12. ALICIA MALONE | Film Reporter, Host, Writer + Self-Confessed Movie Geek
iTunes: click here.
HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW.
Alicia Malone is an Australian-born, Film Reporter, Host, Writer and Self-Confessed Movie Geek. She, like me, used movies as a portal to step out of the realities of the world. She, like me, does not understand when someone utters the words, "i don't really watch movies".
"For me film really was an escape. so whatever was happening in my life, whether it was a dark time, whether it was a happy time, i thought that i could always trust in film to be able to take me to another world."
I began following Alicia many years back. Curious to learn as much as I could about my favorite films, the majority of clips I'd find on YouTube provided 'fluff' stuff where one could see the host interview celebrities and ask them questions about pretty much everything but the film. Then I found Alicia. I could tell that she yearned to ask more. Over time, she did, adhering only minimally to the confinements of a press junket. Watching her you could tell that not only did she have a wealth of knowledge when it comes to film, but that the actors/producers/directors respected her and her genuine curiosity. She's since become a host on FilmStruck, a cinephile subscription streaming service run by the Criterion Collection and Turner Classic Movies, and is the creator and host of the weekly show, Indie Movie Guide on Fandango.
Although I was dying to speak with her about some of our favorite films - we did briefly go into our love for Amelie - the reason I wanted to speak with Alicia is because of Tedx Talk on Women in Film, and her recently published first book, 'Backwards and in Heels'.
"I've had feedback from both male and female producers: you're not supposed to be a well-rounded human being. You're supposed to be surface level and exist just for someone to look at you and be eye candy."
This conversation was recorded prior to the Harvey Weinstein blow-out, but listening back I cringe even more knowing that male AND female producers speak to their hosts (and others) in the way that they do.
"I remember one producer took me aside and after I did a big live broadcast -and this was a male producer - and he said, yeah you're really good and you have a lot of talent, if you just lost 10 kilos then you'd be really successful. I've had female producers tell me the exact same thing."
The only way things will change is if we have a conversation which is why this podcast episode is SO important. We cover much ground; women in the industry, social media addiction, seeking validation from outside sources, father-daughter relationships, low self-esteem, heartbreak, putting "on" a happy face, building relationships with people in the film industry (the how to's and how not's), and why she feels that she's still the girl with her childhood film club just on a bigger scale.
It's Alicia at her most vulnerable and honest and I know her fans wouldn't have it any other way.
SHARE. SHARE. SHARE.
IF YOU LIKE WHAT YOU HEAR, PLEASE SHARE THIS CONVERSATION WITH THOSE WHO WOULD APPRECIATE AND BENEFIT FROM IT.
"As a woman online you're always too much of something. You're too loud or you're too quiet. You're too shy. You're too arrogant. You're too knowledgeable. You're not knowledgeable enough. You're too pretty. You're too ugly. And it's often all at the same time."
CONNECT
TWITTER: @aliciamalone
INSTAGRAM: @aliciamalone
FACEBOOK: @MoviesAreMyJam
www.aliciamalone.com
WATCH
on YouTube
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iTunes: click here.
Available on GooglePlay, Stitcher + Soundcloud
EPISODE NOTES:
Alicia's Ted Talk
Alicia's Book, 'Backwards and In Heels'
