{"id":48627,"date":"2016-12-28T15:26:07","date_gmt":"2016-12-28T22:26:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/idyllwildtowncrier.com\/?p=48627"},"modified":"2016-12-28T15:26:07","modified_gmt":"2016-12-28T22:26:07","slug":"red-pill-iifc-opening-night-film-difficult-pill-filmmaker","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/idyllwildtowncrier.com\/2016\/12\/28\/red-pill-iifc-opening-night-film-difficult-pill-filmmaker\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018The Red Pill,\u2019 IIFC opening-night film, a difficult pill for filmmaker"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"
Cassie Jaye, director of the IIFC opening-night feature documentary, \u201cThe Red Pill,\u201d said making the film caused her to confront and reconsider many of her closely held beliefs as a feminist.
Photo courtesy Cassie Jaye<\/figcaption><\/figure>Making \u201cThe Red Pill,\u201d Idyllwild International Festival of Cinema opening-night film, was a difficult and extraordinarily personal journey for documentarian Cassie Jaye.<\/p>\n

When Jaye founded Jaye Bird Productions in 2008, her goal was to produce feature-length documentaries that would expand the mind and encourage critical thought on politically polarizing issues. But with \u201cThe Red Pill,\u201d her exploration of the mysterious and highly polarizing world of the Men\u2019s Rights Movement, Jaye fought to fund, make and screen the film amidst more backlash than she had ever experienced. <\/p>\n

For Jaye, whose previous feature docs explored abstinence-only programs in America (\u201cDaddy I Do\u201d) and marriage equality (\u201cThe Right to Love: An American Family\u201d), the subject matter was controversial but, nevertheless, had strong bases of support among a variety of potential funding sources. She was able to obtain funding through grants and \u201cangel\u201d contributors. <\/p>\n

For \u201cThe Red Pill,\u201d previous funding sources were not interested because of the subject matter. Jaye, even though a well-established filmmaker, had to resort to an online Kickstarter campaign, used more often by individuals mounting a project for the first time. Jaye said she had a potential funding source from a feminist organization, but chose not to use it in order to have no strings attached. \u201cI knew I needed to maintain creative control in order to create a balanced film,\u201d said Jaye.<\/p>\n

Even after the film was completed, there was pushback from mainstream media reviewers, feminist groups and movie houses that canceled screenings.<\/p>\n

For Jaye, a cautious filmmaker who prides herself on her methodical and balanced approach in creating her projects, making \u201cThe Red Pill\u201d became a far more personal journey than she had anticipated \u2014 challenging some of her most deeply held beliefs as a feminist, and forcing her to confront and understand points of view often couched in inflammatory and off-putting confrontational language and headlines.<\/p>\n

In each of her projects, she selects a subject that is often misunderstood by a broad segment of the public. But with Men\u2019s Rights Activism, the polarization was intense. She spent a year making the film, interviewing 44 people and shooting 100 hours of film. She interviewed leaders of the MRM, both male and female, and listened to rebuttals by leaders and scholars within the modern-day feminist movement.<\/p>\n

Throughout the filming, Jaye documented her personal struggle to openly listen to and understand points of view of the Men\u2019s Rights Activists rather than react from her feminist perspective. Jaye said she has kept video diaries since she was 18, documenting her experiences. In \u201cThe Red Pill,\u201d she interweaves those personal insights with the film interviews. She learns about what the MRAs call \u201cMale Disposability,\u201d the theory of why men make up the majority of workplace deaths and injuries, and suicides, and have shorter life expectancy than women. She also explores father\u2019s rights issues including child custody, paternity fraud and pregnancy \u201centrapment,\u201d as well as domestic-violence laws that men claim favor female over male victims.<\/p>\n

The \u201cred pill\u201d term derives from the feature film \u201cThe Matrix,\u201d when Neo chooses the red pill to experience reality as it is rather than a well-crafted illusion. Jaye said making the film proved to be a red pill for her, breaking traditional norms and reshaping her own reality. <\/p>\n

