At 16, No Hollywood Ties, And She Got Keanu Reeves To EP Her Film

What would be like this crazy epic battle for, like, a 15-year-old girl fighting against John Wick, but, like, obviously majestic.
My dad, he used to give me a lot of advice as a kid.
And the one thing he told me that really stuck with me was, “You can be the greatest artist in the world. You can be better than, you know, the most famous painters, but if nobody knows your name, nobody cares.”
It’s your life.
No one gets to tell you what to do.
If you create the biggest idea, you’re still somewhat closer to that goal than before even trying it.
Hey, you’re not alone in this, and just keep going and don’t give up on that dream.
No Bullsh*t Talks is a podcast for entrepreneurs, by entrepreneurs.
There’s too much bullsh*t out there, especially when it comes to business.
This podcast aims to highlight what’s true and what’s not in the world of entrepreneurship.
Bringing you honest and raw conversations about the roller coaster that is entrepreneurship.
Each week, my guest will be a high-performing entrepreneur, sharing the ups and downs of their journey and helping you prepare for the road ahead while providing you with actionable insights and absolute gems of knowledge.
Stay tuned as I introduce this week’s guest.

Bianca Mitchell is a filmmaker, artist, and chess player.
At 16, she was annoyed about the misogyny in chess, so she decided to make a documentary about it.
With no Hollywood connections, she’s managed to get her documentary, *Madwoman’s Game*, executively produced by Keanu Reeves, and it premiered at the Miami Film Festival.
I present to you this week’s guest, Bianca Mitchell.
I am so excited to have one of the youngest filmmakers I have ever met on the show today, Bianca Mitchell.
And she is the reason why I am sitting here in Miami today because she created a movie about life and chess.
And for those who follow me, you know that I am super passionate about relating life to chess and using chess lessons in order to be able to build up skills in life and business.
And Bianca’s made a movie about it.
And she did this from the age of 15, which is phenomenal.
She’s a huge inspiration.
She’s honestly an incredible human, and I am privileged to be in her movie.
But I’m also privileged to have her on the podcast today, sharing her story about how she’s managed to achieve so much by the age of 21.
So, I’m super excited to introduce today’s guest, Bianca Mitchell.
Bianca, welcome to No Bullsh*t Talks.
I feel like you are one of my most unorthodox guests I’ve invited on.
But in a brilliant way, in a brilliant way.
I guess I would like you to introduce yourself to my audience.
So, who are you, Bianca?

Um, hi. I’m Bianca Mitchell-Avila
I am 21 recently, but I’m an artist.
I’m a filmmaker, a chess player.
You name it, I do it.
But yeah, I’m an artist.
Okay.
So, you’re an artist primarily, but you are very much a filmmaker because we are here sitting in Miami a day before your movie premieres at the Miami Film Festival.
How wild is that, me saying that?
Ah, it’s insane.
You know, I’ve been working on *Madwoman’s Game* for six years.
I started when I was 16.
Actually, 15.
And it’s kind of full circle because I think a few years ago I came out here to Miami for the FTX Champions Chess Tour.
And it’s kind of crazy that now I’m in Miami again for a chess documentary.
Wait, that tour, wasn’t that where some of the drama was happening between Hans…?
I was there.
I was there.
Oh, wow.
You had front-row seats to that.
Yeah, I saw a lot.
Oh, okay.
Okay, we’re going to come back to that because that’s kind of interesting.
But I want to talk about your documentary because, like you said, you started when you were 15.
But even before that, that’s when you started making it.
And that’s part of why I brought you here today because my podcast is about entrepreneurship and, you know, it’s for entrepreneurs.
And you’re, as I said, definitely an unorthodox way of doing it.
But I was so impressed with everything that you’ve done.
You’re literally… you’ve got a film premiering at the Miami Film Festival as well, and you’re 21.
Like, that is off-the-scale cool.
And when you told me what you did to get here, and the fact that you were 15 years old, it just blew my mind because it meant that you had more balls, for a better use of a better word, than most adults that I know.
And just the resilience and determination and everything that you’ve had to do to get here is incredible.
So, I would love for you to share a bit about your story, I guess.
Why you even wanted to make a film in the first place, but also what you did to make it come to life.

Oh my gosh.
Oh my gosh.
Okay.
So, I started working in the film industry when I was 13.
