Ep 294: Katie Cokinos: From Slacker to I Dream Too Much
Filmmaking Conversations Podcast with Damien SwabyShow Notes
Filmmaker Katie Cokinos joins Damien Swaby to reflect on a career shaped by independent cinema, personal vision and the determination required to get unconventional films made. Katie recounts beginning her career at the Southwest Alternate Media Project—better known as SWAMP—in Houston.
It was there that she first encountered Richard Linklater and helped his groundbreaking film Slacker secure completion funding, reach international festivals and ultimately find distribution. She discusses the film’s initially difficult reception, including a sparsely attended screening at the Berlin International Film Festival market, and the small but decisive encounters that helped it connect with the right audience.
The conversation also explores Katie’s transition from supporting other filmmakers to finding her own voice as a writer and director.
She reflects on the influence of the French New Wave, the difficulties historically faced by women filmmakers and the experience of being overlooked on the festival circuit while pregnant.
Katie takes us behind the making of Portrait of a Girl as a Young Cat and I Dream Too Much, her coming-of-age feature starring Eden Brolin, Danielle Brooks and Diane Ladd, with Richard Linklater serving as executive producer. She reveals how motherhood changed her writing practice, how the film emerged after a 15-year gap between features and how an extremely low-budget production created convincing performances without conventional rehearsal time.
Damien and Katie also discuss: • Why a filmmaker’s personal vision matters • Helping Slacker find its audience after an early Sundance rejection • Learning the language of cinema outside film school • The influence of Agnès Varda and the French New Wave • Writing in the margins while raising children • The Jane Austen inspiration behind I Dream Too Much • Creating chemistry between actors on a limited schedule • Shooting through three weeks of heavy snow • Using slow motion to expand emotional time • Filming on an iPhone in New York without attracting attention • Richard Linklater’s support across more than three decades • The challenge of bringing audiences back to cinemas after COVID • Why Katie prefers the economy of feature films to television series • Programming films for Upstate Films • Developing The Do Right, a period mystery set in 1973 Beaumont, TexasThis is a warm and candid conversation about artistic survival, creative identity and the unpredictable journey between imagining a film and finally bringing it to the screen.
LINKS
Learn more about Katie Cokinos: https://www.idreamtoomuch.com/katie-cokinos Follow Katie Cokinos on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katiecokinos/Connect with Katie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-cokinos-99180a9/I Dream Too Much — official website: https://www.idreamtoomuch.com/ Watch I Dream Too Much on Amazon Prime Video: https://www.amazon.com/Dream-Too-Much-Katie-Cokinos/dp/B0CGQJ3ZQB Katie Cokinos on FilmFreeway: https://filmfreeway.com/KatieCokinosUpstate Films: https://www.upstatefilms.org/Slacker with Katie Cokinos — Upstate Films: https://www.upstatefilms.org/slackerAustin Film Society: https://www.austinfilm.org/Southwest Alternate Media Project (SWAMP): https://www.swamp.org/
Richard Linklater / Detour Filmproduction: https://www.detourfilm.com/
Former Filmmaking Conversations guest and entertainment attorney Reena Sehgal is the founder of Thoolie, a platform offering independent filmmakers accessible, professionally drafted contracts and practical legal resources: https://thoolie.com/?fbclid=PAdGRleAUMIhRwZG9mAmZkaWQWUN_VLZ5O00wAG5VJwcYKLJR7IDzX22V4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDzEyNDAyNDU3NDI4NzQxNAABp8YqORNw4HfUrakr47-VQNHxfRIZjdKym2B6azcV1UcQ8_XZ-K3QtetIdYci_aem_tFWU2agJYHfjePj36n5zqA
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Episode Show Notes