A second year Trinity film student in the Dual BA programme with Columbia University, Lena Streitwieser is a name now circulating throughout international film festivals. Having lived in the cities of Chicago, Berlin and Washington D.C., her background speaks to her immense cultural knowledge and sophistication. Speaking to Streitwieser, she describes her artistic process as a way to reach diverse audiences: “I want to reach people from all around the world, of all backgrounds, and have them experience emotions and reactions to my films that they never could have anticipated.” Having directed her film Pennies, a thirty-minute short, during the summer of 2023, Streitwieser is not only a member of Trinity’s academic scene but a luminary of women’s leadership and the adventure it promises.
The single honours film degree at Trinity allows students to explore film analysis and the practical side of making them. Knowing that her passion lies in pursuing independent projects, she appreciates the college focus on the multifaceted reasons behind a cinematic choice: “assessing their legacies gives me a broader understanding of the significance of the medium, and provides a useful balance of practical versus analytical, when I then go and make films during breaks.”
“I hope to give people films that they may not realise they connect to or need until they see them.”
Streitwieser also reminds us to take college work into everyday reality, since the cloisters of academic thought can reimagine both evening cinematic experiences and daytime conversations. Films seen in cinemas that have cemented her path include Wonderstruck (2017), Rocketman (2019) and La La Land (2016). “I think film is one of the most versatile and influential art forms, and its potential is unlimited,” she expresses, “I hope to give people films that they may not realise they connect to or need until they see them.”
Her own story is multifaceted. As an accomplished jazz singer and pianist who also sings in the University of Dublin Choral Society, Streitwieser shares that “making films allows me to directly contribute to the artistic fabric of the world, and carve out my own space for reflections and musings on life told through my own lens. Every time I make a film, I feel like I’m really living, and everything else going on in my life before or after the filmmaking process is just preparation and inspiration for the next project. Learning that about myself made me certain that I not only wanted, but needed to pursue this professionally.”
“Life is tumultuous and surprising and beautiful, and trying to capture every facet of it through film is not only cathartic, but productive.”
Streitwieser speaks with a special authenticity. What is so inspiring is that she believes her career can be embedded in what she loves. It is encouraging to think that happiness and fulfilment can come from following your emotional compass and the endeavours it takes you on. Streitwieser believes “life is tumultuous and surprising and beautiful, and trying to capture every facet of it through film is not only cathartic, but productive.”
Discussing her early film making experiences, Streitwieser shares: “My first narrative short film beyond iMovie, which I worked on from pre-production until reception, was titled Gravestones. It was a five-minute horror film based on a short story I wrote for English class in seventh grade, and premiered at the D.C. Student Film Fest in my native Washington D.C. From there, I was hooked, and have continued to make as many films as I can.”
In her film Pennies, it is clear that Streitwieser has truly celebrated the extent of her artistry. Her musical calibre enabled her to write the film score, while her brother Max, whose artist name is Nicknames, has an original song It’s Alright that plays at the ending: “I find the marriage between sound and image fascinating, and love exploring the ways music buttresses a narrative, and communicates subtle details about characters’ thoughts or feelings.”
She involved other family members for acting purposes, but her mother Mary Beth Warner “wrote the script, and served as Executive Producer. She even started a production company, Pennies Pictures, LLC, to produce the film.”
“It was a joy to be able to create the world of Pennies from script to screen, and see it come to life in that way.”
Streitwieser explains her love for the film, citing the strength of the script: “The story follows a man named Ian, as he returns to his rural hometown following the death of his mother, in order to stand up to the bullies from his youth, who are conspiring to steal his inheritance … A worthwhile script, in my opinion, does just that — it condenses multiple ideas into a single line or sentence, which gives the reader a very clear and instinctual sense of who the characters are, what they want, and what the world they’re living in is like. It was a joy to be able to create the world of Pennies from script to screen, and see it come to life in that way.”
Streitwieser dedicated a lot of time to pre-production to promote efficient production time, a period which included rehearsing with actors and speaking with the cinematographer: “I found that personally I work well with cinematographers, since it comes easier to me to describe what I’m thinking through visuals on a screen instead of description or dialogue on a page.”
Although this self-awareness would suggest complete confidence, Streitwieser speaks openly. She says that it was anxiety-inducing to not only shoot two of the most important scenes on the first day but that she “was unsure if more experienced actors, specifically males, were going to take me seriously.”
Only 18 at the time, Streitwieser reveals that she was aware that her youth may have resulted in uncertainty among both the cast and crew. She states: “Respect goes both ways, so I knew that in order to gain the respect of the actors and crew members, I had to show that I respected them as well … I remember one of our professional union actors asking me on the first day if he could chew gum in a scene, since he felt it was right for his character. I agreed, and at that moment realised that he must value my direction since he was asking me such a specific question about the minutiae of his character, so that was a reassuring moment … When I did give direction, I made sure to be kind, but firm, and confident.”
When asked to offer advice to peers and younger women, she observes that “I guess what I’ll say is that the worst thing you can do for yourself is not even try … There are so many people around you who look up to you and believe in you, even if you think you’re all alone. Do it for yourself mostly, but also do it for them. And do it to prove to your haters that you can!”
“I personally feel that the most powerful stories are those that portray an intimate microcosm of a larger theme or issue.”
Commenting on the film world today, Streitwieser believes we need to be concentrated on realities. The human truths of loneliness and ageing are examples she offered: “I personally feel that the most powerful stories are those that portray an intimate microcosm of a larger theme or issue … I want to do the same for other dreamers and over-thinkers like myself through my own films, especially in portraying people in the process of growing up who feel like no one understands them or takes their problems seriously. I want to show that someone is listening, even when it feels like no one’s there.”
In response to the aftermath of the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, Streitwieser voices her belief in making smaller-budget films that commit to depicting human experience far better than the underwhelming blockbusters. Speaking boldly, Streitwieser drives us to reflect on what is truly genuine in this world, and reveals how it comes from within ourselves as the decision makers. Here’s to the ones like Lena, who dreams truth into silver screen reality.
