Vital stats:

- Christine Vachon
- 43 years old, "but I'm reported on IMDb to be 42."
- Grew-up on Upper West Side; now lives in East Village
- Film producer & Partner Killer Films

Christine's World:
You're a big fixture in the New York independent film scene, and you have been for more than a decade. Even so, were you surprised when a cultural institution like MoMA said that they wanted to salute Killer Films, which starts tonight?
Of course, I'm really delighted, but I wasn't surprised in the sense that it was something I had been really hoping for. I had been encouraging it for a long time, and I'm glad that they felt the same way that I did.

Did you have much input into the programming or did their people do it mostly on their own?
They did it on their own. They showed it to me and they certainly asked for our input, but there were some films that they selected … We've made over 40 movies and they can't show them all, and there's always going to be some that I regret aren't there. There's certainly none there that I regret are there, but I feel a twinge about every movie that didn't get included.

Is there any one in particular, or do you not want to say?
One Hour Photo and I Shot Andy Warhol. We're showing The Notorious Bettie Page, Mary [Harron]'s movie [who also directed Warhol], opening night so it's not like she isn't being represented, but I just love I Shot Andy Warhol.

What do you think is the significance of an institution like MoMA saluting the work of a producer/production company? They recently did something similar with Miramax, but for the most part, it's film directors who are celebrated.
In some ways I think it's a testament to Killer's longevity. We've managed to stay in business, and at least part of the reason is we have been very persistent and pragmatic about the way we do business. We haven't ever changed our formula. The thing is, producing movies is a really stupid way to earn a living. It's a tremendous amount of effort. The returns are often nominal and sporadic. You know, it's like Mary's Bettie Page movie – that was in development for like 13 years. So when you add up what we probably earned on the film, it's probably less than about a nickel an hour.