Hot Docs 2022 Women Directors: Meet Phyllis Ellis – “Category: Woman”

Phyllis Ellis is a Canadian filmmaker, writer, actor, and producer who has worked in Europe, Asia, Africa, India, and the U.S. for the past 35 years. Nominated for the 2021 International Emmys and winner of Best Direction and Best Writing at the Canadian Screen Awards (CSA), her feature documentary “Toxic Beauty” has been viewed by over 44 million people worldwide. Ellis has won six CSAs and was nominated for best direction for her work in documentary film, series, writing, and performance. An Olympian, Ellis is dedicated to telling stories empowering women’s voices around the world.

“Category: Woman” is screening at the 2022 Hot Docs Canadian International Film Festival, which is taking place April 28-May 8. Find more information on the fest’s website.

W&H: Describe the film for us in your own words.

PE: “Category: Woman” is a story of women’s rights, athlete’s rights, and human rights, racism, sexism, and the remarkable champions from the Global South who have the courage to change the world of international elite sport. It is also about what happens when sport governing bodies target women athletes under the guise of fair play and protecting the “category.”

We look at the 80-year history of sex testing, policing of women’s bodies, and questioning of gender. The athletes in the film have been humiliated, and harmed, their gender thrown into doubt, and their private medical records leaked to the international media.

Athletes, whistleblowers, activists, and experts guide us through the long history to today, while their sporting careers, and sometimes lives, hang in the balance.

W&H: What drew you to this story?

PE: I am an Olympian and filmmaker who was drawn into this story after meeting some of the athletes in the film and Dr. Payoshni Mitria, a remarkable activist who has supported these women for well over 10 years.

While I found their stories tragic, we, as a filmmaking team were deeply moved and inspired by their courage and their incredible prowess as champions.

W&H: What do you want people to think about after they watch the film?

PE: I want audiences to see these athletes, these women who are challenged at the very core of who they are and who they are told they should be; that human rights are paramount in every arena of life; and that all elite athletes have advantages. That’s what makes champions champions.

W&H: What was the biggest challenge in making the film?

PE: That’s a big question. This is an international film so the athletes are very far from our home, which is Toronto, Canada. Especially in the beginning almost four years ago, many athletes had not come forward with their stories unless their private information was thrust into the world media, such was the case of the indomitable champion Dutee Chand. It became difficult to engage the international sport governing bodies in the narrative, but that became part of the journey.

It was also challenging discussing this subject with my own friends who I competed with, who may have an opinion based on their perception of science or narratives that are repeated “in the main” about biomarkers that don’t define who we are or advantages we may or may not have as women competing in the category.

Sometimes the subject of the film made people angry or afraid, or it was complicated at first blush to articulate, but I always went back to human rights and the experts and the powerful, emotional, and meaningful stories of the women in the film.

And lastly, I am from the Global North, and while I could relate on many levels as an elite athlete, I had to find a navigatable path and move further away from any point of view of my own — because my own lived experience is completely different than most of the subjects of the film — other than receiving the learning and being present to their experiences.

W&H: How did you get your film funded? Share some insights into how you got the film made.

PE: In Canada, we are very fortunate to have a broadcast licensing system that supports documentary films. We received a broadcast license and that triggers other funding opportunities and this made up the bulk of the financing. We also had an American Executive Production company that contributed to the financing of the film.

W&H: What inspired you to become a filmmaker?

PE: I began my career in the arts as an actor, mostly in theater, and then in television. I was invited to direct my first feature documentary film called “About Her,” about nine young women living with breast cancer. It was extraordinary being a small part in telling their stories and it was a privilege to be invited into their experiences and their lives, especially for some, so close to the end of their lives.

I thought it would combine my deep commitment to social-political women’s issues and my creative self and possibly contribute in some way to introducing or supporting important narratives.

W&H: What’s the best and worst advice you’ve received?

PE: Best advice: “Everything in this moment is as it should be and you can do anything and be anything you choose to be.” That’s from my mother.

The worst advice: “You have to always give more than 100 percent.” That was from an old coach when I was very young.

W&H: What advice do you have for other women directors? 

PE: Well, I’m not sure I have advice. I will say that it is a remarkable choice we’ve made, to follow this career of directing films, and that you should always trust your first instincts: too many voices on your creativity can cause this horrible decision fatigue that can render the process impossible.

Take the lead and follow when it’s right. Collaborate with awesome humans and tell the stories that mean something to you.

W&H: Name your favorite woman-directed film and why.

PE: I think “Harlan County, USA” by Barbara Kopple because it was both heart-wrenching and beautiful, and it was such a remarkable story of a community fighting to survive against the corporation.

W&H: How are you adjusting to life during the COVID-19 pandemic? Are you keeping creative, and if so, how?

PE: Well, finishing a film during COVID-19 was a big challenge, but that has kept us busy and creative through these challenging times.

I did feel challenged though, and coming from an in-person, collaborative environment, the isolation did get to me.

But it’s shifting and that’s very good for all of us.

W&H: The film industry has a long history of underrepresenting people of color onscreen and behind the scenes and reinforcing — and creating — negative stereotypes. What actions do you think need to be taken to make Hollywood and/or the doc world more inclusive?

That’s a great question, especially for me, as a white documentary filmmaker having just finished a film that supports and tells the stories of black and brown women from the Global South.

Four years ago, I came into this story as an Olympian and I thought that was a common ground and that I could write and direct this film and it was a good impulse to follow. Now four years later, while we are very proud of the film and collaborated with many incredible women and people internationally, I would not choose to be the filmmaker for this narrative today.

I believe, if we are committed to inclusion and opportunity for filmmakers of color, we all should be conscious of what it means when we are in a space that is either not our lived experience or not our story to tell.

And also to say that we all should be working and make the commitment to work with filmmakers of color in all areas of our filmmaking process.

And to listen and not talk, even though I wanted to answer the question.