Karyn Kusama and KK with Fusion team members who moderated the event, Bernie Torres and Kaylee Scinto.
UGFTV Alumna Karyn with Her Latest Film Destroyer
On December 6 at Cantor Film Center, Fusion Film Festival had the privilege of co-hosting a screening of the new film Destroyer and a Q&A with director and distinguished Tisch UGFTV alumna Karyn Kusama as part of the Kanbar Series. The film stars Nicole Kidman, who was nominated for a Golden Globe for her portrayal a police detective forced to reckon with a traumatic experience from her past when the leader of a Los Angeles gang resurfaces.
Kusama graduated from Kanbar UGFTV in 1990, and went on to direct films such as Girlfight (her directorial debut), Æon Flux, Jennifer’s Body, and The Invitation. She has also directed for television series Halt and Catch Fire, Casual, and Billions.
In the Q&A, moderated by Fusion team members Bernie Torres and Kaylee Scinto, Kusama discussed the process of creating the film, working with Kidman to craft the film’s complicated, powerful lead character of Erin Bell, and how her experiences as an undergraduate Film and TV student at Tisch impacted her career.
Kusama also provided wise advice for Tisch students aspiring to be filmmakers. “We all need teachers in our life.” She encouraged students to connect with their professors, describing a particular moment of mentorship that impacted her future career. “[NYU Tisch Associate Professor Carol Dysinger] steered me towards going deeper with my work and knowing myself better… And I don’t know what my life would be like if I didn’t have a teacher like that.” Kusama appreciated how institutional structures such as Tisch pushed her career forward, giving her the stamina and strength she needed to present herself in the best way possible within the industry and still stay authentic to herself.
She encouraged students in the audience to make the time to connect with their peers and enjoy the process of making a film, reminding them that they should enjoy the production process if they want to dedicate their careers to the craft of filmmaking.
Submissions are open now through February 19 for Fusion’s 2019 Festival competition in fourteen categories from filmmaking to writing. Full details available at
http://www.fusionfilmfestival.com/submissions-info/com