Callie Khouri

Callie Khouri

"Show up for the muse. You must be present to win. If you want to write you can't put it off. You've got to just get yourself there." 

Callie Khouri's seminal, Oscar-winning screenplay for Thelma & Louise, released in 1991, gave voice to a profound cultural moment and became one of the most provocative cinematic landmarks of the '90s. It was the Kentucky native's first attempt at a screenplay. In this enlightening interview, Khouri describes how spending years doing music video production in the '80s inspired her not only to write, but to write with a purpose. A passionate activist with a resume that includes Something to Talk About and her adaptation of Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, which she also directed, Khouri discusses in detail the pressure of living up to such early acclaim, what it's like to be a woman in the industry, and how the state of the world around you fuels and shapes your creative mindset. Also a frequent script doctor and former Writers Guild of America board member, Khouri delves into the ongoing issues facing the WGA, its membership, and its much-maligned arbitration process.

85 Minutes

Letterbox

$8.95
TD-CK4-1
Writer's Tip #66

"Having a shit-detector is being able to read it and not think, 'Oh yes, this is just as great as I thought it was a week ago.'"

DVD CHAPTERS
  1. Intro
  2. The Acceptance of Eccentricity
  3. Write a Story About My Mother
  4. Anything With a Woman in It
  5. She Can Really Drive a Sentence
  6. An Emotionally Justified Murder
  7. Concise and Precise
  8. The Learn-While-You-Earn Program
  9. A Sponge in Every Crevice of My Brain
  10. A Piece of Metal With a Name On It
  11. One Writer Against Another
  12. A Severe Beating
  13. Show Up For the Muse