By Jessica Herndon
One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festival is having a front-row seat for the bright future of independent filmmaking. While we can learn a lot about the filmmakers from the 2025 Sundance Film Festival through the art that these storytellers share with us, there’s always more we can learn about them as people. We decided to get to the bottom of those artistic wells with our ongoing series: Give Me the Backstory!
Amanda Kramer’s film By Design is about a woman (Juliette Lewis) who becomes a chair — or rather, she becomes so captivated by a beautiful wooden seat that her consciousness transfers to the piece of furniture. The film is filled with vibrant colors and unique performances blending dance with satire and beyond. With this work, the filmmaker hopes to expand upon what we allow to hold our attention.
Kramer’s noticed that we place far too much weight on our obsession with other people. Because of this, we miss the beauty in things like furniture, a dress, or landscapes. “Why envy another person when you can envy a perfectly manicured poodle or a perfectly manicured park?” she asks.
Premiering at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival in the NEXT section — which features “bold works distinguished by an innovative, forward-thinking approach to storytelling” — was perfect for By Design, a film Kramer hopes inspires us to see the magnificence and depth in everything.
Below, Kramer discusses the first time she met Lewis, working with dancer Sigrid Lauren on the film, and what she stays away from when trying to be creative.
What was the biggest inspiration behind By Design?
Gorgeous chairs, the implicit and limiting morality of body swap movies, [and] jealous women.
Describe who you want this film to reach.
Actors and artists I admire, furniture designers, [and] Gen X Canadians.
Tell us an anecdote about casting or working with your actor(s).
I met Juliette [Lewis] at a cafe in the Valley and told her I had a role for her consideration, a lead in a film where she barely talks or moves. She was unfazed. “Send it,” she said, and then gave me her phone number. What a fucking radical actress. I hadn’t mentioned I wanted her to [be one of] my producers — it was an instinct, an impulse, to make the offer at our first meeting — but one minute after I sent the script to Juliette I texted my team and said, “If she wants to do it, there’s no one else.” Total synergy.
What was your favorite part of making By Design? Memories from the process?
When a choreographer and her dancers arrive on set, there is such a hushed reverence, everyone wants to watch. What an honor to collaborate with Sigrid Lauren. During dance sequences my entire crew became an audience. There was applause after each take, and a genuine sense in the room that these dance performances were the magic of our movie.
Why does this story need to be told now?
It doesn’t. It can be told at any time — we’re always filled with envy, we’re always obsessed with objects, we’re always hopeful for vacations from ourselves.
If you weren’t a filmmaker, what would you be doing?
Teaching high school theater.
What was the last thing you saw that you wish you made?
The opening credits for the 1987 television show Duet.
Which of your personal characteristics contributes most to your success as a storyteller?
My allergy to cliché.
What’s your favorite film that has come from the Sundance Institute or Festival?
Trust, Paris is Burning, The Brother from Another Planet, [and] Wild Tigers I Have Known.