So, I knew what I wanted to do.
I knew I wanted to be in the film world.
I went to a media arts school in high school and middle school, where they would kind of teach us how to do broadcasts, write scripts, make short films, things like that.
And I fell in love with it.
I was like, “This is what I want to do.”
But that wasn’t really what inspired me to be in the film industry.
When I was little, like really, really little, I used to have a lot of Legos, and I used to make stop-motion films.
Very, very early on, my parents gave me a camera, and they were like, “Have fun.”
And I used to take pictures of everything.
I used to record everything.
Like, I kind of always knew that I wanted to be in this world.
I just didn’t know how to get into it.
And so, in middle school, I decided to do a lot of internships.
I reached out to this Amazon Prime show that was local in New Mexico, and I got to intern with them.
And then, you know, I did a lot of other projects during that time between *Madwoman’s Game* and when I was 13.
But basically, COVID hit.
And I remember sitting at a table with my dad.
It was our dining table.
And I was like, “Dad, I don’t want to lose this.”
“You know, nobody’s doing anything.”
“The film industry is kind of shut down.”
“The world’s shut down, but I want to be in this world.”
“I want to keep doing this.”
So, we were like, “Okay, let’s set something up.”
“Let’s make something.”
And that’s where *Madwoman’s Game* started.
It started at our dining room table in our apartment with my dad and me.
And it started off as a school project.
I wanted to do it for my school because it was a film school.
So, I was like, “I’ll make something for school and try to win an award in the local awards section.”
And as it just kept growing, I had somebody tell me, “You should have an epic battle at the end of the movie.”
It was supposed to be a short film.
They’re like, “Have an epic battle.”
And I was like, “Okay, what would be this crazy epic battle for a 15-year-old girl?”
It would be kind of crazy to be fighting against John Wick, but obviously, majestically.
And so, after that, I reached out to him, and he loved it.
And that honestly was just a pivotal moment in my life.
Just for clarification, you reached out to Keanu Reeves because we said that there was John Wick himself, obviously.
Yeah.
But still, this is what I can’t believe.
You already said it.
You said you reached out to Amazon Prime.
You reached out to all these people.
That alone, for me, is huge because so many people are too scared to reach out because of fear of rejection, right?
That is obviously most people’s fear.
Like, it’s the fact that you don’t hear anything back, or you hear “no,” and people can’t handle it.
But you were just like, “Oh, wouldn’t it be cool to have John Wick?”
“Let me just write to Keanu Reeves.”
Like, who does that?
And especially at 15, what did you say?
And how did you even know where to find him or what to say to him?

So, I’ll start off with this.
My dad used to give me a lot of advice as a kid.
And I knew what I wanted in life.
I wanted people to see my art.
I wanted people to see my films.
I wanted people to see that.
And the one thing he told me that really stuck with me was, “You can be the greatest artist in the world.”
“You can be better than the most famous painters.”
“But if nobody knows your name, nobody cares.”
And then he was like, “You know, the worst thing that could happen if you reach out to these people is you get a no.”
“That is literally the worst thing that could happen.”
And so, knowing that as a young person, I was like, “You know what, you’re so right.”
But the best thing that could happen, you have no idea.
Yeah.
And so, I got Keanu Reeves’ manager’s email right, and he reached out the next day.
And I remember just screaming.
I screamed.
My parents thought something happened.
I was like, “This is unreal.”
What did you say?
Because, I mean, most people are not even going to respond to that.
They’re not going to care.
And I know you now, so I know that obviously you have a certain thing about you that people can tell.
Actually, I had Carla on my podcast earlier, and she said the same thing.
You reached out to her, and there was something about what you said.
And I get it.
But I’m curious.
Keanu Reeves is Keanu Reeves.
I mean, this man is loved by every single person in the world.
And the fact that his manager had the time to even respond to a child, as they say, in his DMs…
He must get so many things.
So, what on earth did you say to him to get the attention of Keanu Reeves?
So, I’ll start off with this.
I knew that I had to build things up.
You know, have things under my name to get anybody’s attention.
So, throughout those years of building things up, I was interviewed by the *New York Times* about chess, being a young girl in chess, and things like that.
So, I had a lot of stuff under my name.
So, when I emailed him, it wasn’t like, “I don’t know what I’m doing.”
It was like, “I have a vision.”
“I need help.”
