Vanessa McMahon

Director, Writer, Producer Sarah T. Schwab wrote, directed, and produced the short film, A MY NAME IS (2018). The film went on to tour the festival circuit internationally and was awarded "Best WNY Short" at the Buffalo International Film Festival, and "Best Lead Actress in A Short Film" at the Nice International Film Festival, the Nova Star Awards, as well as the Young Entertainer Awards. A MY NAME IS is currently streaming on Amazon. 

In August 2020, CFI locked a feature she directed and co-wrote called LIFE AFTER YOU (2020) starring Gary Perez, Florencia Lozano, and Kathryn Erbe. The film recently concluded the festival circuit and won "Best Director of a Feature Film" at the Madrid International Film Festival, "Best Feature Film" and "Best Lead Actress" at the Nice International Film Festival, and "Special Jury Remi for a First Feature" and "Best Lead Actress" at WorldFest-Houston. Domestic distribution is being handled through Freestyle Media, and international through Octane MultiMedia. The film can be found on all major VOD streaming services. 

Sarah is currently finishing the film festival circuit for her multiple award-winning feature film that she wrote and directed, A STAGE OF TWILIGHT (2022), starring Karen Allen and William Sadler. Her film premiered at Woods Hole Film Festival and recently screened at the 76^th annual Sonoma International Film Festival (SIFF) and 17th Berkshires International Film Festival (BIFF).

Sarah is a member of the Playwright/Directors Unit at Actors Studio in New York City and owns an independent film production company, Cardinal Flix, Inc.

In a recent interview with Sarah, here is what she had to say:

How did you get into writing and directing? Did you always know it's what you want to do? 

SARAH: I started off as a journalist and prose writer; I always imagined myself living deep in the forest scribbling down books. Then I got the opportunity to work under the tutelage of Oscar-nominated production designer Kristi Zea ("Silence of the Lambs," "Goodfellas," "Revolutionary Road") in 2016. The shoot was Karen Allen's ("Raiders of the Lost Ark," "Animal House," "Starman") film directorial debut called "A Tree. A Rock. A Cloud." based on the short story by Carson McCullers. I was fascinated and galvanized by all the departments and how they worked together to create this beautiful piece of art. That's when the "a-ha!" moment happened and I knew filmmaking was my path forward. I worked on every indie project I could to learn the different roles of people, then wrote, directed, produced, set designed my first short film "'A' My Name Is" in 2018. It was a four-day shoot and I probably slept 10 hours total, but I loved it. Since then, my partner Brian Long and I created our independent production company Cardinal Flix, and I've written, directed, and produced three features to date. It's been a gorgeously insane handful of years.

You wrote, directed, and produced your last four films. Do you feel it's necessary to have multiple talents in the industry to get something made these days? 

SARAH: In my experience, I think it's beneficial if you can wear multiple hats. You have more freedom that way. That freedom comes with a price though; it's exhausting to be on top of everything everywhere all at once.

You own a production company called Cardinal Flix. Can you tell us about that? 

SARAH: My production partner Brian Long and I were sitting outside having a glass of wine in the summer of 2020. This was after our first film "Life After You," and right when COVID was raging. We were taking in the beauty of the Pocono Mountains and talking about how crazy the world had become. A lot of people were losing hope at this time, and we wanted to buoy not only ourselves, but others, in the industry and filmgoers. So, we made the decision to create the company. We would make the rules. We would decide what was a good story. And we would choose awesome talented people to collaborate with. Where we live is lively with cardinals. There's a bird feeder we and our cats like to watch that's littered with them. Every spring, several female and male cardinals visit that feeder. When the females are pregnant, the vibrantly red male searches for the best pieces of food for her. After she gives birth, she does the same for him. They work together as a team to create something greater than themselves; they create life. This was the inspiration behind the name. Brian and I work together to tell stories about regular people confronted by extraordinary events that anyone can and will probably be faced with at some point in their life; primal stories about love, fear, sexuality, death, told honestly without embellishment. That is our mission as artists.

