Producer’s work a ‘passion project’

Sullivan film maker documented John Lewis

By Nadine Osborne | Manor Ink

Laura Michalchyshyn is an accomplished film producer living in Sullivan County. She was born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba. She discovered her passion for documentary filmmaking in college, and soon became a network producer in Toronto. Since moving to the US, her portfolio has expanded to include television productions such as “Bobby Kennedy For President,” “Momentum Generation,” the recent “John Lewis: Good Trouble” and the upcoming “The Rossellinis.” In the following interview (edited for clarity and length), Michalchyshyn speaks about the evolution of her career, the intricacies of filmmaking and, most importantly, the life and legacy of the late Congressman John Lewis.

The interview

What are some unique aspects of documentary filmmaking?

I think it’s the amount of research when you make a documentary. People think, “Oh, you just start shooting,” but there’s a lot of research, there’s a lot of work done behind the scenes, work with photos and video and news footage. And then there’s researching history, as with “John Lewis: Good Trouble.” We had four researchers, story producers and archivists working while Dawn Porter was directing, so it was pretty intense.

What about documentary filmmaking intrigues you personally?

When I was in school, I took an anthropology degree, and we watched a lot of films. A lot of them were documentaries, and that’s when I really fell in love with the form. I was 18, 19 at university in first year, and I realized there’s something incredible about storytelling that dives deep into the factual and tells of real incidents. That really appealed to me when I was young. But I knew I was not a filmmaker; I knew I was a producer right from that day. It was kind of a calling in a weird way, but I’m also a media exec as well, so I have a day job. I make documentaries as a passion project. Like, some people knit, some people play sports, I make documentaries as a passion hobby. 

What are some challenges you’ve encountered working on “John Lewis: Good Trouble”? I guess that would include his recent death.

Yeah. It’s been an emotional couple of nights. The biggest challenge is that we had stories and people who were filming in Washington, DC; New York; Los Angeles; Atlanta and Austin. I think the logistics can be the most challenging – getting people to and from – because there’s so many stories you want to tell, and you have to choose. So I think one of the challenges is how you narrow down your focus. Because in doc, you can film 150 hours for a ninety-minute film. So that’s a big challenge.

Upon getting to know John Lewis during the filmmaking process, what are some ways in which you identify with him as a person?

Congressman Lewis was – is in heaven – the most kind person. That was the one thing: he had time for everyone. The last big film day, we had a crew dinner. There were 25 or 30 of us, and I invited the congressman and his staff. He had been in the studio with us for eight hours – a long day for a 79 year old. I said, “He’s never gonna come,” and, lo and behold, there he came marching up the stairs. And he walked around the table thanking every single person and sat with them for two or three minutes, just to have a chat. That’s exactly who he was – kind, warm-hearted, and with a sense of humor. So not only was he an amazing, brilliant strategist and political leader, he was also compassionate. He jokingly said in the film that he didn’t always  practice such great non-violence, but I think he was just kidding. Truly, he was one of the most calming influences.

Have you had any prior experience in documentary filmmaking? What other films have you produced?

I worked for Robert Redford of Sundance Channel for four, five years. Then I went to Discovery, and then I started Sundance Productions with Redford, so we were partners and created a lot of documentary programming. But in the last few years, I was one of the executive producers on “Momentum Generation,” which is a documentary on HBO. I produced film for our docuseries for Netflix called “Bobby Kennedy for President.” I also did a film, probably in 2014, on the fiftieth anniversary of the March on Washington, that actually led me to where I am today. It was called “The March” and it was on PBS.

What exactly is the role of a producer in documentary film?

