Monika “Jac” Jagaciak on Fighting Her Way Back to Herself in Tribeca Doc ‘White Belt’
Interview conducted and written by Nik Mohan
Courtesy of Laundromat Films.
There’s a particular kind of silence that lives on a grappling mat; it doesn’t care who you used to be or where you’ve come from. In ‘White Belt,’ that space belongs to Monika “Jac” Jagaciak, a former supermodel once defined by the long, controlled choreography of the fashion industry, claiming her power back by preparing for her first major Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tournament in Las Vegas.
Directed by Branislav Jankic and premiering June 7th in New York at Tribeca, the short documentary follows a transformation of a woman trading performance for identity. ‘White Belt’ is framed around combat sport, but the emotional charge comes from the vulnerability of beginning again.
How does it feel to have your film premiering at Tribeca?
Monika: It feels amazing to be back in the city [New York] where I trained to prepare for the film. New York City is special for both of us because this is where both of us [Branislav] were made. Where we made our careers, where we met. It’s also where our daughter was born. So for the film to be part of Tribeca, I think it couldn’t be more iconic for us. It’s our favorite festival.
Branislav: It’s very special, we’re very honored to be part of the 25th anniversary of Tribeca. I passed so many times when they opened and said one day… I want a film that gets in there!
What was the idea behind the film?
Branislav: We [he and Monika] are life partners. I knew Monika’s story for many years. Just before she turned 30, she said I wanted to do something for me that is just me. I want to do a competition in sports. And martial arts was something in her idea. And with Jiu-Jitsu, we knew a couple friends that are martial artists and we thought that was an interesting one [Jiu-Jitsu], so let’s talk to Gregor Gracie who is a world champion and really big part of the Gracie family. I thought it would be a really nice juxtaposition to follow her [Monika’s] journey training in Jiu-Jitsu then competing within just eight months, and then combine this with her life story.
How did it feel to see yourself in a documentary about your life, and was there any hesitation at first?
Monika: I wouldn’t do the film if it wasn’t for the fact that I’m married to the person who is asking me those questions. So that made it easier to be truthful and honest. I’m so used to working with a camera where I’m portraying someone who’s selling clothing, or acting in a certain way—portraying a woman I’m not in real life. This was the first honest thing that I really did in front of camera. And I’m very proud of it, and it’s harder to do than an acting job.
The title ‘White Belt’ immediately suggests the willingness to be a beginner. But it also suggests vulnerability. What did the symbol of the white belt mean to you over the course of making the film?
Monika: The name ‘White Belt’ came after the film was already edited. This is also when we saw the full film and the mission of what I was doing became more clear. Once the film was finished I was like oh, this is what the film’s all about. I feel like our editor put it together in a way that I understood myself better. The white belt was exactly that; a bit of a rebirth, starting from the beginning, a humbling experience, and I love the sport for that. I love that there is a belt and have to climb this ladder… it’s going to be uncomfortable. You have to work your way up and I think that’s beautiful.
Courtesy of Laundromat Films.
The film includes your training with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu master Gregor Gracie, whose name carries enormous history within the sport. How did working with Gregor shape the way you understood Jiu-Jitsu — not just as combat, but as a discipline and a way of thinking?
Monika: Gregor gave me the allowance to be at the gym and take classes that I normally wouldn’t be able to take because they were more advanced at that level. I did not expect that the sport would be like this. I had this idea that its a very masculine, sort of brutal sport, but in reality its really beautiful. It’s a lot of people who take Jiu-Jitsu as part of their therapy and growing, there’s so many amazing people from all sorts of different careers and ages. It’s so intimate; to really get to meet the people and hugging them for two hours on a mat. Training with Gregor was a dream come true. He’s such a humble guy. If you meet him and talk to him on the street you would never know he comes from this family and that he’s a triple world champion.
Winning a bronze medal in your first competition must be so gratifying.
Monika: I said that before the competition I want that for myself — that I trained for eights months and say hey I did this, I deserve this.
Talk to me about the structure of this film, and the arc you built within a 20-minute runtime. What were you most careful not to reduce or over-explain about Monika’s story?
Branislav: Twenty of her life condensed into twenty minutes… We had a lot of archival footage and a lot of our story. I worked with a very wonderful editor Daniel McDonald — we got into a couple disputes of like I really need that in, because you hold onto something. We had beautiful interviews with Gregor which I thought was essential for the story, but he [McDonald] convinced me we don’t need that. We have a very little amount of time so let’s keep it dynamic. It was bouncing back and forth…The structure was building itself as we were in the editing room. Prior to that we filmed the sections I thought represented Monika the best way, and fits her playful attitude, shows her persona in a way I think is honest.
Because your background includes photography, you’re aware of what it means to construct an image. How did your understanding of photography influence the way you filmed Monika in ‘White Belt,’ especially when the film is partly about moving beyond the image and into a lived experience?
Branislav: I’ve worked with wonderful DPs [Director of Photography]. Here we worked with three different ones. Brian Sowell was with us throughout the Las Vegas journey. He and I developed an idea where we decided to use a specific lens — what the National Geographic cinematographers would use. We were adding a little filter to it to be almost a POV… A lot of it was telling Monika we are shooting when we were not shooting, and not telling her we were shooting when we were actually shooting. A lot of it was waiting for the moment to happen.
You said you’ve always wanted to drive a red car like the actors in old movies, and in the film you’re driving a red Pontiac Grand Prix. Does that give you a sense of “I’m here and I’ve made it, and I’m living the American Dream?”
Monika: I’m still living the American Dream. Listen, I’m in a hotel in New York and I’m waiting for my premiere at Tribeca. I mean how is that not an American Dream? That’s also something I’m so proud of in the movie, of the times that we’re in and talking about this, because as an immigrant coming to the U.S., I still think the American Dream is here. And the U.S. is being looked at from a very different perspective from the outside right now. Me and Brani [Branislav], he can say the same thing, we would never be what we are if we didn’t come here. New York, U.S., will make you, break you, but it will make you better. And the American Dream is here.
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