But I didn’t ask him for help originally.
I just asked him for a game of chess.
Wow.
I didn’t ask him for money.
I didn’t ask him to be an executive producer.
I just asked to play a game of chess with him.

Wow.
No.
So, you started off with something so small that he could barely say no to.
I guess if he’s got the reputation of being the nicest man in the world, saying yes to a game of chess with a young girl who’s a fan…
I guess that’s interesting.
Start really small.
Something they can’t say no to.
That’s pretty impressive.
And what was their response?
Just…
Yeah.
Yeah.
I got on a Zoom with him.
He talked about things, and as the relationship kept growing, mentorship started happening.
And he came on as executive producer by himself.
I never asked.
And that’s also something—I will still never ask anything from him.
I respect him.
And, you know, there are a lot of people out there that would take advantage of that.
But I just want to keep learning, and I want to keep growing.
And I want to be humble about it, like he is.
I think that’s probably what attracted him to you, though.
Because I feel like it’s the fact that he is humble.
He is a great guy.
And like you said, you weren’t looking for anything.
And you weren’t looking to exploit someone like him.
And the Hollywood industry, in general, probably can smell that a mile off, right?
And they were like, “Wait a minute, this girl’s different.”
“She’s genuine and just has a story and really wants to be able to tell it.”
And he was like, “I really want to help her tell it.”
And I think that’s the difference.
And that’s something I always talk about.
Hence the no bullsh*t.
Like, if you’re just real, if you just be you and have genuine intentions in life, I think karma does come around.
I think you’ll find you attract the right people.
And that’s incredible.
So, tell me more.
Tell me more about Keanu because I’ve low-key been in love with the guy since I was a kid.
And so, he is just a phenomenal human, and everyone says that.
But what is he genuinely like as a mentor, as someone you’ve worked next to?

I think growing up alongside a project like this, it can be very difficult.
You know, I was 15.
I am now 21.
There was a big moment in my life.
I had no idea what I was doing.
And it’s weird because, obviously, I’m young.
A lot of people don’t know what they’re doing.
But for a long time, I thought I was making a mistake because, you know, I was pitching constantly.
I was constantly looking for somebody to help me get the project going.
And it was just a long, long, long, dedicated few years.
And so, for a while, there was just, “What am I doing?”
“Am I doing the right thing?”
“You know, why doesn’t anybody want this?”
“Why does nobody want to see this?”
You know, things like that.
And so, there were times where I just reached out to him and asked him about that type of stuff.
Like, “Am I doing the right thing?”
“What do I do?”
You know, things like that.
And he would just be like, “You know, the project will go where it needs to go.”
“And the people who are supposed to be on this project will be on this project.”
“Trust the process.”
And as I’ve gotten older and been working in this industry, I think I understand that a lot more.
But 15-year-old me didn’t.
And so, it was a very long journey to understand that.
And he was always there to explain that that’s just how it is.
What do you think the most profound thing he ever told you is?
Okay.
I think the one thing that I hold on to a lot whenever I’m kind of feeling down, especially for film and stuff or anything I’m trying to accomplish…
One time, I was talking to him about my vision, and he said this in the most John Wick voice.
He was like, “It’s your vision, Bianca.”
“It’s your vision.”
And so, he was like, “It’ll happen the way it needs to happen.”
And with everybody that came on, like Zach, you know, Carla, Angela, Ultra Boom, Sugar23, all these people really did bring that vision to life.
It is exactly what I imagined it to be.
And with everybody’s opinions and thoughts and love poured into it, it became something even better than what I would have thought it would be.
But you just mentioned all these people.
You’ve got an all-star cast.
Oh my God.
But they all believed in you.
Like, that must have felt insane.
You’re so young, and you’re inexperienced compared to them in this industry.
You’ve just mentioned people who have been working on big movies.
They’ve been working with Anthony Bourdain, you know, and big, big names all over the world.
And they all wanted to produce your movie.
How on earth did you get this all-star lineup?
Like I said, you’re just a kid speaking to your dad at your kitchen table, and you’re like, “I really want to make this movie.”
Suddenly, you’ve got Keanu Reeves.
Suddenly, you’ve got this all-star lineup.
Like, that’s not normal.
That is just not normal, right?
For some teenager’s first film project, so to speak, a big film project, to land that much of a big cast…
And as a cast as well.
