When filmmaker, Adrienne Shelly, was murdered last November in New York, the film community suffered an enormous loss. Adrienne, an early alum filmmaker and member of Gen Art's film advisory board, had been eagerly awaiting news of whether her latest movie (which she wrote, directed and acted in), Waitress, made it into this year's Sundance Film Festival. (It did, and was quickly snatched up by Fox Searchlight.) Pulse spoke with Adrienne's husband, Andy Ostroy, about what made people love Adrienne, what he sees as her legacy, and how he hopes to help other female filmmakers in her memory.

How did you start The Adrienne Shelly Foundation?
After Adrienne died, people kept asking where they could contribute money in her honor. As you can imagine, those first few weeks were incredibly horrific. It was hard to get up, let alone think about charitable endeavors. With time, it became clear to me that while there are a lot of worthy organizations, where there really is a void, and what Adrienne was most passionate about, is filmmaking—the challenges that women face, and the mountains that they have to climb to become directors. She was just hitting her stride, with Waitress, and it would have propelled her into the mainstream. To carry out her vision, we needed to create a foundation to help women filmmakers...to find women who are ever present and special, like she was.

What was it about Adrienne that drew people in?
Whether you met her for a few minutes on the street or you knew her for years, she was someone who you would never forget because she made you feel that special. After her death, I read a story from a filmmaker fan who had approached her at an ATM in the West Village. She started asking him questions about his work and giving him advice on his career. She was this person who he idolized, but she took the time to talk to him about his life. She always had a genuine interest in people like that—that's why she left an imprint, everywhere she went.

What are you goals for The Adrienne Shelly Foundation?
In her death, Adrienne touched a lot of people—this tragedy made people wake up and say, I need to do something special for someone who was special to me. I have a personal commitment. I loved her, watched her struggle to make it for so long, and then saw her life taken away at such a pivotal point. Someone has to complete her vision, and that's me. She wanted to help women make films. I want The Adrienne Shelly Foundation to grow so eventually we're giving scholarships to women at handfuls of universities, film schools and festivals. And ultimately, I think that Adrienne's aura will grow in the indie film world, as well, until she becomes a Marilyn Monroe-like icon.

What was it like seeing Waitress make such a big splash at Sundance?
The success of that film is bittersweet. It almost makes it harder for my family to get closure, heal, and move on. On the flip side, I am so glad that she's getting now what she wanted so much when she was alive. Waitress is going to be a huge part of her legacy, and it was an amazing experience to see it at Sundance. She would have just flipped out. For all of her talent, she was, like so many performers, dealing with self doubt, but it only made her more endearing. I really feel that her spirit was there that day.

You can honor Adrienne's memory and support women in film by making a donation to The Adrienne Shelly Foundation today.

RANDOM TANGENT:
Adrienne's film I'll Take You There had its New York premiere at the Gen Art Film Festival in 2000. The 12th Annual Gen Art Film Festival kicks off tonight with Campbell Scott's new flick, Crashing.

Similar Topics:Adrienne Shelly, Film

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