By Robert Goldrich

Isabel Coixet made her first major industry mark on the ad agency side of the business, starting out as a copywriter and working up the ranks to creative director in Barcelona, Spain. Her first ad shop roost was MMLB followed by Delvico Bates and then JWT Barcelona. At the latter agency Coixet began directing select projects in which she was also involved as a creative director.

Coixet then decided to leave the agency arena to focus on directing. She also wrote scripts for feature films with an eye on directing them. Thus far, she’s directed hundreds of commercials, a half dozen feature documentaries, assorted short films and 10 theatrical features.

One of those features, Learning to Drive, is set to make its world premiere as part of the Special Presentations program at next month’s Toronto International Film Festival. Learning to Drive centers on a Manhattan writer who takes driving lessons from a Sikh instructor. Both teacher and student have marriage troubles but while in each other’s company, they find the courage to get back on the figurative road and the strength to again take the wheel. Patricia Clarkson and Ben Kingsley star.

Filmmaker Coixet is no stranger to the festival circuit. This is her second time at the Toronto Fest; the first go-around coming for My Life Without Me which earned her Best Film and Best Director distinction at the Barcelona Film Festival in 2004. Two years later, she won Best Director and Best Screenplay honors at the Barcelona Fest for The Secret Life of Words, which debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in 2006.

The aforementioned My Life Without Me also won the Prize of the Guild of German Art House Cinemas and was nominated for the Golden Berlin Bear at the 2003 Berlin International Film Festival. In 2008, that same Festival nominated the Coixet-directed Elegy for the Golden Berlin Bear.

Coixet also remains active as a commercials and branded content director via Venice, Calif.-headquartered Carbo Films which handles her in the U.S., Hispanic and international markets. And outside of the spot and movie-making world, she has a blog that is gaining momentum: The Best and The Beast | Places to enjoy, places to avoid–and some songs.

SHOOT caught up with Coixet to discuss Learning to Drive and other aspects of her filmmaking career.

SHOOT: What drew you to Learning to Drive? What was the genesis of the project?

Coixet: The genesis of the project is a short story published in The New Yorker by Katha Politt, many years ago , about a writer who decides to learn to drive after the breakup of her marriage. When we were filming Elegy, Patricia Clarkson gave the script to Ben Kingsley and me, and I felt very connected with Wendy’s character …maybe because I also learned to drive in L.A. after a breakup!

SHOOT: What was the biggest creative challenge that Learning to Drive posed to you as a director?

Coixet: The biggest challenge was the fact that more than half of the film happens inside a car and after a while you feel there’s no way to find a new angle…but the thing is you end up always finding fresh ways to film those scenes. The other challenge was we shot the film in August in NYC and I never sweated so much in my life! I was also the camera operator  of the film and we couldn’t use the air conditioning because of sound issues… that was hell!

SHOOT: What does the selection of Learning to Drive for inclusion in the Toronto International Film Festival mean to you personally and professionally? Is this your first film at the Toronto Festival? If not, tell us of your prior experiences at the Toronto Fest.

Coixet: It’s the second time I’m in Toronto. The first was with My Life Without Me and the festival was not yet as big and important as it is now. I think right now it is THE festival to be at–especially for American audiences. It’s the perfect window to show Learning to Drive and I hope people will have a great time watching the film

SHOOT: Why did you gravitate towards cinematographer Manel Ruiz for Learning to Drive?

Coixet: I‘ve worked a lot with Manel in commercials and I think he’s a wonderful DOP and I was convinced his sensibility would be perfect for the movie. I love his way to approach things and how calm he is in any circumstance. This is his first feature film and I’m sure it will not be the last !

SHOOT: Tell us about your working relationship with Carbo Films for commercials and branded content? What attracts you to the ad discipline?

Coixet: First of all, my working relationship with Carbo is based in friendship . I love [Carbo Films’ executive producers] Dora [Medrano] and Javier [Carbo] and in my experience they are the most genuine and caring people in the advertising jungle. Right now , to choose a project I simply use my instinct: “Is this something I will enjoy doing ? Can I add something special to a particular  script?”

SHOOT: And finally, give us a brief chronology of your career.

Coixet: I started as a copywriter, then I became creative director, then I start directing some projects I was involved as a creative director [while at JWT Barcelona]. And then I quit the agency and I started directing commercials and writing scripts in order to make feature films. Right now I‘ve directed around 500 commercials, six feature documentaries, a bunch of short films and 10 feature films. I think it’s a good beginning!

Right now I’m editing a film I did in Norway and Bulgaria with Juliette Binoche and Gabriel Byrne called Nobody Wants the Night.
 

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