Lights, Camera, Kentucky: Abi Van Andel on building a creative career, championing women in media, and why the Bluegrass State is fertile ground for filmmakers.

By Lauren Taylor Carr • Photos Provided

According to its mission statement, Women in Film Kentucky (WIFKY) is a Louisville-based nonprofit dedicated to supporting the professional growth and success of women working across film, video, and other screen-based media by offering access to a broad network of resources, job opportunities, mentorship, and training. We recently caught up with Abi Van Andel, Vice President of the organization’s Board of Directors, to discuss her own journey as an actor and producer. (Spoiler alert: she has worked alongside Anne Hathaway, Mark Ruffalo, and Robert De Niro) Van Andel also shared why she believes Kentucky offers a uniquely rewarding environment for filmmakers and other creative practitioners currently pursuing the cinematic arts.

VOICE-TRIBUNE: Can you tell us a bit about your background? Like, where did you grow up, and when did you first become interested in theater and film?

Abi Van Andel: “I grew up in rural Michigan on a farm. I guess I was just kind of always interested in acting in plays-I was in church plays, school plays, that type of thing growing up. I think I was almost in high school by the time I learned you could go to college or university for acting. I just loved telling stories and being on stage, connecting with people. The hard work and effort that it takes to put on a play and to present it and have it hopefully resonate with the audience made me want to begin to look into that further. I kept my grades up because a lot of my family did not go on to further their education after high school, so I was one of the first ones to get a four year degree. I applied to many places and was accepted to Syracuse University in New York [State] where I got my BFA in acting. After school, I kind of bounced around to different states doing theater work. I wanted to explore the US a little bit, because a lot of my family continued to live in West Michigan, and I kind of just wanted to see what was out there. I worked and lived in Maine, California, Pennsylvania, and then came to Kentucky to work with the Shakespeare Festival in August of 2008. At that time I was focusing on classical work, Shakespeare, and theater only, but once getting here to Kentucky I had the opportunity to start doing some commercials. I did student films and indie films, and that kind of grew, and I just really loved how very different it is from stage work. I loved the process and I loved connecting with the crew. It’s so interesting to tell the pieces of the story, because at times it’s not chronological and it’s a bit disjointed.

Sometimes the scene partner is not even there, or maybe the camera doesn’t fit, so it’s interesting to see the different things you have to work around when filming. Also, you don’t get that same initial audience reaction right away. It takes so much time to put it together and to get it out there and to present it. It’s a year and a half later and you’re watching it in the theater and being like ‘Oh yeah, I remember all of that!’ Interestingly, instead of being on the other side when you are doing a play, when you’re doing a film you are a member of the audience watching and you can kind of experience it with the audience members who might be seeing it for the first time as well. It’s a different kind of connection and it’s pretty cool.”

VT: What was your impression, or what sort of things did you notice working alongside such giants as Robert De Niro in “Alto Knights,” as well as Mark Ruffalo and Anne Hathaway in “Dark Waters?”

AVA: “I loved ‘Dark Waters’ and it was my biggest opportunity before the pandemic. The set was wonderful, and Mark Ruffalo is very kind and very nice. I got quite a number of days on set with him and I played his paralegal in the movie, so I was his right hand gal. All of my scenes were pretty much only with him. I had a few other scene partners, but being with him was a superb treat. Robert De Niro was awesome, and obviously so professional. He’s been doing this for pretty much his entire life. It’s crazy to see someone [like that] in person, and all of his mannerisms-his facial movements, the way he moves his hands, hearing his voice-is just wild! I’ve watched so many of his movies, and I’ve seen and heard him through the screen, but now I get to do it with my own ears and eyes.”

VT: Since you are a big environmentalist, the “Dark Waters” role was a good fit for you ideologically, but do you find it hard to play a character that embodies everything you despise or would normally oppose? 

AVA: “Oh, no, I love everything! I love to get into all facets of it really. I think it’s a safe exploration of humanity, and I think it’s fun as a human to get to try on different characters with different life experiences using your imagination. If I’m not booking like lawyers and judges or people that are very ambitious and put together, my 180 role that I book a good deal of is actually what I lovingly call ‘Trash Mom’[LAUGHTER]. That’s the lady that is not great at raising her kids and usually puts herself first above their needs. That role is usually up against harder circumstances and really struggling, and I love those characters. It’s really fun to explore that, without having to live through it, which I think is what acting and theater is all about.”

VT: What prompted you to get involved with the Women in Film Kentucky group, and what is it all about?

AVA: “The original co-founders are Laury Christensen and Lauren Fulwiler and they were the President and Vice President [of the Board] a handful of years ago when it first started. I saw it on social media and I recognized a few faces when they were doing their preliminary meetings, and as they were discovering what this thing should be, I reached out and was like ‘Let me know if you all have a mailing list, because I’m interested in that.’ So I think with the growing film industry here, it’s kind of a natural progression. Many of the larger film markets and areas of the industry, not just in the US but the world, many of them have Women in Film chapters. It’s just a natural step of things growing to kind of get a group together that is focused on this one specific issue. I think in many workforces gender inequality is an issue, but particularly in the film industry, it’s just a very male dominated field. Gathering the women together and supporting each other and lifting each other up, helps with the resources and the ability to be hired. I think in many areas of work it's not just a resume that’s coming across the desk. There’s this element of vouching for people too. The more women we can get on set who have worked with other women, we can offer and suggest more women for placement in crew and producing positions. It [WIFKY] has really grown so much in the past few years. We’ve been a non-profit for 3 years now, and our mailing list is a few hundred people now. We have great turnouts at our networking events where people can just connect, talk, and meet. We’re having awesome events under Tara Coco Guptill’s leadership. She is the new president and I’m the VP now for the next 3 years. She’s [Guptill] a screenwriter as well, so we’ve brought back some amazing writer’s groups, and screenwriting sessions under her leadership, and people are really responding to that. It’s been a great avenue, because you don’t need a big expensive camera, or really anyone’s permission or access to be able to engage with the writing aspect of the industry. As women, we have different stories to tell and different points of view. I think that the world is hungry for that at the moment.”

VT: How can folks throughout the region get involved? Do they have to already be working in film, or can their interests be aspirational? And are your events ONLY for women?

AVA: “Aspirational, for sure! We are kind of across the board that way. We have everything from seasoned veterans who have been in many different positions for decades to brand new people, so it is for everyone. There’s a newsletter that people can sign up for and you don’t have to be a member to receive the newsletter, and that’s through our website. Of course, you can follow us on social media too. We try to post everything there as well, as far as what we’re doing. Every different event we try to be really clear about who is invited. The one we just had was a networking event for creative folks in the business and that was open to all genders and all experience levels. People who just wanted to grow their network, essentially, and that worked out so well. Some of the events are members only, some of them are for women only. We try to clarify for every single event we’re running who this is for and we invite them in.”

VT: What are your hopes for the future of the film industry in Kentucky?

AVA: “I hope that the sky is the limit, quite honestly. It seems like it’s trending in that way, absolutely. There’s so much growth that can be had and there’s so many good people steering the growth of the industry here. I have full faith in the way things are going. We’re laying some amazing track for things to continue to grow and to be sustainable.”

For more information visit, womeninfilmky.org.