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Coif
Overall Rating     Total Runtime 6:06
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Synopsis
It's the early 1960's in the Cuthbert home. Caroline, age 6, while playing in the living room discovers static electricity and is ec-static about showing her discovery to her family by way of her hair. Until this moment, she did not realize that "wild hair" is not an option in her family and that the only acceptable hairstyle is essentially a lacquered helmet.
About the Filmmaker

Melanie McGraw

Co-Producer, Writer-Director Melanie McGraw is 37 years old. She was born in Sacramento, CA, and lives in Los Angeles, CA and San Francisco, CA. She attended USC School of Cinematic Arts film school. her first project was "Coif" and most recent project "Pitstop" http://www.pitstopmovie.com

Filmmaker Q & A
Q: What was your inspiration for making the film?
Melanie began as a freeform timed writing exercise based on the topic, My mothers hair. I have always been fascinated by her need to control every hair on her head through a morning ritual requiring a comb, brush, pick and heavy-duty aerosol hairspray. You can see her desperate need for control in the final product, essentially a lacquered hair helmet.
But what I discovered through making Coif was that there was a good amount of self-loathing in my relationship with my own hair. A few years back, a bad hair day could seriously throw me into a downward spiral. On the surface, it seems ridiculous to be talking about hair. But for me, Coif was my attempt to free that little girl from the self-hatred that she learned by watching her mother in the mirror every morning

Q: What do you hope to convey through your film?
Melanie I want to inspire the audience to break out of the limitations that are put on them, either by our families or by ourselves (often both). I want to encourage people to find that wild, funky-haired child in themselves and let that kid express him or herself.

Q: Who are your favorite filmmakers/what are a few of your favorite films and why?
Melanie My favorite filmmakers are: Miranda July, Me and You and Everyone We Know. When I saw this on the big screen I thought to myself, THAT is the kind of film I want to make. It is so honestly human&fucked up on one hand, and so beautiful, tender and kind on the other hand. All of that co-exists. We can see the flaws of the characters with love instead of judgment, which allows us to enter them more completely.
And&Paul Thomas Anderson, Magnolia. I love PT Anderson for the same reasons I like Miranda July. He lets the human experience all hang out, without apology, without idealism, and yet, with a lot of compassion for his characters. In addition, he uses the full directorial palette&performance, script, production design and especially sound design. Sitting in the theatre watching Magnolia for the first time transformed me in terms of how I thought about sound and film in general. As when that opening song blared full volume, even when the actors began talking, I thought I might have to run from the theatre. But I sat there, and as a result, discovered that filmmaking may be the most powerful medium on the planet. Thats the film that set me on the path of being a writer-director.

DIRECTOR WEBSITE
http://www.pitstopmovie.com