With her newest feature currently playing the festival circuit, we caught up with filmmaker Louise Woehrle to discuss her career and her new documentary A Binding Truth, which explores the dark legacy of slavery in the United States through complex familial history of two former high school classmates, one black and one white, after a shocking discovery revealed long-buried secrets that would change their lives forever.
Hi Louise, could you let our readers know a little about yourself and your journey towards becoming a filmmaker?
I will try to make this a short answer. I was already married with one child when I decided to go into filmmaking. I was previously an actress in theater and on-camera, doing commercials and voiceover work. My first job as a producer was a theatrical production of an original play titled “Women: Scenes From Life,” My good friend Phyllis Ellis (formerly Gavin) and I met in Lamaze class when we were pregnant with our first child. We discovered that we were both actors, so about three years later, we decided to produce a play about women and hire only women. What drove that decision was a lack of opportunities for women actors in a male-dominated theater community. We hired two women directors from the Guthrie Theater and a dramaturg from the Playwrights Center. Our goal was to tell the stories of women from all walks of life. That play was a lightning rod, and women came back 2-3 times to see it, bringing their husbands, partners, and friends. We won “Producers of the Year” from the StarTribune newspaper. I know now, looking back, that having a vision and making it happen gave me the confidence to become a filmmaker.
About a year later, I was going through my divorce. The owner of a small video production company had seen a Birthday video I was working on for my dad and his twin brother. I was still married at that time. She asked how long I had been a producer, I told her that I wasn’t a producer. She said, “Yes, you are,” and told me that if I ever wanted a job, she would hire me. So, when I got divorced, my two boys were 5 and 8 years old, and I needed a job, I took the owner of the production company up on her offer. She hired me, and that’s when I learned to be a filmmaker and all the various aspects involved. It was like getting paid while going to school. Looking back, I’m so grateful to her and the opportunity to learn the basics of storytelling and filmmaking. After working at that small production company for 3.5 years, I decided it was time to fly solo. So, in 2002, I committed to telling stories that mattered to me. I started my company, Whirlygig Productions, as an independent filmmaker. The first thing I did was create a mission statement – “Telling stories that help us see ourselves and others in new ways, promote healing, and connect us as human beings.” I have stuck with that mission and love that I get to serve as a conduit for important stories that matter. For me, that means shedding light on stories that need to be told that can serve as catalysts for change.
You began Whirlygig Productions in hopes of shining a light on stories where we could see ourselves. A Binding Truth does that, especially for a certain generation. Why did this story speak to you and how did you feel it fit your production company’s motto?
That’s a great question. This story spoke to me for a lot of reasons. First and foremost, the central subjects were already on their path of discovery and coming to terms with the fact that the white man’s (De) ancestors were slaveholders of the Black man’s (Jimmie) family. What was impressive and captivating for me was the relationship between our two main subjects, Jimmie and De. De was willing to take a deep dive into his past to learn about his ancestral ties to slavery after he met Jimmie, who had already been on this genealogical search for many years. De had absolutely no knowledge of this fact before meeting Jimmie. What a shock to learn this, but instead of sweeping it under the rug or running away from it, he chose to research his family’s slaveholding history and slavery itself. This research resulted in a book that De wrote, Marse. What was important to me was that we capture each man’s experience in their truth. In doing so, we also learn the truth about America’s Slave history.
What I have witnessed from audiences when we screen the film is that the story is setting the table for a conversation about race and the truth of our American history regarding Slavery. People share their feelings and thoughts about this subject matter and how it relates to them. What I said about my mission statement is reflected in this story because it allows us to “see ourselves” and others in a new way, promote healing, and connect us as human beings. A Binding Truth is setting the table and serving as a catalyst for meaningful conversations that hopefully lead to a new understanding of ourselves and others. This is very rewarding.
Was there ever hesitation tackling this subject for you? It’s touchy, and it takes the right balance, which you strike, but were there any reservations?
