Inspirational Women In Hollywood: How Marianne Farley Is Helping To Shake Up The Entertainment Industry

“Trust”. Beginnings often lead to failure. It then becomes easy to lose trust in yourself. When something doesn’t work out, take a breath and commit to learn from the experience but never lose trust in your ability to learn, to grow, to improve and to achieve success.

As a part of our series about Inspirational Women In Hollywood, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Marianne Farley.

Marianne Farley is a director/screenwriter, producer, and actress from Montreal, Canada. Her second critically acclaimed short film MARGUERITE won over forty awards around the globe and earned an Academy Award® nomination for Best Live Action Short Film in 2019. Marianne is in the post-production phase of her first feature film NORTH OF ALBANY (co-written with Claude Brie). Her experience as an actress drives every decision she makes as a director. Marianne also produced LES NÔTRES by Jeanne Leblanc in which she plays one of the lead roles. Through her production company SLYKID & SKYKID she is also developing the feature films LA FAUCHE (written by Camille Trudel) and À DEMI- SOUPIR (cowritten with Claude Brie).

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?

I grew up in Montreal, Canada. I’m the middle child. I have an older brother and a younger sister. I was raised by a single mom who ran her own business and took care of our family. I saw my father regularly and he inspired me as a musician and as an artist. My family supported me to be all that I could be. I was exposed to music, film and art in different forms from my early years. I moved a great deal as a child. This was challenging as it is always difficult to leave a school, a community that you know and a family you love. However, it gave me a great deal of resilience as well. It prepared me for a more cosmopolitan life and opened me up to greet change and challenges. I also learned English as a second language and can now use it as easily as I use French.

Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?

I’d been an actress for over 20 years when I decided to commit to being a writer, a director and a producer. The transition happened when I was hired as an actress to do a short film for the INIS which is a film school in Montreal. I met three wonderfully talented women who have since become close friends and colleagues and who supported me in seeing within myself a passion for sharing very personal stories. The commitment to sharing these stories was the trigger that led me to make my first short film RANSACK (SACCAGE). I was hooked and have since then pursued my passion as a writer, director and producer of short and feature films.

Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?

I could share many interesting stories but the one that sticks out is related to how my short film MARGUERITE ended up being nominated for an Oscar®. I never even considered such an outcome as a possibility. I was happy with my film and simply wanted to share it with the widest audience possible. It took 7 months before a festival picked it up in its lineup. FICFA in Moncton New Brunswick was the first to award MARGUERITE with best Canadian short film. This created a domino effect which accelerated the number of entries in festivals and prizes and eventually resulted in the Academy Award® nomination. I was astonished, out of breath and delighted.

What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?

My latest short film FRIMAS has just come out and I am excited about the prospect of sharing it with audiences all around the world. I feel very fortunate because it has already had a great festival run. I’m also in the process of completing the post-production of my first feature film NORTH OF ALBANY (co-written with Claude Brie). It should be released in the fall of 2022. I am also developing two feature films, LA FAUCHE and À DEMI SOUPIR. Both will be produced through my company Slykid & Skykid. Finally, I’m collaborating on a few other projects with independent producers but I can’t divulge any information on those at this time.

You have been blessed with success in a career path that can be challenging. Do you have any words of advice for others who may want to embark on this career path, but seem daunted by the prospect of failure?

The single most important piece of advice that I would like to partake is that you shouldn’t be afraid of failure. Failure in a project does not equate with failure as an artist or as a human being. If you can detach the project that you are doing from who you are and see failure as an opportunity it will make for a much smoother journey to success. When a project fails there can be several reasons. Maybe your idea isn’t the right one at this time. Maybe you need to improve some of your skills in writing, in how you prepare for a shoot or in other areas. Maybe you will find a more fulfilling project to pursue down the line. At any rate, choose to see failure as an opportunity. Accept it, harness your courage and determination and work hard in your next endeavor. Success will occur eventually through hard work, determination and a positive attitude.

We are very interested in diversity in the entertainment industry. Can you share three reasons with our readers about why you think it’s important to have diversity represented in film and television? How can that potentially affect our culture?

The fascinating documentary THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING illustrates so clearly why diversity is important in our industry. It explains how people need to see others who look like them to feel empowered in their own lives. Stories are also a reflection of reality so if you can illustrate through film that stories can change, it becomes believable that reality can also change. A very empowering concept for marginalized groups. Finally, the more diversity we see on screen the more society at large can become more accepting and empathetic. In these times of division, this is probably one of the most important reasons for diversity in the entertainment industry.

