How the F**k Do You Make it as a Film Student? by Jacob Dallas

When I saw that Cold Worm was approaching its 10th issue, I knew I wanted to sit down with one of my favorite creatives: Charlotte Geissler. So, as soon as she wrapped The Werewolf Problem, her latest short film, we met for coffee at The Bourgeois Pig in Chicago to talk about who she is as a filmmaker, where her work comes from, and the experiences that have helped shape who she is.

Charlotte Geissler is an award-winning German-American filmmaker working between Berlin, Atlanta, and Chicago. Born in Germany and raised in Chicago, her work explores surreal, emotionally grounded stories that connect people across different worlds and experiences.

Her short film Girls in the Back of the Club won Best Director at the Berlin Indie Film Festival in 2023 and was a semi-finalist at the New York International Women's Film Festival. Her film Phase 10 also received Best Director of a Short Film at the Berlin Kiez Film Festival in 2022. Her films have screened internationally at festivals across the U.S. and Europe. Alongside her directing work, Charlotte has worked professionally across narrative film and television, including on an A24 feature production and as Sustainability Coordinator on Season 5 of The Bear in Chicago. She is currently pursuing an MFA in Film Directing at DePaul University, where she received the program’s first full-ride directing fellowship.

Some of this conversation is abbreviated for clarity

ME: Was there a moment that inspired you to become a filmmaker? Like a film that made you want to make movies?

CHARLOTTE: I think probably one of the first films that inspired me was American Honey by Andrea Arnold. But right now, I’m obsessed with The Sound of Falling from director Masha Shalinski. It's a really good movie. I feel like it talks about something that’s really inexplicable in a very eloquent way.

ME: You didn’t study filmmaking in undergrad. How did you make that shift from Bard, studying international relations, into film?

CHARLOTTE: I studied international relations at Bard, and then in my senior year, I got really obsessed with film. I was surrounded by a lot of film people there, so I think that was probably part of it. And then it was coronavirus, and overnight, I had this extreme desire to make a political horror short. It was actually in German, but performed by Americans who were studying German at the time. I wrote it overnight and made it in the next couple of days. It’s super absurd, with naked people and Americans speaking broken German.

ME: You grew up in Germany, in Cologne, and then moved to the U.S. How did that influence your taste in movies and the content you want to create?

CHARLOTTE: I love German movies, and for a long time, right after college, I really wanted to go to German film school, specifically the one in Munich. That was my first time applying to grad school. I actually applied, I think, five times.

ME: Do you feel like German films gave you a different idea of what filmmaking could be? 

CHARLOTTE: Yeah. Some of my favorite filmmakers are German. I think there’s just a little bit more freedom there to make films that are maybe more true to the filmmaker’s vision, because they don’t necessarily have to fulfill, like, capitalistic requirements.

ME: More radical in a way?

CHARLOTTE: Yeah. Here it feels more make-or-break. There, it feels a little more radical, I guess you’d say.

ME: Your ideas and films are so unique, like Lovers of the Apocalypse and The Werewolf Problem. Where do those come from?

CHARLOTTE: I think I’m very interested in using fantasy and psychologically strange moments to infiltrate reality. And creating a relationship between the real world and a fantasy world that allows you to explain what’s going on inside your head and how you’re actually feeling. And then interacting with those fantastical elements in the real world.

ME: What do you want to do with film in the future? What’s the goal?

CHARLOTTE: I think there are a couple of obsessions that I have. Right now, one of them is definitely werewolves. Another one is exploring what it means to be a girl growing up and how that feels. I feel like my characters are often younger women going through life changes. In The Werewolf Problem, the main character, Eileen, is a 13-year-old girl played by Coraline Reesh. Similarly, in Sugar, it was also a younger woman exploring what it means to just live in a heteronormative, hyper-sexualized world. So I think my films will continue to have young women as the main characters. But I’m sure as I get older, I’ll start exploring what it means to be older, too.

ME: What was it like working with a young actress on set for The Werewolf Problem?

CHARLOTTE: I think one of the greatest challenges was making sure that we had a comfortable relationship with each other before we started filming. So Morgan and I made sure that Coraline and I had several times to meet in person and over Zoom to talk about the character, but also just to chat so she would hopefully see me as somebody she trusts and can goof around with, while also feeling comfortable enough to be uncomfortable on set. I definitely wanted to create a safe environment for her, because I know it can be really scary to be around so many people, especially when everybody is twice your age.

ME: 
The Werewolf Problem also brought in actors like Lucas Jade Zumann and Joe Swanberg. How did you manage that for a student film? 

CHARLOTTE: For Lucas, I showed him the script and my previous work. I think that’s really important. One of my professors said, “You just keep making stuff, and then one day your work becomes the resume that you need to show. “

I feel like that’s what happened. It was a way of showing, “This is the vision, and this is how it usually turns out.” He saw the script, saw my work, and was super interested. He’s an amazing actor and brought so much to the table, asking questions that I didn’t even necessarily have answers to. 

