Renee: Honestly my interest began and ended with the Teacher in Space program but now I am totally in awe of it.
*How did the idea of a documentary on Christa McAuliffe first come about?
It came out of a long desire to learn more about Christa McAuliffe, a passionate woman ahead of her time
*Did you have any preconceived ideas about what you would learn about Christa, and if so, what were they? *Did those notions change, or were they confirmed?
What began as a tribute to an American Hero turned into the discovery of how people handle grief so differently and the double tragedy in this story.
*How well do you feel you came to know Christa through the process?
She died as she lived, doing something she believed in, and believing in everything she did. Getting on the shuttle was just an extension of who she was and all that she’d accomplished before that.
*How receptive was Christa’s family to the project?
The making of the film it was very difficult for them. The years have not eased their pain however the finished film turned out to be a source of comfort and healing for them.
And for a filmmaker there is no greater gratification.
*The use of home movies featuring Christa adds tremendously to the project. Where did those come from and how much material like that did you have?
Like the home movies we gathered the photos the same way. Each time we interviewed one person, it led us to 5 more people, and if each of those people only had one photograph of Christa it was worth it to us to follow up. We knew that, collectively, those single photos would be spectacular together, and they are. The film's full of things people haven't seen."
*Is there any way to say which interview stuck with you the most? If so, why?
Renee: Christa’s sister Lisa. She’s very honest, wears her heart on her sleeve and she’s very enduring.
*What did you learn about her that surprised you the most?
How she was able to evoke so much positive change and energize people
*How did Susan Sarandon and Carly Simon get involved in the project?
Renee: I sent a letter to Carly through her management. It was totally a shot in the dark. In the letter I explained Christa’s admiration for her music and the story is actually a little more involved then that but I don’t want to give it away for those who have not seen the movie. About a month later in one of our late night editing sessions the telephone rang and guess who it was…Carly! It was unbelievable. She not only wrote an original song for this film but she gave us other music as well…all from the goodness of her heart.
MJ: One of our short films, Bessie, Billie, & Ruth was screening at the Harlem International Film Festival. Renee and I went and Susan Sarandon was being honored. We spoke with her about our short then mentioned our feature that we were just finishing.
She began reminiscing about where she was at the time of the tragedy and asked us who was narrating it. I said, how about you? She gave us her telephone number and 3 weeks later we were recording her audio. The only thing she asked of us was to give Christa’s family her love.
*What was the most difficult part of the process?
MJ: Getting People to trust us and open up to us and tell their story.
Renee: Yes that and finding all the incredible footage we have and what to cut out! The DVD has 45 minute of riveting extra footage and photos.
*What kind of process did you go through to make sure that this was a film that people saw?
Renee: We’re still going through it! We are very grassroots.
MJ: In fact, we're not “Independent Filmmakers”, we're “Dependent!”
*How did the deal with CNN come about?
Sheer luck and determination! It came at the 11th hour . It fact we didn’t sign the contract until 2 days before the first airing.