you’ll never feel like you’re working”. That’s a lie. Shooting a movie is the jungle. It’s extremely long and chaotic. It’s a lot of work but it can also be a lot of fun. I mean, we get to tell stories. But still, it’s not true that you’re going to love it every day. I don’t think it’s true for anyone! When I’m working 14-hour days outside in the cold rain, or dealing with conflict in the team, it’s hard. I think what we should say instead is find something that gives you purpose. That gives meaning to your life. That makes you feel like you’re in the right place.
If you could tell other young people one thing about why they should consider making a positive impact on our environment or society, like you, what would you tell them?
The world needs to hear your voice and your stories right now. Don’t be afraid to shake things up and turn the whole world upside down.
We are very blessed that many other Social Impact Heroes read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US, whom you would like to collaborate with, and why? He or she might see this. 🙂
Ava du Vernay is an all-time inspiration for me. I admire everything in her work, from her directing actors to the cinematography to the causes she espouses. Hit me up Ava! 😉
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
There is a powerful phrase that I heard Jane Campion say during a masterclass in Montreal: You only need 1% more courage than fear to act. I think sometimes we wait until we are 100% sure of something before we dare to take the next step. And that can paralyze us and stop us from going forward. It’s about doing it anyway even though we are scared. Even if we think we are unqualified, it’s about letting ourselves not be perfect or be 100% confident and getting in the room anyway.
How can our readers follow you online?
Follow No Ghost in the Morgue on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pasdefantome
or Instagram @pasdefantome
Or you can catch me on Instagram @cookemooke
This was great, thank you so much for sharing your story and doing this with us. We wish you continued success!
Thank you so much, it was a pleasure!
Filmmakers Making A Social Impact: Why & How Filmmaker Marilyn Cooke Is Helping To Change Our World was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.