ME: How did you raise money for the film?

CHARLOTTE: The film was partially funded by a grant from DePaul, the Collective Futures Film Lab, which focuses on inclusive filmmaking. One of our main focuses was ensuring that everyone on set felt safe and able to collaborate and be creative. At the start of each day, during safety meetings, we talked about our commitment to inclusivity.

ME: This is your fourth film with Kiki, the cinematographer on The Werewolf Problem. How long have you two been working together? 

CHARLOTTE: 
Kiki’s my absolute number one creative partner of all time. I’m so lucky to have met her. A friend of a friend connected us and was like, “You guys have to meet. You’re the exact same person.” Then we also realized we worked really well together creatively. She’s the most perfect creative partner for me.

ME: Shout out Kiki. 


CHARLOTTE: Yeah, shout out

ME: Now that you’re at DePaul getting your MFA in directing, what do you see as the benefit of doing that instead of just going straight into making work independently? 

CHARLOTTE: After college, after Bard in New York, I got really obsessed with film. I didn’t really know how to make money in film. My parents are photographers, but they don’t know how the film industry works at all, so a friend of a friend recommended going to Atlanta. I moved down there to just… be there. I worked in a pizza restaurant, and eventually got a call to be on set and started working on bigger shows, first as a PA and then in the camera department. Frankly, I wasn’t super happy being a technician, and I didn’t really understand that there are these two different sides of filmmaking, which are both equally important. But I continued making my own work during that time. After Atlanta, when I moved to Berlin, I also continued making my own work there. I was just trying to crunch out as many shorts as possible. I honestly just loved making stuff. But I still felt like I really wanted to focus fully on my own work, and I felt like I was missing some guidance. I applied to grad school so many times because I always felt it was the right idea to fully focus on my work instead of just being on set, making money, and doing technician work. I started out at Georgia State University when I moved from Berlin back to Atlanta, and that was helpful, but I still felt like something was missing. I wasn’t really getting the creative community out of the program that I felt like I was craving.

And then I was able to get a full ride to DePaul, so it felt like, okay, I would love to come home.

ME: A few months ago, Lovers of the Apocalypse, the film you shot with Kiki at Swamp Fest, premiered at the Davis Theater as part of Joe Swanberg’s NoBudge event. How did it feel seeing that film on the big screen? 

CHARLOTTE: It was awesome. It was super fun. Such a crazy film. It’s honestly such a good little short.

ME: You act in it as the love interest. 

CHARLOTTE: Yes. I also acted in it. I got married. 

ME: 
At Swamp Fest. 

CHARLOTTE: I got married to Carter Bass. 
Somebody actually asked me if I was okay. 

ME: I love that line in the wedding vows: “Let the PBRs flow and the Marlboros burn.” Did you write that, or was it improvised? 

CHARLOTTE: The wedding was all so tumultuous. We knew we wanted to do it on the first day of the fest, but Carter had gotten really hurt earlier that day, so we weren’t sure if we could do the wedding. But it almost amped him up more. He invited all of Swamp Fest to this wedding. There were probably at least 50 people there. Then this guy, I don’t know his name, a very tall, big guy, walked me down the aisle. 

ME: And he came up with the vows? 

CHARLOTTE: Yeah, he came up with the vows. 

ME: The Werewolf Problem felt like a real family affair. There were friends, collaborators, food, still photography, producing, sound, and what felt like a whole little world built in that Lakeview house. I remember going back with you to return the U-Haul and feeling like we had never left. 

CHARLOTTE: I know. I bike past that house, and I’m like, “Oh, home.” 

ME: It was home for 3 days. 

CHARLOTTE: Yeah. 

ME: What’s on the horizon now? The Werewolf Problem is a short, but do you see it becoming something larger? 

CHARLOTTE: Definitely, yeah. 
We've been writing it into a feature for a while, and it would be amazing to start filming it during my time at DePaul. Kind of in collaboration with the school and some of the students, because a lot of the students who worked on the short were incredible. 

ME: 
Everyone came to play. 

CHARLOTTE: Yeah. They were just as professional as some of the people that I’ve worked with in Atlanta or on sets here. 


ME: Yeah. It was cool to see the Actors Guild side of it, too. It felt like we weren’t quite on a traditional indie film, but it was more than just a student film. Kind of the best of both worlds. 

CHARLOTTE: Yeah. It was so much fun. 

ME: What was one of your favorite parts of making The Werewolf Problem? 

CHARLOTTE: One of my favorite parts was definitely working with an all-women-led team: Morgan, Alex, Jordana, Kiki, and Coraline. 

