Filmmaker sisters Fiona and Sophia Robert, a rare duo in Hollywood, are set to release their new film A New York Story in the UK and Ireland. Written, produced, and starring both sisters, with Fiona directing, the film follows the journey of a young New Yorker whose social status is threatened when she falls for a photographer.
How was the process of co-writing, producing, and acting in A New York Story together as sisters? Were there any challenges in balancing these different roles?
We are very lucky to have a partner that we trust, some people find it very difficult to work with family. However, we think it would be difficult to work with someone that wasn’t family. We enjoy balancing all those hats, because it comes naturally, we are simply streamlining our work without getting caught up in overthinking the creative process or any particular role.
Fiona, you took on the direction of the film. How was it to direct a project in which you also acted and worked alongside your sister?
Sophia has always been very supportive of me directing our projects, which I am grateful for. I work closely with Sophia before we start shooting, so there is a lot of trust. I enjoy acting and directing because it helps me work on instinct which is important in making quality art.
The film tells a story about a young woman facing social exclusion for falling in love with a photographer. What motivated you to explore this narrative in A New York Story?
We wanted to explore the common group dynamic where there is a sort of hierarchy in place, and people can face ostracization for not conforming. Exploring this dynamic in the context of a relationship really exemplified how people can betray their own happiness, just to feel accepted.
Do you think being sisters brought a different dynamic to the way you worked together on set?
Definitely. We absolutely trust each other. There are always dynamics and personalities to deal with behind the scenes, so it is good for people to know that there are two equally important leaders that they can use as resources. And good for us to have someone to turn to for a creative opinion.
What were the biggest influences and inspirations for you when creating this film, both in terms of visual style and screenplay?
New York films that we have special respect for and love are our biggest inspirations. Visually, we drew inspiration from The Age of Innocence and When Harry Met Sally, with color theory and shot listing. Love Story was a big inspiration for costume and music. In terms of the screenplay, we really wanted to create a film that felt like a companion to Whit Stillman’s Metropolitan. Whit explored the debutant scene when it was a popular way for uptown people to mix and mingle. Now charity events are a bit more popular, so we turned our attention to the philanthropy scene of New York’s Upper East Side. We’ve had lots of people who have seen the film comment that it felt like a reunion, because Whit Stillman the director, and Carolyn Farina the star of Metropolitan, both act in A New York Story.
Hollywood is notoriously male-dominated. As female filmmakers and sisters, what have been the main barriers you’ve faced, and how have you overcome these challenges?
On a positive note, many of the female department heads we have hired for both of our films have been crucial to our success. As one of our company goals when we began, we set out to hire women. We’re grateful we did that because they are the most supportive and always go above and beyond. We’ve had certain men be respectful and supportive of us, people like Whit Stillman who have been truly amazing. But we have also had men we’ve hired say we are ‘inexperienced,’ complain about how we run our set and then turn around and not deliver on their work. We have had male crew members steal money from us, and speak badly about us on our sets behind our backs. We wish it wasn’t true. And we sometimes wonder if they do the same when men are in charge.
The film’s premiere in the UK and Ireland is a major milestone. How are you feeling about this international expansion, and what do you hope audiences in these countries take away from the film?
We are very excited to be in the UK and Ireland, because we both spend time in the UK and have a wonderful community there. We have a great love for the Brits and their unparalleled creativity and artistic diligence. For example, the English actually read scripts when you send them. We are excited to work with British talent on our upcoming film, a murder mystery. Sometimes people think that Americans are not as intellectual, but we hope that they take away from our films that we do believe in making thoughtful movies with witty and well written screenplays.
How do you see the future of sister collaborations in the film industry? Do you have other projects in mind that will follow this same path of creative collaboration?
Right now we are one of the only sister teams in Hollywood. We can’t name five! Hopefully one day we will be able to. Our next project is a murder mystery set in the UK called, May They Never Meet. The script is finished and now we begin the process of putting a film together all over again.
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