10

WASHINGTON FILM MAGAZINE 2014

The One I Love director Charlie McDowell and Eslyn discuss a scene. SEAN O’MALLEY

Safety Not Guaranteed. For now, Eslyn is focused on her duties for her Sundance 2014 foray. Premiering this work in Park City is the culmination of what she’s dubbed her passion project year. “You take huge leaps as an indie film producer,”says Eslyn. “Learning to pick and choose wisely is a step towards success.” So what does she think of the steps she’s taken with The One I Love? “It’s a lot of work,” says Eslyn. “But I’ve never been more proud of my involvement on a film.” WF

DAVID JACOBSON

to carve out a thriving film industry that at its heart is based upon strong relationships,” says Eslyn. “It’s about working on quality projects you are passionate about, with people that you love.” She gives the example of her work on the state incentive film One Square Mile, where she served as unit production manager. “That film had a Canadian director, was attracted here because of the incentive, but also had that crewtopia experience,” explains Eslyn. “Seattle feels different, on the verge of something. It’s contagious.” As for what’s next for Mel Eslyn and her collaborators, she’s in development on a slate of features that she’s working to bring home to Washington. She’s also working with fellow Sundance alumni—producer Lacey Leavitt and director Megan Griffiths—to produce Todd Rohal’s next feature, Sweet Cheeks. Finally, Eslyn is gearing up for a film called Potato Comes To Washington early this year. The project is based on a Huffington Post blog by Wes Hurley entitled “Growing Up Gay in Russia.” “Half the film is in Russia and half in Seattle,” says Eslyn of the upcoming project. “It will all be shot in Seattle. It’s very Seattle-centric.”She then segues into recent social issues in Russia and this year’s Sochi Winter Games. It becomes clear that Eslyn is a producer who’s thinking locally and globally. Eslyn has been incredibly busy these last few years, with several films premiering at Sundance. Among them were two other features with Mark Duplass, the Washingtonproduced Your Sister’s Sister and Washington incentive film