Upon meeting Sophie Watts, the challenge is on, to not like her or be impressed by her lengthy personal and professional resume. Tall, svelte, blonde and crisp, she epitomizes the image of the consummate equestrian. In black pencil jeans, black riding boots, black blazer and white Oxford-collared shirt, Watts is breathtakingly attractive. A fan of Thoroughbreds and the sport of racing them, she is as comfortable on the backstretch as in the Clubhouse. She's the kind of beautiful that makes insecure women want to hate her because they feel inferior, just by virtue of the fact that she exists.
But once she flashes her open smile and her eyes twinkle with glee at something that tickled her fancy--all such thoughts melt like the Spring snows. And because she's brilliant, genuine, caring and sincere--it quickly becomes impossible to harbor any feelings for Watts other than the strong desire to become her friend and colleague.
For those who judge a book by its cover, Watts may offer a challenge: perfect people are especially difficult to love for those with ego problems. And Watts does come across as being perfect, in spite of the fact that she's very real, and extraordinarily kind.
Once you get past her outward classic demeanor--it takes about one minute--you want to know more about this astonishingly accomplished woman.
Watts came to America several years ago in order to work on the psychological thriller, 1140 Royal Street. She did not arrive here "...the wretched refuse of [a] teeming shore..." She brought a C.V. that shames those of others twice her age, and a desire to contribute to the American arts scene in a lasting way.
Summa cum laude from Cambridge University--at which institution she studied the arts in Europe--she quickly put that degree, insight and vision to work in her native England in the production of long-form music films for broadcast and/or DVD release. Among the list of her body of work are the Emmy Award-winning charity concert, Live 8 for MTV International; Madonna: Live at KoKo's (which was broadcast live on MSN) and Icon: The Cure.
These films are but the tip of her professional iceberg: Watts produced the acclaimed Edinburgh Festival Fringe run on rom.com, and is an active associate of Cambridge Filmmakers' Network, and a board member of Cambridge Filmmaking Society and the Social Documentary Film Society. A gifted and insightful writer, several of her articles on film have appeared in print.
Sifting through the volumes of Watts' work-to-date--she's almost painfully modest--her music film credits include the DVD of Keith Urban's concert at Earl's Court Arena in London, May 2005; Amy Winehouse: Live at the Bloomsbury Ballroom DVD and V Festival on Blink TV. Her production work has taken her on a virtual tour of the history of contemporary music, working with Pink Floyd, Paul McCartney, U2, Coldplay, Elton John and the Foo Fighters.
When approached to do 1140 Royal Street Watts' imagination took off into the realm of non-music, feature-length film production. She's inspired by the opportunity to work with talented new colleagues and concepts. Striving with directors, actors and the intrigue of working in a new facet of a familiar medium, Watts embraces the challenge of producing for its intellectual stimulation and creative satisfaction.
Los Angeles-based, award-winning director, Katherine Brooks (Loving Annabelle, Waking Madison) met Watts several years ago, and knew then that she wanted to partner with the brilliant Englishwoman to create films that provoke thought; pose questions and plumb the depths of the human experience.
Brooks' new film project will flash a stark light to the career and accolades of jockey Julie Krone, the first woman inducted into the (Thoroughbred) Racing Hall of Fame and the only female jockey to be enshrined thus to date. The film's title, Freak, bespeaks the negativity with which a horse of extraordinary talent is often strapped, as humans who cannot fathom otherworldly talent flail about in the quest to name the unnamable. Krone faced a world of jockeys and other racing industry insiders who neither understood nor welcomed women in the most natural place for a female: in the saddle, on the back of a horse.
This outside-ness is well understood by everyone who is disenfranchised in any endeavour. Freak's setting, characters and locations will tell the story of a girl whose grit and talent catapulted her into the stratosphere, morphing her into a woman who literally grew up on the track and into the hearts of millions. But the central theme of Freak is one which will ring true in the lives and experiences of many more than the throngs of race fans. Being on the outside, longing to be on the inside and knowing that you belong there more than those who rule the roost is painful. Victory is always sweeter when prejudice is overcome, but the road there is long and arduous.
Brooks has insight, life-born Wisdom and the drive to make Freak into a great film with worldwide appeal. And to do this, to assure that this film is alive with the creative spirit and production savvy that brought Madonna and her peers straight into the faces and laps of their audiences--Freak intends to bring Sophie Watts on-board in her proven role, in charge of production and all the details that go into that enormous job.
Watts' education, experience and vision have taken her farther in 26 years than many in the movie industry can fathom in twice that time. Her love of Thoroughbreds and racing will be immeasureably valuable as every detail is considered with her deep knowledge of racing and the subculture of the sport is wedded to her insights, instincts and professionalism that is second-to-none.
Whether under the shade of the big oak tree on the Saratoga backstretch or the blaring neon of Hollywood Boulevard, Sophie Watts brings to movie-making a vitality that is fresh and new. Her ability to drink in an environment and incorporate it into her creative essence has served her well since commencement from Cambridge. Exchanging ideas with the likes of directors Don Letts, Giorio Testi and Christian Lamb gave her a springboard from which to build her own filmmaking toolbox--to bring to pictures a glimpse into black, white and four-dimensional colors.
The American racing community enthusiastically claims Sophie Watts as one of our own--and Hollywood follows suit. Freak, directed by the gifted Katherine Brooks, has the potential to be one of the greatest films--racing or otherwise--of all-time. Award talk should begin even before production begins, for, with Brooks at the creative helm and Watts producing every other facet--the finish line is not only within reach, it's inevitable.
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[Photos:
1) Sophie Watts, black/white.
2) Katherine Brooks and Sophie Watts meet Julie Krone.]
Marion Altieri
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