American film producer Christine Vachon touched on many subjects including her work with Todd Haynes, the ongoing Hollywood writers’ strike, and some upcoming projects she’d like to work on during a keynote session at this year’s Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in the Czech Republic.
She went into detail about some behind the scenes moments about Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story, one of the early hits of her frequent collaborator Todd Haynes. Haynes used stop-motion animation of dolls to reenact some of the scenes of the short, and Mattel visited their office when the film was released to argue over the legality.
Vachon recounted how Haynes was able to prove that the dolls were only a Barbie knock-off, so Mattel was not able to sue and the short was allowed to keep airing.
Vachon also discussed the recent writers’ strike and how she remembers the last writers’ strike in 2008.
“I remember the 2008 strike and how devastating that was. Killer Films barely got out of it intact,” Vachon said of the film production company she founded. “I know a lot of young writers and how hard it is for them, especially the ones just getting started in their careers. Most of the demands on the table are right. The streamers have upended the business so much, and they’ve got to make it right.”
As for what’s up next, Vachon said she wants to complete a story set in New York City in the 1980s or ‘90s. “ I just haven’t found a good story,” she said.
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