When I say cast, I mean the film production crew.
How?
How did you do that?

Okay.
Okay.
So, I think it’s also a mix of everybody else because after Keanu came on, Carla came on.
And that was a whole thing.
I used to be a part of the USCF Girls Club.
So, she and John Leguizamo came on.
And I asked her a question, which was something that was really important to me.
It was, “What’s it like to be a Latina in the film industry?”
I was in college at the time.
Yeah, I was in college.
I was a freshman in college.
And I had just done a paper about this too, about being Chicana and being a Latina.
And it’s very rare to find people in powerful positions and things like that.
But I’m not going to get into that.
I wanted to see what her opinion was.
And I remember we talked about it.
Then, right after, I emailed her, and I talked to her about my project.
And she was like, “I would love to help you.”
And I like to call her my film mom now because I’ve known her since I was 15.
Yeah.
But yeah.
And then she brought on Zach.
I remember talking to Zach in an interview.
Not an interview, but whenever we talked to each other and met each other.
I left my class.
I was in a filmmaking class.
I left it.
I went into the hallway.
I got on Zoom because, you know, different time zones.
And I remember just talking to him.
And I think, for a lot of people on this project, it is a passion project.
People care about this story and making something different.
Yeah, I think it was kind of a weird coincidence with a lot of it.
But it was also about connecting with them because, with a lot of people on this project, specifically the producers and people behind the scenes, they’ve become like family.
Like Angela, Carla, and Zach.
I’m close with them.
And it’s also kind of funny because even the cast…
Yeah.
I’m very close with them.
So, I think it’s just this thing in itself where it created itself, and everybody just kind of became a family.
Well, it’s a beautiful documentary.
That’s why, like, how it’s been done.
And I am so excited to see it tomorrow.
Like I said, I saw the trailer.
I’ve only obviously seen a tiny chunk of it that we filmed in Paris.
And I know there’s a tiny bit of it where I know what happens.
But I want to know…
That was the end of it, right?
As well, right?
That’s the end.
And so, I want to…
When I saw the trailer, I was so moved.
It was really beautiful.
And obviously, I get to see everything you’ve done up to that point.
I can’t wait to see it all come together.
But how are you feeling with it all?
Because obviously you’ve been working all the way up to it.
How do you feel about the end product and the fact that it’s airing tomorrow at the Miami Film Festival?
Where are your thoughts at?
I’m very nervous, but I’m also very proud.
There’s a little bit…
I will give a little bit about something that’s in it.
Okay.
This project carries not just the six years that I spent making this.
It has another layer to it.
We went to Mexico.
I got to see a lot of my family out there.
And my Uncle Joe gets to star in it.
We lost him a few months ago.
Oh no.
And so, this project has just become another type of closeness to me because now generations of my family get to watch him and hear him talk about his experiences.
And so, there are just so many levels and layers to this project.
And I’m very happy that everybody gets to see it.
And I think the biggest thing I hope to get from this is that people see another side of chess.

And that’s what I said to Carla as well because I thanked her for helping to change the face of chess.
As someone who’s grown up playing chess all my life, and you know, I’ve been a professional chess player for how many years, I never told anyone.
In the UK, it was definitely frowned upon.
If you told people that you played chess, you’d be heavily bullied.
Like, at school, you’d be beaten up.
You’re the dork.
Like, you have no respect.
And the only reason I got away with it is because I was also the best at sport.
So, if they started ripping on me for playing chess, I’d also smoke them on the track.
I’d beat them on the field.
So, I would be okay.
I’d get away with it.
But everyone else who was part of the chess team, they’d be ripped on.
And so, when I got older and went to secondary school, I never told anyone.
When I went to university, I never told anyone.
I just didn’t want it to be a part of who I was.
And that’s a shame because if I had embraced being a chess player, being a chess master…
Even the other day, I came out with something that I never told people.
For example, I’m the only Black female chess master in the UK, right?
And you know that.
But it’s nuts to think that.
Actually, I only knew that.
This is how crazy it was.
I only knew that because they were researching Black female chess masters in the US like 10 years ago or whatever it was.
And there weren’t any.
Then I was playing a lot in the US, and they were like, “Wait, you’re the only one over here playing.”
“You’re the highest on the USCF rating list.”
“Why is that?”
