Abbey Sacks
Born: Highland Park, IL — 1996 / Living: Seattle, WA
Still from an artist profile video, shot by Sacks, for queer and body-positive photographer Lauren Crow.
Interview by Speciwomen — March 2017
Speciwomen: Tell us about yourself.
Abbey Sacks: I'm someone who is in a constant state of flux. I like to experiment and make a lot of things, even if they aren't very good. Like fun little movies or drawings or songs with my friends. I try to be a vulnerable person, whether that's through my personal life or the art I create. It can be scary at times, but it's something that's important to me.
S: How did you get into film?
AS: When I was 12, I used to make little camcorder YouTube videos with my best friend. We would film ourselves at sleepovers, pulling pranks on my brothers and any other shenanigans we would get into together. Those were some of the first times I picked up a camera. I feel like that kind of creation has spilled into everything that I make to this day. I never want to lose that sense of playfulness when I'm creating.
S: Thus far, what has been the most challenging project you’ve worked on?
AS: The project I'm working on right now has been the most challenging. It's a collection of many different video portraits over time, so it can be tough managing so many different people and shoot dates.
S: The last project you shot is about womanhood, a celebration of being a female. Why did you choose to focus on this topic? What is your message?
AS: It is a topic that I care deeply about and think about often, especially as a queer woman. I think being a filmmaker is a huge responsibility. You have so much power in all of the choices you make--who you decide to work with, who you feature/cast, the topics you choose to explore. I began this project to give female identities the space to represent themselves in authentic, vulnerable and comfortable ways. To be visible. To take up space.
S: One director you want to work with.
AS: Miranda July.
S: How do you de-stress after a project?
AS: This might sound kind of geeky, but working on projects is what feels de-stressing to me. I constantly need to be working on something because of all the different ideas floating around in my head. I feel the most relaxed when I am creating—it can be a really therapeutic thing for me at times.
S: Your favorite movie of the year?
AS: Moonlight
S: Aside from film, what other passions do you have?
AS: I love to doodle. I carry around sketchbooks with me everywhere I go and draw the people around me—on buses, in coffee shops or just little characters I come up with for fun.
S: Are you working on anything currently?
AS: I'm currently working on a music video that's a celebration of female identities. It's going to be a compilation of video portraits of many different women, trying to capture them in the ways that make them feel the most comfortable. I've already shot 9 different women and I'm hoping to reach out to as many people as possible.
S: How has womanhood impacted your work?
AS: Growing up, I never saw myself reflected in the movies or TV shows I was exposed to. Almost all of the main female characters were skinny, feminine and model-esque. Their whole world always seemed to be revolving around a man in some way. The theme of womanhood and femininity seeps into everything I make, even if it's not intentional. It's something that I am constantly questioning and exploring not just by myself, but through conversations and collaborations with many different women.
Abbey Sacks is an interdisciplinary artist with a focus on filmmaking and photography. Her work centers around queer and femme identities, and she is inspired by themes of authenticity and vulnerability through human storytelling.
In the past, her films have screened at over sixty film festivals worldwide, and at venues such as the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Seattle Art Museum. She has also created video content for companies such as Adidas, Calvin Klein, Microsoft, Refinery 29, and Dazed and Confused Magazine.