It’s a combination of helping shepherd the creative vision for the director. But my job really is production. There’s finance, raising the money, hiring, getting the crews, helping Dawn when she says, “I wanna shoot in seven cities, I wanna go back to Troy, Alabama, where the congressman was born.” My job is helping her organize all of that. Making sure we have enough money in our budget, making sure we have schedules. I do a lot of the administrative work, and it’s not always the fun work. She gets to go to the location and film; I stay in an office alone, working long and late nights. It’s also collaborating and knowing how to help the artist’s voice. I’ll say one thing about documentary filmmaking – there’s no money in it. I always say to people, I have a day job at Blue Ant Media, and that facilitates my ability to make documentaries. It’s just documentary filmmaking is a passion, it’s a career, but it’s not one where you will, frankly…

Profit heavily?

That’s right. But I’m working on a film – actually, this is news. It’s called The Rossellinis. I’m very close to Isabella Rossellini, and it’s about her father, Roberto. We just found out it got into the Venice Film Festival. And we’re not finished, so we’re madly trying to get it ready for early September. It’s a documentary on him and the whole family. And it’s fun and crazy and coo-coo, and we have to finish it in three weeks! Also, you can report that we’re very thrilled. We think over 250,000 people have seen “John Lewis: Good Trouble” so far. We just know by the downloads. That means people at home with their families are downloading it and watching it, and we’re very proud of that.

What brought you to Sullivan County?

We had friends. Actually, one of them is Jason Tougaw, who has a show on WJFF, and his husband, David Driver. They are friends from New York, and in 2008 we came up for a weekend, and we fell in love with the place. We went to the Callicoon Market, and we started checking it out weekends. We bought a place in 2009. We were here for weekends, and now we’re here forever.

The review: ‘John Lewis: Good Trouble’

On July 3, “John Lewis: Good Trouble” made its cinematic debut, two weeks before his death from pancreatic cancer at age 80. Directed by Dawn Porter and produced by Laura Michalchyshyn, the documentary chronicles the life of John Lewis, a 17 term United States Congressman who made great contributions to the Civil Rights movement. 

Born in Troy, Alabama in 1940, Lewis established himself as a passionate leader from an early age, often preaching to his family’s livestock in search of an attentive audience. A well-spoken, professional young man, he frequently demonstrated his strong work ethic and unwavering bravery by organizing nonviolent protests, sit-ins and anti-racist workshops. He later marched alongside Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during the March on Washington in 1963. He was only twenty-three years old. 

Throughout his life, he consistently encouraged his supporters to engage in “good trouble,” the kind of trouble that is firmly grounded in morality, while still being bold and dangerous enough to inspire a positive change. In short, John Lewis was a highly influential congressman whose legacy is well-deserving of preservation. John Lewis: Good Trouble serves as that preservation. 

As the film’s title suggests, its central theme is “good trouble,” focusing heavily on the striking societal contributions that Lewis made, and the movement he ignited. It also touches upon his personal views, while establishing that he was a genuinely compassionate person, someone who did not judge others solely based on their political beliefs. As Michalchyshyn puts it, “I think both sides of the aisle, Republicans and Democrats, recognized him for that, for having an unwavering set of beliefs and morals, and doing what is right and just.” According to Michalchyshyn, he didn’t appeal solely to one demographic. It was merely a general consensus that John Lewis was a kind person, someone who advocated for the rights of minority groups and sought to amplify underrepresented voices. 

In a sense, the art of documentary filmmaking furthers the cause that Lewis so avidly promoted. As Michalchyshyn puts it once again, “there's something incredible about storytelling that dives deep into factuality and tells stories of real incidents, people, social movements… and underrepresented voices.” The medium of documentary filmmaking can provide valuable representation for those whose stories aren’t typically told. 

With several other films under her belt such as “Bobby Kennedy For President,” “Momentum Generation” and the upcoming “The Rossellinis,” Michalchyshyn can absolutely vouch for documentary as a powerful medium, one in which she takes great pride. It is not solely a captivating style of filmmaking. It is one that upholds John Lewis’ beliefs, one that sparks conversation surrounding influential events and encourages viewers to approach the world from an investigative perspective, getting into “good trouble” whenever possible.

Nadine Osborne