And then I remember doing some pieces for the news channels over here on that and the quest for finding a Black female chess master in the US.
I felt special.
You know, the way that the US portrayed me was that I was successful.
It was a positive thing.
It was great that I was this inspiration for other Black girls.
And I loved that because I would love to see other Black girls playing chess.
And I will always be grateful for certain people in the US.
For example, in Michigan, there was a guy who kind of helped me go around all the different places in Michigan and all the inner-city places as well.
And in Atlanta, there were these amazing people who looked after me and promoted me in those places.
And whenever I went, there was a room full of Black boys and girls.
And they were like, “Whoa, you’re a chess master and you look like me? That’s cool.”
And they were also like, “Wow, so Black people can play chess.”
And it was really nice.
I loved that.
But the UK is very different.
And, you know, there were many times where I’d be told I shouldn’t be allowed to play for England because of how I look and because my name sounds too ethnic and doesn’t sound English.
And when that’s the reaction you get, it’s really disheartening.
You don’t want to keep playing.
And so, for me, it’s been a struggle with that.
I’ve never felt proud in the same way to play chess in England as when I came over to the US.
Which seems ridiculous because I’m not American.
But I really liked playing over here.
It was very different.
And I think whenever I see someone helping to shift the perception of chess, women in chess, minorities in chess, and showing how beautiful the game is…
And that it can be for everyone.
But also showing the struggles of different ethnic groups and how differently you’re treated, and whether you come from a certain socioeconomic background but you can still play the game…
I love all that sort of stuff in chess.
And I think that’s why I found your work beautiful.
I found Carla’s work beautiful.
And I really hope more stories like this are told because it means a lot to me as well personally, as someone who has been on this journey.
And I wish that there was more of that attitude in chess in general.
It’s kind of funny.
One of my first documentaries that really inspired me with my chess club was *Brooklyn Castle*.
Yes.
Yeah.
I remember watching that and seeing Rochelle on screen and just being like, “That’s amazing.”
“I want to be just like her.”
And so, I really hope it’s something similar with the documentary *Madwoman’s Game* because, you know, being Mexican-American, second generation, I hope that other Mexicans and Hispanic people are like, “This is for our communities as well.”
But Michelle’s in this documentary, isn’t she?
*Madwoman’s Game*, right?
Yes.
Which is so surreal.
Well, this is what I’m going to ask.
You’ve just told me that you watched this documentary and you were like, “Oh my God, Michelle.”
“I would love to be like her.”
And now she’s in your film.
How does that feel?
I remember when we got that confirmed.
I think I started crying.
Because I still remember sitting in that theater with my chess club.
It was a local theater.
We walked there.
We were watching it.
And I just remember that movie so vividly.
And then her saying yes to getting interviewed.
Then just talking to her and hearing her advice was kind of…
It was just insane.
It was really insane.
I was just like, “This can’t be real.”
Oh, I love that.
I love that for her because I’ve met her a few times, obviously on the circuit.
And she’s so lovely.
It’s just so nice that you see her as this celebrity almost.
And I love that because while I know her as a normal girl, she totally deserves that.
And I think it’s brilliant that chess movies have kind of made that feel so surreal.
And hopefully, you can do the same for what you’re doing for chess as well.
And I’m so super excited to see what happens.
Thank you.
Thank you.
That’s why I say to you that what you’ve done is impressive.
The majority of the founders I speak to on a daily basis are scared of that.
Like, you know, if I go to someone and say, “Would you sponsor my podcast?”
People might be like, “Yeah.”
Actually, I’ve had people reach out to me saying they want to sponsor them, and I just don’t end up following up because I’m almost embarrassed by it.
Because I’m like, “I don’t want to chase them because then it looks desperate.”
And it’s all in here.
It’s completely all in my head.
Whereas realistically, I should just be like, “Yes, I’m looking for a sponsor.”
My podcast hit the top 20% of Spotify business podcasts.
And that’s huge, right?
That’s a big deal.
And then when I look at it, I’m like, “Oh my God, my podcast is actually doing quite well considering there are millions of podcasts out there.”
Like, it’s actually good.
But when I look at it, I’m comparing it to Joe Rogan or something.
And obviously, I’m not doing as well.
But you’ve got to be realistic.
And I just think that if I went out there, I probably would get loads of people sponsoring me.
Someone’s going to say yes.
