Seen on Screen
Maggenti agreed that her film holds a marked place in independent filmmaking.

"The film occupies an interesting spot in social history in terms of what it represents and how rare it was for there to be a movie like that in 1995. Lesbians were still in the place where there was no way to 'see yourself,' so the film had a huge impact because of that."

Maggenti told of how a young woman said at the Metrograph screening, "'I can't believe I've never seen this movie before,!' and I said, 'That's because it came out before you were born.' She was so effected by it, telling me it was so funny and it's so sweet. Hopefully, now more young lesbians will find it because it's more accessible. The middle-aged lesbians say to me, 'I have that on VHS!' One woman showed up with her videocassette. The out-of-print DVD now sells on eBay for, like, $99. It's a collector's item."

In the 27 years since her debut film's release, obviously media access has changed.

"The context in which a person can see this film is so remarkably different. It's very hard for young people to understand. They're now able to see themselves reflected back and many different iterations in all kinds of media. The only way you could experience this was to go to a movie theater, which meant that some people had to drive to another town. Younger people would say there certainly are places in our country where that's still true, but the wider society is just remarkably different, and you can find your lesbians just about anywhere."

A fascinating aspect of Maggenti's film is the (spoiler alert) heightened and unresolved ending, which leaves viewers wondering if the romance between Randy and Evie can last.

"Critics hated the ending, but audiences loved it," said Maggenti. "That was my first time out, so I hadn't learned my lessons yet."

Career Moves
Since "Two Girls"' release, the film's costars have grown as actors. Laurel Holloman starred in "The L Word" series and in the film "Boogie Nights," while Nicole Ari Parker has guest-starred in TV series "Empire," "Chicago P.D.," "Time After Time," and, most recently, in the "Sex and the City" update "And Just Like That."

Maggenti noted that Holloman told her she would not have been hired for "The L Word" had she not been in "Two Girls." Tami Reiker, the film's cinematographer, has also since shot dozens of hit TV shows and films ("The Old Guard," "One Night in Miami," "Carnivale").

Maggenti's recent credits are equally impressive, as a co-producer and co-writer for "Supergirl," "Motherland: Fort Salem," "Finding Carter," and as the screenwriter of 2017's beguiling "Before I Fall" (described in one rave review as "Mean Girls" meets "Groundhog Day").

Maggenti explains that the producer credits in series are actually writer positions. Maggenti began writing for television while trying to get backing for her second film, "Puccini for Beginners." After a few years spent trying to get a film produced with her producer Dolly Hall, a friend in Los Angeles asked her to work on a TV show.

"I had no idea what that meant," she recalled. "But I got a very quick lesson in the difference between being a screenwriter and a TV writer, where you are there to serve the vision of the show runner, who's always the head writer. That was a learning experience, since I was used to writing and directing. You [are] basically in a room with other writers who are all trying to figure out how to make a story work. I had never experienced that before, and I've experienced it many times since, and I just love it."

She elaborates: "Every day, you're working towards the script and you do an extensive outline; everybody contributes to the storytelling process. When it's time to write the scripts, then the writer goes with the outline and writes the script, and then it comes back in and the creator of the show does what's called 'a pass,' and they rewrite it so it conforms more to the voice of the show."

Her next project for Netflix offers even more challenges. "Broadcast is different than films, but streaming is even more different," she said. "I'm just grateful that I'm still working."

Diverse Cinema
At the mention of several of her credits being shows that feature empowered women, Maggenti said, "I've been very lucky. I had no idea I was going to go in that direction. But the way you get jobs on television shows is you interview with the creators. Part of what you talk about is your relationship to the material. They're looking for a writer who can bring something to the room that's relevant, and sometimes it's something super personal. Most people knew my work when I started; that I had already done a film about young lesbians. It's also that those are the shows I wanted to work on; very feminist."

Maggenti said that the TV industry has matured in consciousness as well.

"People realize they have to get it together. I'm still coming from a white perspective, but I do see more diversity in writers' rooms, so that's a big deal."

Although she sees the feature film industry as still lagging, change is taking place.

"The idea of doing a movie with all white people seems really uncomfortable to me." She recalled a friend who, at the recent "Two Girls" screening, pointed out that featuring an interracial lesbian couple had not been done. "It seemed very current, is what she was saying; also, to have an upper class Black character. I wrote something that I'd never seen."

Asked what she would say, and has, to aspiring filmmakers, Maggenti said, "You have to make something that matters to you. Making films and television is not easy to do. You have to really feel like what you're doing matters and makes a difference. Don't worry about what's out there in the market. Some might say, 'We need another Wes Anderson or Shonda Rhimes.' But the reason they made it is that they are utterly themselves."

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