Conversation with movie director, screenwriter Linda Andersson: Part Two

linda andersson, movies, director, writer, lesbian, gay, los angeles

Writer/Director Linda Andersson (Photo courtesy of L.A.)

Linda Andersson is a movie maker with a passion for creating provocative, entertaining films that are generating a lot of buzz in Hollywood.

With two of her films screening at prestigious film festivals this summer, and her underground hit, The Seer, getting made into a feature film prequel, Andersson is on her way to stardom.

Part Two of our interview focuses on Andersson's films, her favorite actress, and why movie fans should have "pride" in supporting LGBT artists.

Describe your project, The Seer. How did you create the piece, why, and where did the inspiration come from?

"The Seer" is a TV pilot we shot last year and it stars Deborah Stewart (Maple Palm). Her character is "Guin Marcus," a psychic private detective, who just happens to be a lesbian. She is often hired by the police department to help them solve cases which have led to a dead end. In the pilot episode, she is able to confirm that Jeremy Rains (played by Landall Goolsby) indeed killed a jogger on a remote trail.

But, what makes her experience different is that she is able to become part of the vision and experiences what the victim actually goes through. She picks up the person's "energy" from items they have touched, or in highly concentrated areas like a bed or a chair.

This is where the inspiration came from for me. It's from a personal experience I had, and still have, and in fact it may be quite common. But I sometimes have thoughts while lying in bed at night, and can't get them out of my head, so I change my sleeping position and the thoughts go away... until the next night, when I am back in that same position and the thoughts run through my head again. This was the launching pad for the way The Seer experiences her gift.

Tell me more about where you're taking The Seer as a feature film.

The Rise Of The Seer is the prequel to the TV show when Guin was on the police force. It also gives a little more backstory on Guin's developing powers and her coming to terms with the fact that she must use them for the greater good. However, the "A-story" is focused on a white-collar crime that hits way too close for home, and it also brings the movie more over the line into a mainstream audience. So, it can sort of be described as a story in the vein of "Bound" only where the lead character is on the right side of the law and has psychic ablilities.

We are currently in the process of attaching additional talent and putting the package together.

Tell me more about your movies, The 6 Month Rule and When The Time's Right.

I have two short films, which I have screening in the LGBT film circuit, this season. They are The 6 Month Rule and When The Time's Right.

The 6 Month Rule is a short comedy and stars Michelle Wolff (Dante's Cove and Mango Kiss) and is about a rule that seems to be broken in the lesbian community, more often than not. Basically, if you can make it past the 6 month mark with a new girlfriend or boyfriend, then maybe you can move your relationship to the next level and move in together. Michelle's character, Nicki just does not get this concept when she attends a party with her current girlfriend, Whitney (played by Gina Scoles), but ends up breaking up with her at the party, and wastes no time and hooks up with Alex (played by Deborah Stewart), who was supposed to be matched up with another single friend in the group. Meanwhile, other drama unfolds and the hostesses of the party (played by Jen Nikolaisen and Beth Shea) have a disaster on their hands. The film will be screening at FRAMELINE on June 27th and at Outfest on July 17th. It is the prequel to the feature film of the same name, which will also be produced by Peggy Irby.

When The Time's Right is a sci-fi, dramedy about a possessed, time-traveling alarm clock that helps Mel (Deborah Stewart) decide whether or not she is ready to move in with her new girlfriend, Sasha (played by Fanshen Cox). Maybe if Nicki from "The 6 Month Rule" had Mel's clock, she would make better decisions... lol And I purposely wrote it as part of my "possessed inanimate objects" collection, which includes Mood Swing.

When The Time's Right is also screening at FRAMELINE on June 20th and 28th, and also at Philadelphia Q-Fest on July 11th and 13th. Other dates are being added as the season continues.

What do you want others to know about you and your work?

I don't ONLY create LGBT content. I write whatever comes to mind and think might be entertaining or provocative. You may have noticed that I have worked quite a bit with Deborah Stewart, and this is because we have an amazing working relationship on top of the fact that she is one of the most versatile actresses, I've seen in a long time. I've had her play someone who is mentally disturbed, a psychic detective, a cute tomboy next door, and a coniving femme-fatale. She can do it all and I'm taking great pleasure in coming up with new roles for her to play in the future.

And I am also not stuck in one particular genre. It's the same thing... Whatever comes to mind and may be a good idea, whether it's a comedy, sci-fi, thriller or a mish-mash, then that's what I write.

Any final thoughts?

I love filmmaking because of the tangible end-product. There is so much work put into all of this that I hope people will support me and other filmmakers, especially those in a niche such as LGBT. And please, have "pride" and buy or rent our content, support the festivals and theatrical realeases and above all, please do not download the movies illegally.

For more info: Linda Andersson

To read Part One of my interview with Linda, click here.

***N. E. Francis is an established news journalist, specializing in arts and entertainment features and is a radio correspondent for the weekly LGBTQ radio program, Alternative Perspectives, every Tuesday on www.wrfg.org. She also writes Tales from a California Blonde, a weekly column published every Saturday exclusively at Examiner.com.

Ms. Francis is also a published poet, ghostwriter, film & theater critic and upcoming children’s author. She owns an online art gallery featuring women artists around the world. Contact her at ArtExaminer@comcast.net.***

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