And that’s going to feel amazing.
Then that could lead to me getting much more deals.
I can travel the world.
I can interview people all over the world.
And I forget that doing this is a skill.
Interviewing on a podcast is a skill.
Every time a guest comes on, they go, “Oh, you’re really good at this.”
“You’re a good interviewer.”
But I don’t think so because I’m just being me.
I don’t realize it’s a natural skill.
I never had the training.
Like I was saying to you about media training, I never had this.
People are always like, “That’s the best podcast I went on.”
“I really liked your questions.”
And I was like, “Damn, if it’s a skill and I’m good at it, I should really be doing more of it.”

And it’s not just the skill.
You’re passionate about it.
Yeah, exactly.
And I really enjoy it.
And that’s what we were saying about earlier too, right?
How that’s going to come up.
But I think that I need to think that too.
I just need to get out of my own head and, I guess, just go for things.
And I think that’s what I’m struggling with.
You know, talking earlier about what I want to do.
I’m at that point.
I told my husband yesterday.
I just let go of one of our…
I have let go of two of our clients in the last few weeks.
They were two high-paying clients.
And I just got rid of both of them because of the way they were treating us.
They were so horrible to me and my team.
Disrespectful.
They didn’t value our time.
And they basically expected us to work full-time around the clock for them on, you know, a one-day-a-week wage.
And no amount of money is worth that stress and disrespect.
So, I said to him, “I’m going to get rid of these clients.”
Which means I’m going to have no money coming in compared to what I had before.
But I feel like it gives me more time to pursue what I really want to do.
And I think that’s…
I was saying that to him.
And he’s very sensible.
He’s very different.
He’s not an entrepreneur.
And I said to him, “I don’t know what I want to do.”
“Does that mean I go all in on myself and all in on what I really want to do?”
“But that’s risky.”
And he was like, “Well, yeah, that’s a really risky option.”
To him, that’s really risky.
And he wouldn’t go for it.
But if you truly believe in yourself and you know you’re good at what you do, that’s the only option.
Like, it should be the only option.
I’m not going with zero income.
I obviously have my other bits of income coming in.
And it’s not like I’m just starting out from nothing either.
I’m not quitting my job and just going all in on something.
I’m just saying, “Why don’t I back myself for the first time in my life?”
It’s ridiculous, right?
I think it’s like…
This sounds a little weird, but money always comes back.
Yeah.
Money does always come back.
I think if you focus too much on money, you only get one life.
You really do only get one life.
And you should be the one who chooses what to do with that life.
And not just that.
The more realistic you create, the more unrealistic…
Right?
People use this term “unrealistic.”
But who is it unrealistic to?
That’s also a good point.
That’s why I feel like people say things like, “Oh, you do too much.”
I’m like, “Too much for who?”
You know?
It’s subjective at the end of the day.
And so, if you create the biggest idea, you’re still somewhat closer to that goal than before you even tried.
It’s unrealistic that you pitched to Keanu Reeves.
Exactly.
And so, I think the more unrealistic it is, the better.
It’s your life.
No one gets to tell you what to do.
Maybe I should take Keanu’s words.
He said, “It’s your vision.”
It is.
It is your life.
But we’re in Miami now.
We are getting ready for your premiere tomorrow, which I’m super psyched about.
But like you said, you’ve been here before.
This is kind of a 360 moment, right?
You came to Miami five years ago.
How long ago was it?
Three years ago.
I can’t remember what it was.
It had to be three or four years ago.

Yeah.
Three or four years ago.
Why were you in Miami for the FTX Champions Chess Tour?
And for those who have watched, I guess, the *Untold* documentary now on Netflix, they will know that this is one of the big battles between Magnus Carlsen and Hans Niemann.
And you were there for it.
So, what were you doing there?
Tell me.
You know what’s so funny?
I was talking to my auntie about this recently because I actually went with her.
And I was asking, “Why did we even go to that?”
Because the original idea, I think, was that Carla was supposed to have a movie showing, but it never happened.
But I think that’s why we originally went.
I used to work for Chess24.
I used to do social media with them back when I was around 15, around the same time I started the documentary.
That’s when I worked for Chess24.
So, when we showed up to the event, they remembered me.
And we got media passes.
Oh, yeah.
So, we were there every single day.
It was such a surreal thing.
I remember I was still talking about the documentary at the time where I was at.
