Although Susanne Barr graduated from the Zaki Gordon Institute for Independent Filmmaking in May, her thesis film is still earning her awards across the country.
Barr’s short film, “Christel Clear,” first won Excellence in Screenwriting and Best Sound from the ZGI Shorts Film Festival in May. Since then, the film has gone on to screen in four other film festivals, and it was recently chosen to appear in the Sedona International Film Festival in February.
Barr enrolled in the yearlong documentary filmmaking program in 2010.
Throughout the school year, ZGI students learn all the ins-and-outs of making short documentaries, from pitching ideas, directing, producing, working behind the camera and editing. At the end of the year, the students put together their final film projects, which are then screened at the ZGI Shorts Film Festival over Memorial Day weekend.
Barr wanted to shoot a film about Nani after reading her autobiography, “Diary of a Medical Intuitive: One woman’s eye-opening journey from no-nonsense ER nurse to open-hearted healer and visionary.” Barr said that even though Nani works with people whom she diagnoses with sometimes terminal diseases, she wanted to make a film with an upbeat, positive message.
“A lot of times, things are preventable,” Barr said about Nani’s prognoses. “Sometimes it’s too late and other times people don’t want to know.”
Barr pitched the idea to Nani after a seminar Barr attended in Las Vegas. The premise was to document Nani’s story via her autobiography and Barr started preproduction work.
About three days before Barr was to interview Nani for the film, she got a call from Nani’s business partner, psychologist Rebecca Grace, who said CBS had just signed a contract with Nani to produce a television series similar to “Ghost Whisperer” or “Medium.” Executives weren’t too happy that Barr was working on a documentary, so Barr thought she would have to change the film’s direction to avoid infringement.
In the end, Barr said it became a nonissue and competed her film without any problems from the contract.
After graduating from ZGI, Barr said she had a lot of support instructors about how and where to submit films. One destination was Without a Box, an online film festival submission site. Without a Box runs Indie Fest, which recently awarded Barr a Merit Award for her film.
“Indie awards go to those filmmakers who produce fresh, standout entertainment, animation and compelling documentaries. The Indie is a showcase for cinematic gems and unique voices,” according to the festival’s website.
Just a few days ago, Barr returned from Las Vegas’ Nevada Film Festival with a Silver Screen Award in the Short Film Competition. “Christel Clear” was one of only 10 films to win an award in the category.
The film is also an official selection at the Irvine International Film Festival in California, and will screen in January. Barr has been invited to hold a question-and-answer session after the screening.
“Christel and Rebecca might also be in that Q&A,” Barr said. “It would kind of be awesome if they were. People ask me questions about them all the time. Who better to answer them than they are?”
Barr will also screen “Christel Clear” at the Paranormal, Conspiracy, Inspirational Film Festival in south Florida in March. The festival’s organizers have called Barr’s film “exceptional in its commitment to exploring new ideas, exposing the truth and enlightening today’s audiences.”
Barr said she has submitted her film to the Phoenix Film Festival and the Ann Arbor Film Festival in Michigan. She attended Michigan State University and would love to return to the area with her film in hand, she said.
Barr said she will soon be apartment hunting in the San Diego area to continue her work in Southern California’s film industry. She may also be working on more projects with Nani.
“I’m open to almost anything. I love being on set,” she said.
