Author: The Reel Women

@sarahthack: What is your biggest concern with the future? There are so many political things I could say here, but instead I’ll go with telling good stories well. I want to tell good stories that make people feel alive and make days worthwhile, and I want to do it well. Pretty concerned about that right now, actually. #thereelwomen #girlboss #women #womenoflight #picoftheday #photooftheday #female #love #film #television #TV #media #art #FilmEquality #womeninfilm #femalefilmmakers #empoweringwomen #womenempower #betterhollywood #womendirect #girl #movies #movielover #create #me #happy #ladyboss #bosslady #girlgang #goals http://ow.ly/i/kqWeY

@sarahthack: What’s a defining moment in your life? I feel like life is a constant string of defining moments, one after the next, and sometimes you don’t realize they’re defining moments until much later on. When I was 21, I flew to LA for a screening of a short I directed, and ending up meeting a lot of really great people briefly. Everyone seemed to love the short, I got a meeting or two out of it, and I felt like, “Wow. My career must really be taking off.” Fun fact – it wasn’t, but I got an email at the time from a director who’d made several critically well-received indie movies, telling me that he really liked my short. “It was terrific. Great production and shot design, well conceived and very entertaining – great storytelling all around.” I was more than flattered and thanked him. Then I went to film school, did a billion internships and several jobs assisting, editing, and directing digital media, all in pursuit of the dream. I also followed up with that director several times to no response. I couldn’t blame him though – I probably wouldn’t respond if I were directing Looper or the follow up to JJ Abrams’ Star Wars movie. It wasn’t until nearly 7 years later, and in a time of artistic self-doubt that I randomly stumbled upon Rian’s email. It was defining and uplifting to me in a way then that it wouldn’t have been all those years ago, both because I’ve watched what he’s been able to achieve since we met, and also because I now have an appreciation that a 21 year old doesn’t about how tough it is to achieve those things. Now, I keep a screenshot of that email in a corner of my desktop, just in case I ever need a little encouragement from one of the greats. #thereelwomen #girlboss #women #womenoflight #picoftheday #photooftheday #female #love #film #television #TV #media #art #FilmEquality #womeninfilm #femalefilmmakers #empoweringwomen #womenempower #betterhollywood #womendirect #girl #movies #movielover #me #happy #ladyboss #bosslady #goals http://ow.ly/i/kqVZE

@sarahthack: Why did you decide to get into this industry? Film snobs scoff when I say this, but when I was 14, I saw Sam Raimi’s Spiderman and was totally enchanted not just with the movie itself, but for the first time with the ‘how did they make this?’ aspect of it. I had never really thought about what went into making a movie before, and that’s when I started picking up cameras. I was really into TV production in high school, and was always shooting and editing terrible short films, music videos, and sketches. Senior year, I produced our ‘senior video’, which screened in front of 400 or so members of our graduating class. It was basically a 10 minute long music video featuring throwback videos I’d found of everyone. I was terrified because my teacher warned that past senior videos garnered boos and walkouts (what is this, Cannes?), but serendipitously, no such thing happened. Instead, people jumped up and danced in the aisles – literally. Hiding out in the back of the auditorium, I knew what it was for the first time to affect people in a positive way through a moving image, and I’ve been married to the game ever since. #thereelwomen #girlboss #women #womenoflight #picoftheday #photooftheday #female #love #film #television #TV #media #art #FilmEquality #womeninfilm #femalefilmmakers #empoweringwomen #womenempower #betterhollywood #womendirect #girl #movies #movielover #create #me #happy #ladyboss #bosslady #girlgang #goals http://ow.ly/i/kqVRY

If people want to find out more about you, where can they find you on social media? I’m most active on my Instagram: @bpoletti . Visual portfolio at: biancapoletti.com #thereelwomen #girlboss #women #womenoflight #picoftheday #photooftheday #female #love #film #television #TV #media #art #FilmEquality #womeninfilm #femalefilmmakers #empoweringwomen #womenempower #betterhollywood #womendirect #girl #movies #movielover #create #me #happy #ladyboss #bosslady #girlgang #goals http://ow.ly/i/kRoEd

