By Darlene Donloe
Contributing Writer
It was 25 years ago that director Christine Swanson started writing the dramedy, “Albany Road.”
Her seventh film is a feature film that stars Tony Award-winner Renee Elise Goldsberry (“Hamilton”) and legendary Emmy Award-winner Lynn Whitfield (“The Josephine Baker Story”).
It also stars J. Alphonse Nicholson, Lisa Arrindell, Gary Dourdan, Ben Rappaport, Joe Holt, Rachel Nicks and Lily Cowles.
“It’s a story about two intergenerational women who find themselves stuck with each other and who have to share the last rental car at the airport,” said Swanson, who wrote and directed the film. “It’s during this journey that they grow on each other and have to count on each other. They have to readjust the thoughts they had about each other.”
The film, which took 23 days to shoot in Illinois during the winter, was released in November, but is no longer in theaters.
“We’re looking for a distribution deal,” said Swanson, whose husband, Michael Swanson, a movie producer, an Emmy Award-winning and Hollywood TV studio executive, produced the film. “We’re looking for a streaming deal.”
Michael Swanson is the president and CEO of the production and distribution company Faith Filmworks. He also has produced several movies to critical and audience acclaim, including “All About You,” “All About Us,” “For the Love of Ruth,” “The Wayman Tisdale Story” and “Andrae Crouch: Making The Journey.”
Michael Swanson is also senior vice president of production at Universal Studio Group, with credits such as “Parks and Recreation,” “Hacks,” “The Good Place,” “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” “Never Have I Ever,” “Community,” “Good Girls,” “Master of None” and more.
Michael Swanson has been involved with the Tony Award-winning musical “Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations,” and more on Broadway.
Albany Road was 100% financed by the Swansons.
“It was a labor of love,” said Christine Swanson, whose four children, who also worked on the film, are 16, 19, 21, and 22. “The actors did not give any less to their artistry of commitment. I started writing it over 25 years ago. I took a 15-year break from the industry to have four kids and raise them. I then came back. I said to myself, ‘Oh, the industry is still here. I didn’t miss anything. I gained maturity and insight as a mother.’”
I recently spoke to Christine Swanson about the dramedy “Albany Road.”
DD: Where did the story come from, and why was it necessary to tell?
CS: There is a health crisis in the movie. We dealt with a similar health crisis with my husband’s mother. There were things she didn’t tell us about her cancer.
DD: What is the message of “Albany Road?”
CS: The message is that life has twists and turns, but in our journey, we have to accept what comes.
DD: When the movie came out, how did it do financially?
CS: It had a national release. It did what it was supposed to do. Lynn [Whitfield] was put on the Hollywood Reporter’s contender list. It was the film of the year for AAFCA (African American Film Critics Association). It had a lot of effecting hearts.
DD: You have J. Alphonse Nicholson (“P-Valley”) in the movie. Why did you cast him?
CS: When I directed him in “P-Valley,” I saw a leading man similar to the men I grew up with in Detroit. He was a bona fide leader.
DD: Why did you cast Lynn Whitfield?
CS: When I met her, we did a Facetime. Two seconds in, she possessed this every-woman quality. Lynn Whitfield is Lynn Whitfield.
DD: Where can people see the movie now?
CS: We want to distribute it to streamers. We are talking to and negotiating with streamers, and we hope to have it out in the first quarter.
DD: Talk about the working dynamic between you and your husband.
CS: The dynamic was fluid and smooth. We’ve been doing this together since 1997. He is an Emmy Award-winning producer. I’m an award-winning director. We let each other do our job.
DD: How do you gauge if your projects are successful?
CS: What’s successful is did we tell a compelling story that moves the heart of audiences. If we did that, it would be successful.
DD: Talk about what kind of director you are. Do you like a lot of rehearsals?
CS: With independent films, you don’t have much time for rehearsal. The actors get time to spend with the work. We do collaborative work to achieve the end work. I’m a collaborative director, but I clearly understand what the character arc should be. It’s an open discussion with actors. They are co-creators.
DD: How do you develop a strong working relationship with actors to get the best performance out of them?
CS: There has to be a line of communication. I’m the mother hen. I create a safe environment.
DD: Which film directors have significantly influenced your style?
CS: James L. Brooks and Martin Scorsese. Brooks told emotionally engaging stories, both masculine and feminine. His movies have an emotional impact. Films like “Terms of Endearment,” “Broadcast News,” and “Spanglish.” He’s a master. Scorsese has a musical aesthetic with a grounding sense of personal investment in his stories. I love his commitment to his Italian heritage told in a unique but universal way.
DD: You are both the writer and the director. Could you describe the writing process?
CS: I sit at the computer and write. I have notes and a map of where it needs to go. The first draft is never the draft you shoot. All writing is rewriting. It could take years to get a story up to par. Writing is easy. Directing is rocket science.
DD: What is the most valuable lesson you’ve learned throughout your directing career?
CS: In 1997, I learned that if you live long enough, it’s a long game. It would behoove us to make connections outside of the industry that could sustain us in the industry, such as things like family.
DD: You shot the film in Champaign, Illinois.
CS: Yes. We froze doing it. We shot for 23 days. Everybody just sucked it up and went for it. There’s no pampering. You just muscle through it. We purposely picked a cold location.
DD: What is the best advice you received and the best advice you’ve given for up-and-coming directors?
CS: Learn your craft. There are two sides to this business. Understand the business and be artistic. Understand how things work. This industry is not for you if you’re a hermit. You’re in if you know how to talk to people and create.
DD: Not everyone can be a director. What do you see that we don’t see?
CS: It’s like juggling three balls in the air simultaneously. Then you throw in an axe, a machete and a loaded gun.
DD: What does directing do for you?
CS: In my soul, directing allows me to be a perpetual child who gets to play in the sandbox with her friends. We get to build sandcastles together.
DD: Is this your best work?
CS: It could be. This film is mainly encompassing all the lessons I learned as a director.
Darlene Donloe is a freelance reporter for Wave Newspapers who covers South Los Angeles. She can be reached at ddonloe@gmail.com.