Your latest film “A Stage of Twilight” started as a play. Can you tell us about how you went about making it into a film? 

SARAH: Karen Allen and I met in New York City in an off-Broadway theater about nine years ago. She and I were having dinner and I was telling her about a play I was writing about a couple who had been married for 40+ years. The husband gets a terminal diagnosis about his health, and he makes the decision to rent a trailer and die alone so his wife doesn't have to bear the unpleasant effects of his illness. He wants to be remembered for who he was, not who he has become. His wife is not cool with that, and thus a discussion about end-of-life decisions is born. We did several readings and workshops over the years, Karen always giving me extremely helpful feedback. We were about to have it produced when COVID hit. I made the decision to turn it into a film because of the production company and a very generous investor who believed in the work. It took about two months to adapt it, always with Karen's input. Then we shot it. In the middle of a pandemic. The stress was beyond intense, but I'm so proud of the outcome.

You worked closely with your lead actress, Karen Allen, to make the film. What was it like working with her? 

SARAH: Karen is a beautiful artist. She is strong, smart, gentle, and deeply invested in projects she believes in. When I really think about it, I'm blown away and honored that she invested this much time and soul into "A Stage of Twilight." She is this great legend for female artists à la "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and all the other projects she's worked on. I forget about that sometimes because she's a friend and a normal human being to hang out with. But when I look back at all the great films she made, I'm like, "Whoa...My friend totally rules."

What was one of your biggest challenges in making A Stage of Twilight? 

SARAH: Money; always in the indie world. Money. And COVID. Shooting during a pandemic is not fun. We had to test people every other day and one positive test could shut the whole project down. I became very spiritual during the shoot, praying to a higher power every night that no one got sick. It was one of the most stressful times of my life.

You've been winning awards for the film nationwide. Can you tell us about those? 

SARAH: It's been so rewarding to get to travel across the country with the film. I can't always watch the screenings because it's a deeply personal story for me. It's loosely based on my dad getting sick when I was 15 and watching him wither under those conditions. But doing the talkbacks after and communicating with people about the end of life and love and community...there's nothing like it in the whole world. That was the film's purpose: to get people talking about a sensitive and deeply personal issue. The rewards...well, I'm just beyond honored for every single one. This business is so hard. Just to make an indie film is sheer luck. To be recognized for all that hard work is a blessing.

Is it difficult to get indie films distributed these days? Where can people see the film? 

SARAH: It is very difficult to get distribution. There are so many amazing films in the world. So, when you find a company that believes in you, that's a sigh of relief. My short "'A' My Name Is" is on Amazon. Our first feature "Life After You" is distributed by Freestyle Digital Media in North America, and Octane Multimedia internationally. We're on numerous streaming platforms that you can find here: https://www.lifeafteryoumovie.com/. As we conclude screenings on the film circuit, "A Stage of Twilight" will be shopped around by Buffalo 8, starting with the Cannes Film Market. You can find more on our website (https://www.astageoftwilightthefilm.com/). We're in post-production for our third film, the psychological thrill "Crybaby Bridge," but hope to find distribution right away. More to come on our website: (https://www.crybabybridgethefilm.com/).

You recently screened at SIFF in Sonoma. What was that experience like? You also won an award there. 

SARAH: Sonoma has begun to feel like my home away from home. I go there about twice a year, meet up with friends, eat great food, and always visit my favorite winery Turnbull. I literally jumped for joy when we were accepted to SIFF. Then to learn that I won the "Filmmaker Award" presented by Cinelease that came with a $10k grant for grip and lighting rentals for the next project... Words escape me. And I got a piece of the Golden Gate Bridge for my plaque! It felt like my home away from home was calling me.

What will you be working on next? 

SARAH: Three features in three years is a lot of work. I'm taking the next year to write. There is a play I'm working on that I hope to put up at The Actors Studio Playwrights/Directors Unit next fall called "A Room with Lace Curtains." I'm also working on a screenplay - another psychological thriller - called "Recluse" that I hope to shoot in 2024. It's a good one. A scary one. Just got to find the money to make it.

Interview by Vanessa McMahon