@bpoletti: What, if anything, do you collect? I’m a photographer as well as a director, so I collect old cameras. When I’m traveling, I like to stop at local thrift stores, and try and find an old camera that looks like it has a past. There’s something magical about using the same lens, to capture what you find beautiful in modern day, that someone back in the 50’s (or whatever year it may be) did as well. #thereelwomen #girlboss #women #womenoflight #picoftheday #photooftheday #female #love #film #television #TV #media #art #FilmEquality #womeninfilm #femalefilmmakers #empoweringwomen #womenempower #betterhollywood #womendirect #girl #movies #movielover #create #me #happy #ladyboss #bosslady #girlgang #goals http://ow.ly/i/kRoCS

@bpoletti: What advice do you have for other women in the industry? The biggest advice I can give future female filmmakers is to be bold, trust your unique voice, and never give up. The film industry is incredibly challenging, however if you continue to create, and trust your vision, things will work in your favor. #thereelwomen #girlboss #women #womenoflight #picoftheday #photooftheday #female #love #film #television #TV #media #art #FilmEquality #womeninfilm #femalefilmmakers #empoweringwomen #womenempower #betterhollywood #womendirect #girl #movies #movielover #create #me #happy #ladyboss #bosslady #girlgang #goals http://ow.ly/i/kRozv

@bpoletti: What is a successful moment in your career so far? The most successful moment in my career so far has been completing my first feature film. It was through a masters class I took with James Franco. We had to create a feature with 6 directors, 6 writers and 6 producers. It was extremely challenging at many moments, but I met some amazing artists and future collaborators through it. #thereelwomen #girlboss #women #womenoflight #picoftheday #photooftheday #female #love #film #television #TV #media #art #FilmEquality #womeninfilm #femalefilmmakers #empoweringwomen #womenempower #betterhollywood #womendirect #girl #movies #movielover #create #me #happy #ladyboss #bosslady #girlgang #goals http://ow.ly/i/kRoyF

@bpoletti: What is your biggest concern with the future? My biggest concern with the future, is not being able to move forward with my work because of my gender. However, I know that with platforms like reel women we can continue to push forward as female storytellers and break the comfortability of what is normal. #thereelwomen #girlboss #women #womenoflight #picoftheday #photooftheday #female #love #film #television #TV #media #art #FilmEquality #womeninfilm #femalefilmmakers #empoweringwomen #womenempower #betterhollywood #womendirect #girl #movies #movielover #create #me #happy #ladyboss #bosslady #girlgang #goals http://ow.ly/i/kRovv

@bpoletti: What’s a defining moment in your life? The most defining moment in my life, was when I was living in Seattle working as a freelance photographer but never truly pursuing my dream as a filmmaker. One day (after living in Seattle for 4 years) I decided I was going to leap into the unknown. I packed all of my things, moved to LA ,(with no real plan) and just started finding creatives I liked working with. From then on, I’ve been making shorts with the same group of creative women and I’ve never been more peaceful. #thereelwomen #girlboss #women #womenoflight #picoftheday #photooftheday #female #love #film #television #TV #media #art #FilmEquality #womeninfilm #femalefilmmakers #empoweringwomen #womenempower #betterhollywood #womendirect #girl #movies #movielover #create #me #happy #ladyboss #bosslady #girlgang #goals http://ow.ly/i/kRotV

@bpoletti: Why did you decide to get into this industry? I’ve always been fascinated by humans, their diverse backgrounds, and how we all connect and live with one another. The magic of directing, and filmmaking is it’s the only career where you get to collaborate with every type of artist. There’s an endless amount of talent that creates one film, and the truly enchanting moment is when we all come together and share one vision. That moment, is what made me want to be a filmmaker. #thereelwomen #girlboss #women #womenoflight #picoftheday #photooftheday #female #love #film #television #TV #media #art #FilmEquality #womeninfilm #femalefilmmakers #empoweringwomen #womenempower #betterhollywood #womendirect #girl #movies #movielover #create #me #happy #ladyboss #bosslady #girlgang #goals http://ow.ly/i/kRopW