The Film That Lit My Fuse is a Deadline video series that aims to provide an antidote to headlines about industry uncertainty by swinging the conversation back to the creative ambitions, formative influences and inspirations of some of today’s great screen artists.
Every installment asks the same five questions. Today’s subject is Catherine Hardwicke, who got into the business as a production designer and became a director whose films have included Twilight, Thirteen, Lords of Dogtown, Miss Bala and Red Riding Hood. While best known for making movies that capture teen angst and coming of age themes, Hardwicke has chosen a change of pace with Mafia Mamma. Reteaming with her Miss You Already star Toni Collette, Hardwicke’s new film takes a repressed and demoralized professional women and gives her a rebirth after she discovers she’s related to a mafia don in Italy, and she’s chosen to take over the crime empire. Despite the danger, she is reborn. Here, Hardwicke discusses her own career pivot that took her from architect to filmmaker.
