Despite its chilly location and subject matter, "On the Ice," produced by Cara Marcous '97, is heating up the film festival circuit.
The 2011 Sundance Film Festival selection tells the story of two teenagers trying to get away with murder in Barrow, Alaska, writer-director Andrew Okpeaha Maclean's hometown. The two teenage friends attempt to cover up the accidental murder of their friend during a fight on a seal hunt, and "On the Ice" explores their return to their hometown, Marcous said. "Their relationships deteriorate," she said, "and they have to make the decision of what kind of people they want to be."
Two weeks ago, the film won Best First Feature at the Berlin International Film Festival. "Total surprise. We are over the moon," Marcous wrote in an e-mail to The Herald soon after getting the good news. In addition to the Berlin festival and Sundance, the film was shown at the Istanbul International Film Festival.
All of the success is quite an accomplishment for Marcous — this is the first narrative feature film she has produced.
From Brown to Barrow
Film is a fairly new medium for Marcous, who was once more familiar with the drama of live productions.
At Brown, Marcous studied theater, anthropology and literature and immersed herself in the campus theater scene, she said. In addition to joining the comedy group Out of Bounds during her first year, Marcous said she was involved in over 15 theater productions at Brown.
"She was a great actor," said Lowry Marshall, a professor of theater who taught Marcous. "She was widely cast and wrote a lot."
Marshall said she gets the feeling that Marcous can do "anything she wants," adding, "she's very attractive and enthusiastic."
After graduating, Marcous focused more on the writing and production side of theater. While working in New York with Peter Dubois MA'97, Marcous accepted a grant to work with Perserverance Theatre in Juneau, Alaska for a month, she said. Some of her new Alaskan acquaintances put her in contact with Maclean, who has "similar artistic interests in theater and film," she added. The two met upon her return to New York.
The Road to Sundance
Marcous and Maclean first worked together on a documentary in 2005. She then went on to produce his short film "Sikumi (On the Ice)." In 2008, the film won the Jury Prize in Short Film at Sundance. With the film's success, Marcous and Maclean decided to turn the short into a feature-length film, she said.
Maclean wrote the screenplay while Marcous served as a "soundboard" during its development, discussing ideas and changes with him, she said. The film was shot in Maclean's hometown of Barrow, Alaska, best known for being the northernmost city in the U.S.
"I pretty much run the show," Marcous said of her various responsibilities as a producer, which involved pre-production, editing, casting, financing, sound and nearly every aspect of the film's creation.
"I think for me the creative side of producing is the most rewarding," Marcous said. The most challenging aspect of the filmmaking process came from working around the film's tight budget, she said. Though less than thrilling, learning the business side of producing is crucial, she added.
Marcous' previous experiences at Sundance, first in 2008 for the short version of the film and then in 2009 as part of fellowship program, helped her know what to expect for "On The Ice." She promoted the film through multiple screenings, panels and meetings with distributors.
Foreign distribution deals for the film are already in place, and the next step is deciding on American distributors, Marcous said. The film will most likely screen at the Boston Independent Film Festival as well as at several more festivals in the summer, she added.
Critics have generally praised the film for its cinematography and regional authenticity. The most common critique of the film seems to focus on the inexperience of the film's actors. Selling the film has been difficult because all of the actors are unknowns, Marcous acknowledged, but she added it has stood out because "it's a unique project."
"We met hundreds of people," Marcous said of the film's casting process. All of the actors in the film are Inupiaq, as is Maclean, and — with the exception of one Canadian Inuit actor — have no previous acting experience.
Juggling roles
"My heart's still in theater," Marcous said, but in the meantime, she plans to focus on producing film in order to firmly establish her career.
She still has a strong interest in writing and is currently working on a film script. If she were to give up on writing, "I'd resent my career," she said.
For now, acting is on the backburner. "When I decided to focus more in producing, I was letting go of acting in a way," she said, adding that she loves and misses acting but that the reality of the lifestyle can often be difficult and less than inspiring. "It's not the only thing I love," she said.
Mentors and fellow students from Marcous' Brown years have been influential in shaping her career, she said. At Brown, "I've learned what true artistic collaboration is," she said, adding that she still thinks about the artists she respected here and is still in contact with many of her collaborators from college.
When you get to a point in your career when you have a project "and can hire all of your friends," she said, "it's totally the dream."
