KSFEF & THE AMAZING LIVING HISTORY OF FEMALE FILM EDITORS

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From the Adobe Blog: 2019 fellow Victoria Chalk shares how Karen’s legacy of generosity and mentorship is helping her find her voice.

Women belong in the edit bay. From Thelma Schoonmaker, the editor behind masterpieces like Raging Bull, to Joi McMillon, the first black woman nominated in Oscar category for editing for her commanding work on Moonlight, to Mary Sweeney, the timeline maestro behind David Lynch’s gloomy dreamscapes, countless cinematic successes have been shaped by hardworking, diligent female editors.

And one of the most impactful is Karen Schmeer, the late editor that Errol Morris collaborated with on The Fog of War and Fast and Cheap & Out of Control. Karen almost reaches the status of prodigy in the world of film editing: Fast and Cheap & Out of Control, her very first feature film, is considered to be a masterclass in documentary editing.

Standing on the shoulders of giants can be a tall order, but one editor is up to the task. Victoria Chalke is the 2019 recipient of the Karen Schmeer Film Editing Fellowship, a program created in Karen’s memory that encourages and champions the talent of an emerging documentary editor. Victoria says, “I feel that Karen brought humanity to her films, the fellowship is bringing humanity to the film industry. With how big the industry is, it’s nice to find a community here.”

Read on…