(L-R: Private Life, Director Tamara Jenkins, Slums of Beverly Hills)
Indie Director and Writer Tamara Jenkins Is Widely Recognized For Her Nurturing and Intimate Approach To Dramatic Storytelling
BendFilm To Host Screenings of Jenkins’ Films ‘Slums of Beverly Hills’ and ‘Private Life’
BendFilm announced writer and director, Tamara Jenkins as the 2022 IndieWoman of the Year and First Features Honoree. Jenkins will receive her award in person as audiences celebrate her career during the 19th annual BendFilm Festival running October 6 – 23, 2022. BendFilm will host a screening of two of her films, Slums of Beverly Hills and Private Life, along with a guided Q&A session moderated by former Director of Sundance Film Festival John Cooper. Jenkins will share insights from her 20-year career and reflect on gender inequities in the industry.
Oscar-nominated writer and director Tamara Jenkins was described by actor Philip Seymour Hoffman as “not a compromiser.” Rolling Stone said this of Jenkins’ work: “… her microscopic looks at human beings in all their complexities and vanities are vital to the cinematic landscape. Her stories are not didactic. They are observational and communal — a hug, not a finger-point. She is scrupulous not just with the female character closest in age to her; Jenkins takes years to write a script because she wants to walk in the shoes of every character until she gets them right.”
Selin Sevinc, BendFilm Head Programmer, said, “Tamara Jenkins is a rare filmmaker who has a knack for finding a balance of humor and desperation in characters we instantly warm to. We always feel personally comforted by the fact that her characters exist in this world, and that Jenkins exists in today’s world of indie filmmaking despite working with stars like Laura Linney, Natasha Lyonne, Alan Arkin, Kathryn Hahn, Paul Giamatti, and Philip Seymour Hoffman. For her uncompromisingly independent attitude to filmmaking and ongoing inspiration to us all, we’re honored to name Tamara Jenkins IndieWoman of the Year.”
Tamara is the writer and director of the films Private Life, The Savages, and Slums of Beverly Hills as well as several award winning shorts. Her films have screened at the New York Film Festival, the Telluride Film Festival, Cannes, and Sundance Film Festival. Among the honors she has received are an Academy Award nomination, an Independent Spirit Award, a Los Angeles Film Critics prize, and a Guggenheim Fellowship. Tamara attended NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts where she received her MFA and met her husband, the screenwriter, Jim Taylor, with whom she occasionally writes. Jenkins lives in NYC with Jim and their daughter, Mia.
Tickets for Tamara Jenkins’ films set to screen during the 2022 BendFilm Festival are now live at BendFilm.org.
Private Life | Written & Directed by Tamara Jenkins
3:15 p.m. Sat. 10/8 @ Tower Theatre
Richard and Rachel, a couple in the throes of infertility, try to maintain their marriage as they descend deeper and deeper into the weird world of assisted reproduction and domestic adoption. When their doctor suggests third-party reproduction, they bristle. But when Sadie, a recent college dropout, re-enters their life, they reconsider. After A Private Life, Tamara Jenkins will participate in an on-stage conversation with John Cooper about the film and her career.
Slums of Beverly Hills | Written & Directed by Tamara Jenkins
7 p.m. Fri. 10/7 @ Cascades Theatrical Co.
In 1976, a lower-middle-class teenager struggles to cope living with her neurotic family of nomads on the outskirts of Beverly Hills. After Slums of Beverly Hills, Tamara Jenkins will participate in an on-stage conversation.
About the IndieWomen of the Year Award:
BendFilm created the IndieWomen of the Year award in 2018 in honor of the late Pamela Hulse Andrews who was a Bend business leader and advocate for the arts for more than 25 years. Director Debra Granik and Producer Anne Rosselini received the award at the 2018 Festival, Producer Christine Vachon received the award in 2019 and Director Anna Boden received the award in 2020. Pamela was a passionate arts advocate who worked tirelessly to support women in film. For many years, Pamela organized the Independent Women for Independent Film group that raised money for several BendFilm awards and helped BendFilm survive the economic downturn in the late 2000’s. BendFilm will carry on Pamela’s memory through this award, presenting it to female artists who demonstrate an exceptional passion for independent film, bravely shares her authentic voice and makes extraordinary contributions to the independent body of work.
About the BendFilm First Features Program:
The BendFilm Festival discovers and supports new filmmaking talent. BendFilm screens several feature films each year by first-time filmmakers who display mature and original filmmaking techniques and abilities. These filmmakers are navigating a very crowded field of new and experienced filmmakers. They now have a much harder time establishing filmmaking careers in comparison to the celebrated independent filmmakers who came to prominence before the digital age. BendFilm brings in established independent filmmakers to share their experiences to help mentor emerging filmmakers breaking into the industry. Other First Feature honorees and mentors include John Sayles & Maggie Renzi (2016), Peter Gilbert (2017), Debra Granik, Chris Eyre, Ondi Timoner (2018), Ron Shelton (2019), Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck and Andrew Bjalski (2020).