Moon Lake, Interview with Producer Miranda Kahn

Moon Lake is the short film presented at the Venice Film Festival.  The plot is about a sleepover that takes place in the suburbs around Lake Michigan. It was directed by Jeannie Sui Wonders and produced by Miranda Kahn and Tony Yang. 

The setting of the short film Moon Lake is very unique. Why did you choose it for a short film?

You know, I think Jeannie, this was a story that I think Jeannie, my director, has wanted to tell for a long time. It's something that I think was inspired by her own upbringing and her own childhood. And it's about, you know, what it means to be a young woman who is confused by the changes that come in life. And, you know, as women, we are always told that women support each other and we have each other's backs. 

But I think she's highlighting a time in our adolescence when, adolescence, we don't necessarily know that women have your back and you're afraid to tell other women that you might be going through something. So it felt like an important discussion to have in this day and age. 

You have a production company in New York, Mirmade. What is difficult about organizing work in a production house and for a woman? 

We produce more than 20 productions a year. We hire hundreds of employees and contractors every year. And my production company is me and one other person, so we're very small. So having to manage all those projects with a very small team can be very challenging. 

I don't really have a lot of breaks. I work every single day. Even if it's a weekend, I'm answering an email or a phone call. So it's very non-stop. But I love it, so that helps keep me motivated. As far as the challenges of being a woman, I think it can be harder to take on new projects. 

I really have to work and work and work to meet new directors, to build my reputation, to meet new agencies and new clients. But I think the same is true for men. If you want to get more work, you have to go out and find it. 

Can you tell us about any upcoming projects? 

 Absolutely. So I usually have anywhere from three to six projects going on at the same time. So right now I have a feature film called Lockjaw that Sabrina Greco directed. So that is in post-production. I am looking forward to that. It's an independent feature. I have another independent feature called Or Something that premieres past days in New York. I have a short film that I directed called Fame and Other Four Letter Words. That's the one I'm most excited about because it's my movie that I wrote and directed. And I have two other features that are still doing the festival circuit. And I have a feature that's coming out in March called Wish You Were Here that Julia Stiles directed.