I remember near the end of the shoot, we were all upstairs in one of the small bedrooms in the house, and we just kind of debriefed. We were asking, “How’s everybody feeling?” and checking in with everyone. There was such clear communication with each other, but also checking in on an emotional level, which I feel like rarely happens when things are so hectic. 

ME: You’ve also been working in sustainability on A24’s Enemies and Season 5 of The Bear. Is that something you want to keep doing alongside directing? 

CHARLOTTE:  
Yeah, I was the sustainability coordinator for Enemies and The Bear. Season 5. I love it. 


ME: You said you had your own little space on The Bear. 

CHARLOTTE: Yeah, a little bit of the universe. I’ve worked on set in a lot of different capacities, and I think sustainability is, for sure, my favorite way to be involved. It’s also a way to collaborate with every single department, learn how they function, and understand their needs. 

It’s also about learning how departments can make compromises to be more sustainable. And at the same time, it allows me to meet more people on set and create more work. 

ME: It feels like such a tight-knit Chicago film community. 

CHARLOTTE: Yeah. For The Werewolf Problem, we had a bunch of friends from The Bear come and help out. Cuco was our production designer, and he pulled a ton of strings to get these beautiful white flowers for our set. Christina was our costume designer, and she also worked on The Bear. Even one of the neighbors in the film had worked on set dec for The Bear. 

ME: I remember being at Montrose Harbor on the first night of shooting, hanging by crafty with Fabian and eating Biscoff cookies, which were a huge hit. 

CHARLOTTE: They were a huge hit. I do like Biscoff cookies, but they just reminded me of United Airlines. 

ME: From where we were standing, the set looked like complete chaos, but Fabian looked at you and said, “Man, look at Charlotte right now. Cool as a cucumber. I’d be freaking out.” 

CHARLOTTE:  
Really? That's what he said?

ME: Yeah. You had things under control.

CHARLOTTE: Wow, I feel so honored. He would never say that to my face.

ME: Fabian also deserves a shout-out for the food and for avoiding the pasta crisis on set. 

CHARLOTTE: I always like when people come on for catering and crafty who are really into food and see it as a challenge to cook for 40 people for several days in a row.

But yeah, I felt weirdly calm for The Werewolf Problem, probably because we did so much preparation. We had several meetings with the crew to inform everybody of our days. And so much rehearsal, too. A lot of rehearsing, over Zoom and in person. Once the first day started, I was like, “All right, let’s ride.” Everything clicked. Like, okay, let’s make it happen now.

ME: I think everybody knew exactly what they needed to do. 

CHARLOTTE: So that felt really special. 


ME: The Werewolf Problem is now being edited by Moses, who also edited Lovers of the Apocalypse. Are you hoping to have it finished soon? 

CHARLOTTE: Yeah, we’re meeting next week to go through the rough cut, and hopefully by the end of the summer, we’ll have something together. 

ME: In between developing The Werewolf Problem as a feature, are you planning to make any other shorts at DePaul?  

CHARLOTTE: Yes, I have another short called An Image of Jane, which is about young girls who disappear into the digital world after deepfake images of them go viral. It’s a very specific world, but that’s my next short. 

ME: That feels connected to what you were saying earlier about girlhood and growing up. 

CHARLOTTE: 
Right. Yeah. I’m super excited. 

ME: So what was the best takeaway from The Werewolf Problem? 

CHARLOTTE: I feel like one of the best takeaways from this project was reigniting a lot of fun in film for me. It was a great time. And I think that with each film I make, my number one priority is to have a good, fun, collaborative time. 

ME: On the last day, Runn, who was working in Grip and Electric, told me, “This is the most fun I’ve ever had on a set.” I remember telling you that while we were driving the U-Haul back, dead tired, and you were like, “Oh my god, that’s all I’ve ever wanted. That’s all I wanna hear.” 

CHARLOTTE: Well, I love all the side quests that happen on a set. I feel like it’s always a movie in itself.

ME: The film also goes to some darker places than your earlier work. 

CHARLOTTE:  It was interesting. I’ve never done a story that was so dark and horrible, in a way. There were definitely a couple of scenes that weren't exactly hard to watch, but the energy around them was so serious. I think it was important to maintain that energy, especially for the actors, but that was definitely something new for me. 

ME: It sounds like each project is teaching you something different, not just about directing, but about the kind of filmmaker you want to become. Why does school feel important to you right now? 

CHARLOTTE: The reason I want to get my MFA is, one, of course, to become a better filmmaker. Priority number one. But I don’t necessarily think I would stop making films if I didn’t go to film school. I think I will keep making films no matter what.

So number two is that I can teach. I think being a professor, at any level, is incredibly insightful and will improve your own work in many ways. And also because some of my… 

Oh, my God, you know, I can only think of the German word right now. 

ME: Say the German word.

CHARLOTTE: Vorbild.