So, we were talking to people about it, getting people hyped.
You know, six years later, here it’s showing.
Which is actually also crazy.
Sorry, jumping off it.
There were some people that I met at that Champions Chess Tour.
I got a message from them yesterday saying that they’re going to be there tomorrow.
Oh, I love that.
And I was like, “I haven’t talked to you in how many years, and you’re going to be there?”
And they’re like, “Yeah, I remember you talking about it slightly at the chess tour, and now you’re here again, and you made a movie about chess.”
And so I was like, “That’s kind of crazy.”
But yeah, I was there.
I saw the whole Hans Niemann ordering food every day.
And what else happened?
Like, so much happened that entire week.
Yeah.
And then it’s kind of funny because we had also gotten invited to go to St. Louis the next week.
So, we were at the next tournament where the serious one went down.
We left the day before it happened.
Oh, no way.
So, you were at both of them.
That’s hilarious.
And so, we were there behind the scenes hanging out with everybody and talking to everybody.
I love that place, actually.
I used to work the Sinquefield Cup.
I worked for Rex, and I was literally at the first three Sinquefield Cups.
I was there working.
Yeah.
So, that was back in 2012 or something.
A long time ago.
2013, I think it was.
It was a long time ago.
And actually, I was the PR person behind the camera because now the chess players are great with media training, but back in the day they weren’t.
This was pre-streaming and before that sort of stuff.
They wanted to get good content.
It’s a great-quality tournament.
I think the St. Louis Chess Club and the Sinquefield Cup pioneered the quality of chess tournaments.
Walking into that chess club instantly made you want to play chess.
It was so luxurious.
So much quality.
Everything they did about it.
The GMs in residence.
The commentators.
The setup.
Everything was brilliant.
I have massive props for their team.
So, they hired me as the person to try and get the most out of the players because I knew most of them personally.
I was able to have conversations with them.
Me being so chatty and energetic, I was able to talk to them behind the cameras to get the most out of them in terms of conversation so that on camera we could get good sound bites from the players.
So, that was my role.
Basically, to make chess players sound eloquent for a day.
So yeah, I used to do that.
Then I obviously did loads of chess reporting and stuff.
So, I loved the Sinquefield Cup.
I used to stay in the house.
It was brilliant.
So, I wasn’t there the year the whole Hans thing happened.
I believe Carla was there.
She said the FTX event.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So, I feel like it was an interesting one.
But that’s crazy that you’re now here with your film, which is a very different thing.
And with the film, I want to go back again because I feel like you had an idea on a kitchen table.
Fine.
How does it go from a kitchen table brainstorm with your dad to actually being aired at a film festival?
Like, how did you know you had a vision?
Like Keanu said, “It’s your vision.”
But how did that actually become an actual script?
How on earth did you know where you wanted to film?
Because you were filming in different parts of the world.
How did you know who you wanted to be in it?
Like, you know, I was in it, which I’m so grateful for.
But you had so many amazing women and mentors along the way.
How did you know what to do and how that was scripted?
So, the creation behind the scenes, like pre-production, took a very long time.
We spent years working on it.
Zach, Carla, Angela, and I used to be in meetings all day.
Like, all day.
For a long time.
We would call in the morning and call in the evening.
“Hey, what do you think about this idea?”
It’d be the middle of the night.
“Hey, can we get on a call?”
It was really random.
But we would just sit in those meetings and talk.
Before we even had any idea of where we wanted to shoot or who we wanted to interview, we wanted to talk about what we thought was important to tell.
So, I think for the first two or three years of developing it, it was all about, “What do we want our audience to know?”
And I think, for me, they asked me a lot of those types of questions.
Zach would ask me questions, and then he would understand it.
Then his amazing mind—I don’t know how he does it—would come up with these ideas that were just so crazy and worked out perfectly.
So, we would start collaborating on that.
It would be like, “Okay, I want to talk about being Mexican-American.”
You know, my dad’s white.
My mom’s Mexican.
Living in a world where I don’t know where I fit in.
That’s something I’d struggled with for a long time.
So, I was like, “Okay, I want to talk about that.”
And include that with chess because I know probably a lot of other people struggle with that.
Or what’s the question of life?
Things like that, right?
I don’t want to give too much away about the movie.
But it was things like that.
What are the questions that I have that everybody else is also questioning?
