Meet Annarosa Mudd | Film Producer, Writer & Actor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Annarosa Mudd and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Annarosa, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking.
One of the main reasons I am in therapy is because choosing a career in filmmaking is high risk, and high reward. Yet it’s not exactly an appropriate use of the word risk. I’m not in a war zone, I’m not running into burning buildings. The risk lies in what has been said, and what we have revealed about human behavior in the films I’ve produced. In my feature film TAPE, our writer/director Deborah Kampmeier created a narrative based on my personal experience with coercion and sexual assault in an audition. I’m so proud of this film, and of its message, and of the relationships I now have with the women who are also victims of the same perpetrator. We all wanted women to be warned, to be informed of this man’s behavior and how he creates schemes to entrap women who are pursuing careers in acting and modeling. But I still felt immense fear after talking to the New York Times about my experience and about the film we made. This man sued all of us, women he himself assaulted, for defamation, and continues to abuse the legal system to harass us for telling the truth about him. I set up a security system in my home, as well as tracking any personal information that pops up online, working with a brilliant online security team of women at Pure Point International. I’m sharing these details because in a real way, yes, making this film was risky. But for me it could not have been more worth it. I learned from Deborah and her past experience with her films that the world will try to punish people, especially people of oppressed groups, if they dare to speak up or make art about their experience. If they dare to tell the truth about the oppressor. I believe art that speaks truth to power can change the world. And it’s worth having a rocky, unstable career for me, because making this effort aligns with all of my values. Like why not try to do the very most with what you get to say in your art? There is nothing like seeing how something you made impacts a person, helps them feel less alone, or inspired, or freed. I know that the way I desire to connect with humanity is through storytelling, through understanding, and through emotional freedom. And my dream is for audiences to be deeply gratified and liberated with the films I produce.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’ve learned that as much as you have to go after what you want, it’s important to pay attention to your instincts, and stay true to yourself. This work can be painful and isolating when you’re not connected with people who get you. I’ve been in situations where I was just trying to get close to people who were making film, and it was not a good fit. Seeking approval outside of myself, hoping some external force was going to tell me I was right for … whatever I was trying to be right for. It’s something a lot of us struggle with, but at the end of the day, that approval needs to come from within. It’s still a challenge, but I’m getting better at it, just believing that I have enough to offer, and that what I do matters.
What I’m proud of is the way I’ve learned to discern what really matters to me in the stories I want to tell, and in the people I want to work with. Stories that are subversive and empowering, with characters and ideas that aren’t the same old tropes that we’ve seen for years. I love having that moment of recognition when a script reveals something deeply true about our lives. I’m so inspired by people who can cut through what they “think” is expected of them, and tell a story that is intimate and revelatory, simply by putting words to the experience. And there are so many I’ve had the privilege to work with now who have impeccable vision artistically, and are also just amazing people to be around. The pressure of getting films made is real, and finding ways to solve challenges together with focus and empathy is deeply rewarding. I hope to cultivate the best possible dynamics and teamwork on every project.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I live in NY, but I adore visiting LA. My favorite spots will likely make me sound like such an out of towner! I’ve had some of the best meals of my life at Bestia and Saffy’s, as my best friend used to work at each. I love that drive through Topanga Canyon, especially because I bought some of my favorite vintage pieces in their amazing shops. And Olympic Spa is heaven! I feel like an ancient priestess or something whenever I go there.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would love to dedicate my shoutout to Deborah Kampmeier, a genius filmmaker and deeply generous friend. She created a film (Tape), a stunning piece of art, out of a messed up thing that happened in my life, and by doing that, I was set free. I like to say, “Thank you, forever” to her, but there aren’t enough times I could say it, or ways I could express my gratitude. The work that I make with her is the actual dream I have for my life. She has been a teacher, a mentor, the one directing me as an actor, the one offering advice as a friend, the one showing me how it’s done when it comes to writing, and when it comes to living an artistic life while staying true to yourself. She is fiercely protective of women, and the stories we long to tell. On set, she is deeply concentrated, deeply supportive, always maintaining a flow and embodied grace as she manages every kind of complication or element of pressure that inevitably happens during production. I’ve learned so very much from her, and I’m definitely not alone, as she leaves an incredible impact on everyone in her life.
I’d also love to shout out my ballet teacher, Patti Pugh. She taught me so much more than ballet, and to this day is a beautiful supportive presence, sending poetic notes that make me wildly grateful. I’m so fortunate to know and to have been taught by these magnificent women.
Lastly I want to shout out up and coming directors I’ve worked with, or hope to, who inspire me: Victoria Haynes, Aliyah Curry, Tiffany Tenille, Sara Friedman, Nora Fiffer, Lua Borges, Claudia Lee, and Amaka Lin.

Website: https://www.thetapemovie.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annarosafm/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annarosa-mudd-78bb73249/

Image Credits
Primary image, first page – photo by Elizabeth D. Herman
2nd page of images
1st image – Annarosa Mudd and Deborah Kampmeier – photo by Mikaela Martin
2nd- photo by Elizabeth D Herman
3rd – Annarosa Mudd and Matthew Delamater – photo by Preston Haynes
4th – photo by Mikaela Martin
5th – still from TAPE, directed by Deborah Kampmeier
6th – photo by David Noles Photography
7th – Annarosa Mudd and Victoria Haynes – photo by Jeff Griecci