By Robert Goldrich

Marina Zenovich hardly had time to enjoy the two Emmy Awards which she won on Sept. 12, 2009–for outstanding directing as well as outstanding writing for nonfiction programming on the strength of her feature-length documentary Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired.
    A couple of weeks later, the famed filmmaker Polanski was arrested in Switzerland. He currently is under house arrest in his Swiss chalet awaiting what looks like pending extradition to the U.S. to stand trial on a 32-year-old arrest warrant for his allegedly having sex in 1977 with a 13-year-old girl.
    Just prior to that turn of events, Zenovich was working on a follow-up to the documentary in between her other projects. But the nature of that follow-up centered on an appeals case initiated by Polanski. Wanted and Desired was cited by Polanski’s legal team as evidence warranting a reopening of the case based on prosecutorial and judicial misconduct.
    “I felt I had to follow this through to its conclusion with a short or even a half-hour film about this case once it went before an appeals court,” related Zenovich. “But then he was arrested out of the blue, and now it’s a major international story.” So suddenly Zenovich went from contemplating a short film to what is now shaping up as a project that is part documentary, part geopolitical thriller.
    She’s again on the case, having flown to Switzerland to interview officials there but not getting the chance to talk to Polanski. Now she’s in a wait-and-see mode for the next development in a slow-to-unfold process. “There’s a greater international story to be told and that’s what I will try to do,” said Zenovich.
    A sequel to Wanted and Desired will have a high artistic and journalistic bar to reach. The original documentary earned great acclaim at both the 2008 Sundance and Cannes Film Festivals, was bought by HBO, aired and went on to earn the aforementioned pair of Emmys–for directing and writing (the latter honor shared by Zenovich with fellow writers Joe Bini and P.G. Morgan).
    It’s this high creative bar set by Zenovich that attracted Saville Productions to the director, resulting in her signing with the production house for her first ever representation in commercials. In announcing her coming aboard the Saville roster last year, Johnny Doran, the company’s executive producer, described Zenovich’s directing style as “gripping and entertaining” and lending itself to “those commercials or branded content films that are trying to communicate a strong message. Marina’s ability to put people at ease results in a rare honesty in her filmmaking.”
    Zenovich told SHOOT she was drawn to Saville’s penchant and appreciation for documentary filmmakers. (The shop handles feature film, documentary and spot directors for commercials.) “I like their roster of talent. The company approached me and in talking to them it seemed like the right fit. As a documentary filmmaker, it’s nice to see a company reaching out to other documentary filmmakers, understanding their essence, and finding merit in their getting involved in advertising.”

Majors mesh
    Originally a drama major at the University of Southern California, Zenovich then switched to studying journalism there.
    She went on to perform as an actress in off-off Broadway productions in New York but began to feel more and more like she belonged behind the camera. Then in ’95 came what she referred to as one of her “light-bulb moments,” which she said has spurred her on to all three of her self-described documentary “passion projects.”
    A friend of hers had failed to get his film into Sundance. Zenovich related, “He asked me, ‘Should I Slamdance?’ I didn’t know what he meant but it turns out he was referring to the Slamdance Film Festival.”
    From this, Zenovich came up with the idea to follow aspiring filmmakers on the festival circuit, gaining insights into the independent filmmaker psyche and spirit. The resulting documentary, Independent’s Day, was well received and put her on the documentary filmmaking map.
    Independent’s Day featured several at the time fledgling directors who have since gone on to considerable success, including Steven Soderbergh, Neil Labute and Greg Mottola.
    Zenovich’s next “light-bulb moment” and subsequent “passion project” came right after the screening of a French Film at the DGA. Director Claude Lelouch was there and dedicated the film to his friend Bernard Tapie who was in jail.
    “I was mesmerized by Bernard’s performance in the film but didn’t know why he was in jail,” recalled Zenovich. She then began pursuing some answers, finding out that Tapie was a former French politician turned convicted criminal and then actor to help pay his legal bills. The resulting 2001 documentary Who Is Bernard Tapie? again scored critical acclaim and served to further establish Zenovich as a documentarian.

The alluded to third light bulb went off in 2003, triggering Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired. “I read about Polanski and the question of whether he could return to Los Angeles if he received Academy Award nominations for The Pianist,” recollected Zenovich. “Again, it sparked my interest and I began researching the case. Five years later, Wanted and Desired emerged at the Sundance Film Festival.
    In between these “passion projects,” Zenovich took on notable jobs for hire, including a BBC assignment which yielded Estonia Dreams of Eurovision!, a documentary which centers on the offbeat world of Tallin, Estonia, as it prepares to host the Eurovision Song Contest, Europe’s counterpart to American Idol. Zenovich has also profiled the likes of filmmakers Julian Schnabel and David Lynch for Gallery HD’s Art in Progress series.
    Looking back, Zenovich noted that her majors at USC–acting and journalism–somehow made sense. “I ended up doing a combination of both in my career,” she observed. “What they have in common is listening. Training in acting is learning how to listen and react. In documentaries and commercials, people aren’t use to others truly listening. That’s what I do. When people feel you’re listening, they can’t help but open up to you. Of course you have to open up too.”
    Zenovich feels commercials may serve to open her up as a filmmaker, providing a change of pace and perspective as compared to her documentary work. She’s looking forward to getting involved in spots, having been accustomed to toiling for years on a documentary. The process of collaborating with others over a shorter, concentrated burst of time, and gaining the more immediate gratification of completing a project in a tight turnaround, are among the dynamics in the advertising discipline that excite her.
    “It seems that commercials are more in synch today with what I do,” said Zenovich. “They seem to be more about real people and authenticity. As a documentary filmmaker, I find that a natural fit. People relate to stories and characters that seem authentic, honest and true.”

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