Deirdre Timmons Speaks To Prost Amerika

"A Wink and a Smile" marks Deirdre's directing debut and has been accepted for screening at the Seattle International Film Festival 2008. Prost Amerika spoke to Deirdre days before her big screen debut.

May 21, 2008

Prost Amerika: Describe those ten minutes of your life which started with you not being a film maker and ended with you being a film maker?

Deirdre Timmons: There was no specific ten minutes. My whole life led up to being a filmmaker. I studied acting at The American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York when I was younger. Then I became a reporter. But that became monotonous after ten years and I craved the fun of drama and music and collaborating with other artists. So I decided to take my skills as a storyteller to the screen.

Prost Amerika: What gave you the idea for making burlesque the subject of your first film?

Deirdre Timmons: I was looking for a subject that was musical, entertaining, edgy and women-based.

Prost Amerika: Do women make better documentarians than men?

Deirdre Timmons: Nah. Many of my favorite documentaries are by men. But I do think that with a documentary about something so intimate and so female as burlesque, it helped to be a woman. As part of my research for the film, I studied burlesque and performed myself. I knew first-hand what kind of issues the women would be grappling with.

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Prost Amerika: What kind of issues did they grapple with?

Deirdre Timmons: Many. Body acceptance. Letting go of trying to be perfect in an art form that’s frought with very public moments of imperfection. Reveling in their own sexuality on the coattails of an era where projecting exaggerated femininity is considered “unfeminist.”

Prost Amerika: Is this a feminist film?

Deirdre Timmons: I didn’t start out thinking it would be. But now that people are watching it, it’s stirring debate. What is a feminist? And can a self-proclaimed feminist objectify herself on stage? I would say, as much as the film is about neo-burlesque, where an old art form is being redefined, so it is unintentionally neo-feminist. Women in burlesque are strong, intelligent, and funny. They’re comfortable swinging careers as doctors, writers, programmers, and then going out at night and indulging audiences with wildly creative performances that involve narrative storytelling, dance, music, elaborate costumes ... and stripping. They have no shame associated with their bodies or their sexuality. It’s really quite powerful.

Prost Amerika: Is it ok for men to come and see it just for the nudity?

Deirdre Timmons: Hell yeah! The human body is a beautiful thing. It’s about time we start enjoying it in every shape, size, color and age.

Prost Amerika: What was the most difficult part about filming this particular documentary?

Deirdre Timmons: We had six weeks and ten women to track. It was very hectic syncing up with the crews’ schedules and the subjects’ schedules. I didn’t sleep much.

Prost Amerika: What are the parts you enjoy most and least about being a film maker?

Deirdre Timmons: I love most everything about being a filmmaker – the research, the writing, the negotiating, the filming, the editing – all of it. I HATE the money part. Finding money is draining, difficult and weirdly shameful.

Prost Amerika: What's next for Deirdre Timmons?

Deirdre Timmons: Another musical. This one will be a feature film, not a documentary. I’m really excited about it!