Then after that, we kind of paired it with Paris because it’s been my dream to be there since I was a kid.
And Mexico because that’s where my family’s from.
New York.
You know, cities and dreams.
It was just things like that.
And then, for the women, I was very particular.
I’m going to be honest with that one.
I was very particular about the women.
Personally, I think with the chess world, it’s amazing that a lot of people are coming up.
But we still don’t hear a lot of stories from people.
We see a lot of the same stories.
It was important for me not to put the person who’s been in the spotlight into the spotlight again.
I wanted people to tell their own stories.
Something about me—I made this very open to everybody.
I’ve been taught that whenever you say your name, Bianca Michelle Aila, you’re not just saying your own name.
You’re saying the names of the people who came before you.
You’re holding the power of your ancestors.
So, as the interviewer and the host, I wanted the women to tell their own stories.
I did not want to tell those stories for them.
So, with choosing the women, it was more about, “I want them to tell their own stories, and I want to highlight them.”
That’s kind of where the whole six-year process came from.
Making sure that came through and that nobody changed that.
That’s beautiful.
Honestly, I think the way you’re talking is so mature.
And I don’t want to say that in a patronizing way because it probably comes across that way.
You’ve probably heard that a lot, right?
But you’re only 21, and you’ve been making this movie since you were 15.
I honestly could not even fathom doing that.
Listening to you, I would never believe that you’re so young because you sound like a professional filmmaker and storyteller.
You’ve been doing this for so long.
I just think it’s amazing.
Your dad must have a lot of wisdom.
He gave you all that wisdom along the way, and you’ve definitely picked it up.
It’s really nice to hear.
The way you talk about it and the vision you’ve got.
I can’t wait to see it all come together.
I know it’s going to be brilliant.
But what is next for you?
Because you’ve done this, and like I said, you’re 21 and you’ve already got a movie out.
This is crazy.
But what’s next …

for *Madwoman’s Game*?
I’m not sure.
That’s on the producer side.
But for me, I’m making a proposal for a book about my six years of working on this project and growing up in the industry.
I have my own art studio, so I’m doing a lot of art and painting.
And then I have a production company that’s in the works.
I am not doing it yet, but I want to keep producing and keep creating movies.
Wow, that’s a lot.
So, I know that art is always there for you, and that’s a big, big, big passion that’s never going to go away.
But I definitely want to talk about the book and the production company because that’s crazy.
The book, obviously, is going to talk about you and your journey.
Is it to help inspire other people who are like you, like you’re saying?
So that if they want to have, like I said, the balls to pitch to big people and not have that fear of rejection that I feel like everyone else has…
Is it that sort of thing?
Do you want to help inspire others?
Yes.
It’s that.
And then also, with making a documentary and any other type of movie, it can take a long time to get made.
When I was young, I didn’t understand that.
It was very confusing.
And like I said, I was struggling a little bit.
So, I want this book to be kind of a helpful guide that says, “Hey, you’re not alone in this.”
“Just keep going.”
“And don’t give up on that dream.”
Oh, I love that.
So then, the production company…
What would you want to produce next?
What would your vision be?
If you’re producing and you have a company, what’s next?
I want to keep doing documentary work, but also kind of leave it open.
I want to help people make their projects.
I realized through this whole journey that I love working with very creative people, passionate people, and people who love what they’re doing.
Interviewing people was another level.
You just see so many sides of life.
I think that was really empowering.
So, I want to keep helping people make their dreams because I like hearing about them as well.
I want to help people who are passionate about their projects.
I love that.
Well, thank you so much, Bianca.
You’re a wonderful guest.
Obviously, I could speak to you all day.
If other people want to get in touch with you, maybe they want to pitch their projects to you, which I think is super surreal.
Like, you know, it’s kind of gone full circle.
Where can people get in touch with you?
If you want to get in touch with me, my Instagram is Bianca Michelle Aila.
Okay, perfect.
I will drop all the details in the show notes so people can find you.
And obviously, when *Madwoman’s Game* gets bought and lands somewhere exciting, we’ll update that too.
But I am super psyched for tomorrow.
I know it’s going to be amazing.
I will definitely share this far and wide with everyone who wants to hear about your story.
Thank you so much for coming on.
Thank you for having me.
It’s been such a pleasure.
Oh, my pleasure.
Thank you.