\u201cI do believe this is an extremely balanced film,\u201d said Jaye. \u201cIt is not a propaganda piece. I\u2019ve made it so that the audience can decide and make its own determination. My hope for this film is to educate audiences on issues that face men and boys in our society today, and analyze why the current gender discussion is not fully inclusive. I don\u2019t have all of the answers, but I believe the first step in the right direction is asking the uncomfortable questions. I know this film may cause visceral reactions in some people but I now believe that if you aim to understand, you will never be offended.\u201d <\/p>\n

But since reaction, especially by groups and individuals who have not yet seen the film, has been intense, Jaye does have concerns about her future. \u201cI definitely wonder if I\u2019ll ever work again and that reaction could affect my future work,\u201d she said. \u201cBut I sleep well each night knowing that the film was an accurate reflection of what I experienced. It\u2019s the most important work I\u2019ve done in my life.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Red Pill\u201d plays at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 5, as IIFC opening-night film at the Rustic Theatre. It will be released worldwide in March and available on Netflix, Amazon and Hulu, and in wider theatrical release.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf only we could talk with each other as human beings without using labels, whether a feminist or an MRA, a Trump or Hillary supporter, or as a member of one tribe or another,\u201d said Jaye. \u201cBut I don\u2019t see that happening.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Making \u201cThe Red Pill,\u201d Idyllwild International Festival of Cinema opening-night film, was a difficult and extraordinarily personal journey for documentarian Cassie Jaye. When Jaye founded Jaye Bird Productions in 2008, her goal was to produce feature-length documentaries that would expand the mind and encourage critical thought on politically polarizing issues. But with \u201cThe Red Pill,\u201d […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"amp_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n\u2018The Red Pill,\u2019 IIFC opening-night film, a difficult pill for filmmaker • Idyllwild Town Crier<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/idyllwildtowncrier.com\/2016\/12\/28\/red-pill-iifc-opening-night-film-difficult-pill-filmmaker\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\">\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"3 minutes\">\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/idyllwildtowncrier.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/idyllwildtowncrier.com\/\",\"name\":\"Idyllwild Town Crier\",\"description\":\"Almost All the News \\u2014\\u00a0Part of the Time\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":\"https:\/\/idyllwildtowncrier.com\/?s={search_term_string}\",\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/idyllwildtowncrier.com\/2016\/12\/28\/red-pill-iifc-opening-night-film-difficult-pill-filmmaker\/#primaryimage\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/idyllwildtowncrier.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/jaye.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/idyllwildtowncrier.com\/2016\/12\/28\/red-pill-iifc-opening-night-film-difficult-pill-filmmaker\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/idyllwildtowncrier.com\/2016\/12\/28\/red-pill-iifc-opening-night-film-difficult-pill-filmmaker\/\",\"name\":\"\\u2018The Red Pill,\\u2019 IIFC opening-night film, a difficult pill for filmmaker • Idyllwild Town Crier\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/idyllwildtowncrier.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/idyllwildtowncrier.com\/2016\/12\/28\/red-pill-iifc-opening-night-film-difficult-pill-filmmaker\/#primaryimage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2016-12-28T22:26:07+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2016-12-28T22:26:07+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/idyllwildtowncrier.com\/#\/schema\/person\/800eebb80d1e5e36859dc6c5cb500784\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/idyllwildtowncrier.com\/2016\/12\/28\/red-pill-iifc-opening-night-film-difficult-pill-filmmaker\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/idyllwildtowncrier.com\/#\/schema\/person\/800eebb80d1e5e36859dc6c5cb500784\",\"name\":\"Marshall Smith\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/idyllwildtowncrier.com\/#personlogo\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6f832ebbb90c77ae40e932b1b868a8db?s=96&d=retro&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Marshall Smith\"},\"description\":\"Marshall Smith has been writing for the Town Crier since 2005. 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