Another great question. Yes, I was initially hesitant because it’s such a huge subject, and I had just finished a contemporary historical film, Stalag Luft III – One Man’s Story. It’s just a lot to wrap your head around. I immediately had the support of my executive producer in Minneapolis, Jay Strommen, who said to me, “Do we want to be a part of something that will serve as a catalyst for change?” I said yes, of course, and the next thing I knew, we were flying to Charlotte to meet Jimmie and De, and the rest is history! So, the producer in me knew I wanted the best team possible. I tried first to find an African American editor. I called Lewis Erskine (Freedom Riders, The Birth of Cool) in New York. He and I talked at length, and he told me he could not edit the film but that he would be the film’s advisor and a Black lens. That was a huge relief! He also told me to trust my vision and that if I could not find a Black editor, I should not worry because the most important thing is to find someone who could embrace my vision for the film and who, of course, is skilled. I did find her, Donna Marino (NY-based). Lewis believed this film was unique and needed to be told. I found out nine months later he died. I had no idea he was dealing with cancer. I was so saddened to hear this – Lewis was so beloved by the documentary film community, and as I reflect on our conversation, my heart is so grateful that he took the time to speak with me and to assure me. What a gift he was to me and this project.
De Kirkpatrick was such an interesting and important figure to speak with. Was there anything you learned from your time speaking to him that didn’t make it into the documentary?
You are so right about De. There is something that De told me in one of our interviews that did not make it into the film. It was a story about him when he was around 14 years old. He had a transistor radio that he treasured and kept in his pocket. One day, it was not in his bedroom, and he did not know where it was. He told his parents, and they assumed someone who worked for the family took it because there was no other explanation. They fired a Black woman who had worked for the family for several years. De felt horrible because he knew she could not have taken it. A few years later, he found it in his sister’s possession when she was home from college. It sickened him that his sister took it and also that a kind and loving woman was fired because an assumption had been made about her. There was such sadness on his face when he told this story. I really wanted to include it in the film, but it was too in-depth, and I felt it was more important to share what he said about his Dad and mom.
A Binding Truth touches on learning from the past to understand the future. Did you feel that was an important sentiment to showcase here, especially with the political and social climate?
Absolutely, yes! What I have learned from this story, especially, is how we as Americans don’t know the truth about our American history regarding Slavery, and that includes Native Americans and why it is so important to know the truth so we can understand ourselves and society better. Jimmie talks about how learning about his past has helped him understand today’s issues. Harvey Gantt, former Charlotte Mayor and founder of his architecture firm, says: “Suppose Slavery never existed? How different would America be? What an insightful message he sends and then again when he says, “The fact that we became slaves has conferred a status upon us that hasn’t been erased even to this day.” What a gift he was to the film, too. There is such power in storytelling.
The campfire scene with all the men speaking was powerful. Can you speak to what that shoot was like and how it felt getting everyone together for what seemed like not an easy conversation?
The campfire sequence was very special with Joe McGill, founder of the “Slave Dwelling Project,” and Frederick Murphy, founder of “History Before Us.” Typically the overnight slave dwelling experience is held with several people, but this time, Joe and Frederick were willing to have a more intimate conversation with only De and his friend, Jock. What made this especially meaningful for me was that Jock, a strong advocate for the film, agreed to do it after he thought about it at length. I told him I was a witness to his open heart, his curiosity, and his willingness to learn about the truth of our American Slave history and racism. When he said yes and wanted to participate, I was overjoyed and admired his courage to get out of his comfort zone. I knew that it would be a special experience because of the four men. I worked with the park board to secure the “President James K. Polk Historic Site” for our shoot, and everyone involved was very supportive.
Are you working on any other projects at the moment, or are there any other topics you’d specifically like to explore?
Thanks for asking. Right now, I’m focusing full-time on getting A Binding Truth out there for maximum impact in our communities through schools, churches, and other organizations. We had the good fortune of the Ally Charitable Foundation, which provided funds to Queens University of Charlotte to create a viewers’ guide to accompany the film. It’s so comprehensive and serves as an excellent tool for learning. I’m sure the next project will reveal itself, and trust that I will hear the call.
Thank you to Louise Woehrle for taking the time for this interview. To learn more about Louise and A Binding Truth, head on over to the WhirlygigProductions website.
