Inside Making An Indie Film In RI: Meet Director Gabrielle Rosson

This is the first story in a four-part series following the making of "She, Who Dared," an independent film partially shot in Rhode Island. The first part is a feature about Gabrielle Rosson, who directed the film.

EAST GREENWICH, RI — Rhode Island is slowly becoming an attractive place to shoot films. With "Hocus Pocus 2," "Good Burger 2," and more, there's been a slew of large budget movies getting shot in the Ocean State over the last few years.

But Hollywood producers and directors are not the only ones taking advantage of what Rhode Island has to offer — indie filmmakers like director and screenwriter Gabrielle Rosson are finding beautiful locations to film at in the Ocean State. Part of Rosson's film was shot at the East Greenwich Town Hall.

Rosson is in the midst of creating a proof of concept for "She, Who Dared," a first of its kind biopic about "the greatest female filmmaker history forgot,"Lois Weber.

Weber was one of the founders of narrative filmmaking in the silent film era and is responsible for somewhere between 200 and 400 films in her lifetime.

She was the first woman to direct a feature in the U.S. and the first woman to own her own production studio. Weber was also the highest paid director in Hollywood — man or woman — at the height of her career, yet less than 20 of her films were preserved.

So little of Weber's career is talked about today. Rosson said she did not learn about Weber's impact until six months before she began working on the film.

"I was so blown away by what she accomplished as a filmmaker," Rosson said. " She was there at the forefront of the industry and pushed a lot of boundaries, but she was pushed out of the industry she helped legitimize, and this impacts female filmmakers today."

Rosson's film has evolved throughout the process. She said she's kept writing even through filming.

"Now it's a little bigger than what I envisioned — a fully fleshed out proof of concept that begins three weeks before Lois dies and ends with her death."

The story is written through flashbacks while Weber writes her memoir. Covered in the memoir, the film depicts the rise of Weber's career, the creation of some of her most influential work and her decline stemming from a male-controlled industry writing her out of film history.

"This is the most important film I've ever made in my life," Rosson said. "It's vitally important that filmmakers know where they came from. Women have always been a part of the film industry, and Lois Weber was in many ways the mother [of the movie industry], and I want everyone to know that."

For the amount of work Rosson put into this project, she's the first to acknowledge that film is a collaborative art. She said she could not have made this project without her cast and crew, including several key players in Director of Photography Chris Esper and lead actress Katie Killourhy.

Rosson credits Esper for giving the film its 1920s-esque look, especially with how he shot the silent movie scenes.

"Chris Esper is one of the best independent filmmakers I know," Rosson said. "He's absolutely keeping in mind not just making the film feel vintage, but also look vintage."

As for Killhourhy, Rosson said her lead actress was crucial in her inspiring her to make a film about Weber in the first place.

When Rosson asked Killhourhy what her dream role is she said, "My dream role is to play a woman from history who changed the narrative and been forgotten."

Once "She, Who Dared" finishes post production, Executive Producer Mark Meagher said he and Rosson will submit the proof of concept to film festivals. They also plan on bringing the film to a convention is Los Angeles to pitch it as a feature length project.

Have a news tip? Email jimmy.bentley@patch.com.