What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why? Please share a story or example for each.

“Trust”. Beginnings often lead to failure. It then becomes easy to lose trust in yourself. When something doesn’t work out, take a breath and commit to learn from the experience but never lose trust in your ability to learn, to grow, to improve and to achieve success.

“Don’t be afraid of failure”. I wish I had known the benefits of failure before I started. I would have avoided hours of anguish and self-doubt. My advice now? Embrace failure and see it as an opportunity to improve and to become a better version of yourself.

“Surround yourself with generous and competent people”. As you grow your vision and your expertise don’t be afraid to expect the same from those who surround you. Letting go of a professional relationship may be heartbreaking on a personal level but honor yourself first by following your dream and choosing people who can really support that dream.

“Speak from the heart”. Our minds, particularly its “monkey talk” can get in the way of our hearts. This is particularly true in times of strife. Taking time to connect with yourself where you breathe deeply and listen to the murmurs of your heart will help you settle within and help you to inspire yourself and others.

“Don’t be afraid of your leadership”. Don’t be afraid to use your leadership to make hard decisions and to push yourself and others towards a higher degree of quality or of cooperation. As long as you treat others with respect they will appreciate your honesty, courage and integrity.

Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?

Here are a few tips that have worked for me.

“Look at events that occur with a little perspective or distance”. When a conflict or a roadblock arises it is easy to get tangled up in trying to resolve it quickly. This creates anxiety and stresses your body. Take a breath, look at the facts of the situation, consider all possible solutions and their repercussions. Look for a solution that brings peace and positive results.

Take time off to enjoy your life. You are not your career. Your career is only a part of you. Take time to pamper yourself and to anchor yourself to family and friends. This will provide much-needed time and space to replenish your creative juices and to provide perspective and inspiration for the work to come. Balance is everything.

Surround yourself with positive people with whom you can share openly and who will listen with empathy and an open heart. You want to feel safe in your close relationships so that you experience being truly heard. You also want to know without a doubt that you will receive the most empowering ideas or feedback from those that you allow in your inner circle.

You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

My film FRIMAS is a standard-bearer for a cause that is closest to my heart, “Women’s rights”. It focuses specifically on women’s reproductive rights. The right to abortions. My passion runs wider and deeper. Every woman should have the right to their voice, their choice of career, their choice of who they love and their right to make choices for their own bodies. We need to expand that movement to every country. Every individual of every gender and persuasion need to support it. I believe that empowered women lead to more empowered people and nations. That is another reason why this movement is so important to me.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

Many people helped me along the way. Close friends and family have always been emotional anchors for me and for that I have a great deal of gratitude to each and everyone. The man I shared my life with for many years, Claude Brie, held the vision of me as a director and writer before I even saw it in myself. He knew I had stories to tell and supported me in pushing through the many obstacles. To this day he supports me in manifesting that vision. He is a close friend and I will always be incredibly grateful to him for believing in me.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

“Live in the present moment”. This is a lesson that I’m still learning. Not living in the present always leads to anxiety. When we’re not in the present we’re either second-guessing the past or projecting into an imaginary future. Interestingly enough creative juices only flow when I’m completely present. When I peacefully accept what has happened in the past and when I don’t focus on imagining a possible future I can harness my inner creativity and generate wonderful stories and ideas to further my aspirations and projects. This requires that I learn to breathe deeply and simply trust… but I’m still learning.

We are very blessed that some very prominent names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.

I am deeply inspired by Geena Davis. I would love to have breakfast or lunch or simply have a conversation with her. She is talented, generous and has dedicated her movie career to contribute to society. She touches me deeply for everything she’s done for women and minorities in film and in general. She’s a true visionary and a model for putting your money where your mouth is. She had inspired me to act decisively to achieve what I want.

How can our readers follow you online?

To view the trailer to my latest film FRIMAS you can go to : https://vimeo.com/554737740

To follow FRIMAS

Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/frimasshortfilm

Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/FRIMASshortfilm

Twitter : https://twitter.com/Frimasshortfilm

To follow me on social media

Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/farleymarianne

Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/MarianneFarleyDirector

Twitter : https://twitter.com/Marianne1Farley

This was very meaningful, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!