Courtney Hunt has had an amazing year. Her film "Frozen River" debuted at last January’s Sundance Film Festival, taking home the Grand Jury Award.  The film was bought by Sony Pictures Classics and was released in August to near-unanimously positive reviews. The film is up for two Oscars: one for Melissa Leo (best actress) and one for Hunt (best original screenplay). It’s also a contender for several Independent Spirit Awards, including best feature, best director (for which Hunt is the only woman nominated), best female lead and best supporting female. Here Hunt talks about the making of the successful movie to Melissa Silverstein, wowOwow’s correspondent and founder of the website WomenandHollywood.com.

MELISSA SILVERSTEIN: Hi, Courtney, let’s get started. What made you write "Frozen River"?

COURTNEY HUNT: The story was based on a real situation that goes on at the border of New York State and Canada involving smugglers, and this Indian reservation and the St. Lawrence River, which, when it freezes, the smugglers drive across. Around 9/11, I heard that they were switching over to illegal immigrants, so I was interested in that story. And I wrote a short film about it in 2004, and then that led to the feature.

MS: Talk a little bit about how things have changed for you since the premiere in Sundance.

CH: I have access to better material, and a lot of opportunities have popped up. There is a lot of interest from actors who are interested in working with me and I’m having an easier time of getting something read. And I’m getting to pick and choose some different directing jobs, which is really nice.  I’ve been hired for one that’s a rewrite and I’m directing.

MS: I remember when we talked last time, you were very deliberate about wanting to not only write and direct, but wanting to also be a director for hire so that people could see you in both arenas.

CH: Right. And I’m up for a job simply directing, a big job, which I can’t name. Everything I’m offered is for directing. But sometimes there will be a rewrite as well.

MS: That’s incredible. You made this film for under $1 million, so are you looking at budgets in the $10 million range now, or lower since they know you can do an amazing movie on a million dollars?

CH:  People won’t even talk about a million dollars. I made the movie for the better part of a million, but got it in the can for about half a million, and people just laugh when I tell them. They think that’s a joke, that it’s ridiculous. No one ever makes movies for that kind of money.

MS: Have you noticed the change in the audience due to the economic slowdown?

CH: First of all, it’s a strong story so people first talk about the story. But then the second and third things they used to talk about — mostly the smuggling. Now it’s mostly the distress that they’re in, economically, as people, as the situation described in the movie becomes less and less unusual. 

MS: So it becomes more of a personal movie, whereas a year ago it was much more of a thriller with a situation that I couldn’t see myself being in. Now it’s a thriller but, oh my, that could be me.

CH: I think there’s a little more awareness that the people I’m writing about are not so far out there.