Today, we have even more filmmaker interviews! Be sure to buy your tickets NOW for Newfest '08 online or at the box office!

FILM TITLE: Chris & Don by Tina Mascara & Guido Santi

 

Please introduce yourself:

 

We are directors/producers/editors working and living in Los Angeles.

 

What initially attracted you to filmmaking? How many films have you made?

 

Guido:  I love movies. I started making shorts in my early teens. Over the years I have made several short films and documentaries.

Tina Mascara:  I discovered my love for movies in my early twenties. Since then have made two feature films.

 

Did you go to film school? If so, where?

 

Guido:  I went to USC Film School. It was a great experience, especially for me, coming from Europe and a totally different approach.

Tina:  I went to Los Angeles City College, but before I finished the program,

I began making films.

 

Please describe your film in 1-2 short sentences.

 

One of the most extraordinary love stories of our times.  A film about the power of love, art and movies...what more is there to life?

 

Where did the idea for your film come from?

 

Guido:  I was introduced to Don Bachardy by Julia Scott, one of the producers.  She suggested making a film about Don, but things did not materialize until years later, when Tina and I began working together.

Tina:  Guido and I share the same passion for great stories, and we both felt this had the potential for being one of them.

 

What was the biggest challenge you faced in making your film?

 

Not using any narration was one of them. Since the beginning we knew that this film had to be like a "memoir", a personal recollection of a love story. We had to rely solely on Don and his delivery. It was a gamble, but one that we won thanks to Don and his natural talent as a storyteller.

 

Who or what are some of the creative influences that have had the biggest impact on you?

 

We both love foreign films and documentaries about interesting people or with original takes on contemporary subjects. We could write a very long list of influential movies, but most recently, Jellyfish and Iraq in Fragments.

 

Are you working on a new film yet? If so, give us a brief description. If not, is there a genre or subject you are interested in exploring in your next project?

 

We are developing two scripts and considering another documentary. Both scripts are character-driven stories and one is based on a Christopher Isherwood's novel.  It is still too early to talk about the doc.

 

The first film I have memories of watching as a child was:

 

Guido:  I am ashamed to admit but it was Pippy Longstocking

Tina:  Gone with the Wind

 

The first LGBT film I ever saw was:

 

Guido: My Beautiful Laundrette by Stephen Frears

Tina: Death in Venice by Luchino Visconti

 

The one LGBT film that has had the biggest impact on me is:

 

Wild Reeds by Andre Techine

 

FILM TITLE: The Lost Coast by Gabriel Fleming

 

Please introduce yourself:

 

Writer and director of The Lost Coast, and I'm based in LA, though I spend a lot of time in the Bay Area, where I grew up, and seem to gravitate towards filming there.

 

What initially attracted you to filmmaking? How many films have you made?

 

My first feature was One Thousand Years, which premiered at SXSW in 2002. Since then I've produced a couple other indie features, just finishing post, My Movie Girl, directed by Adam Bronstein, and A+D, directed by Amber Sealey.

 

Did you go to film school? If so, where?

 

I studied film and digital media at UC Santa Cruz.

 

Please describe your film in 1-2 short sentences.

 

The Lost Coast is about high school friends who reunite for Halloween in San Francisco, one who is gay, and one who is straight, and they have to come to terms with the sexual relationship they shared in high school. It's a fairly quiet, dreamy film, inter-cutting between late night San Francisco on Halloween and a remembrance of a high school trip the friends took to the Lost Coast in northern California.

 

Where did the idea for your film come from?

 

A lot of gay male friends of mine have gone through the experience of the film, having had a sexual relationship in high school with a guy who is, to this day, straight. The frequency of this experience flies in the face of our concepts of male sexuality, of the divisions we put between gay and straight. I wanted to make a movie that put a little light on this gray area, to show the emotional experience of trying to come to terms with the different aspects of one's sexuality.

 

Who or what are some of the creative influences that have had the biggest impact on you?

 

Oh, you know, Godard, Tarkovsky, Kieslowski, etc. etc. On a more immediate level I draw a lot of inspiration from Kelly Reichardt (Old Joy, Wendy and Lucy): I've had the benefit of working on the crew of her last two films.

 

The first film I have memories of watching as a child was:

 

My parents say Star Wars was the first film I saw in the theater, but I have no memory of it. I do remember seeing Black Beauty, though. I still remember a lot of images from that film.

 

 

The one LGBT film that has had the biggest impact on me is:

 

Todd Haynes's Poison.

 

The last DVD I watched was:

 

Slings and Arrows (watching a lot of TV on DVD these days).



FILM TITLE: Squeezebox! by Zach Shaffer and Steve Saporito

 

Please introduce yourself:

 

Steve Saporito: I am a Music/Literary Manager (clients include Stephen Trask (Hedwig and the Angry Inch) and Kyle Jarrow (A Very Merry Unauthorized Children's Scientology Pageant).  I am based in New York City.

Zach Shaffer. Filmmaker/Actor. New York City

 

What initially attracted you to filmmaking? How many films have you made?

 

Steve:  I love film because it is the best medium to tell great stories.  I have been involved in several independent films, but this is the first film I have directed and produced.

Zach Shaffer: I was attracted to filmmaking as a kid when I would go to the movies with my parents on a weekly basis and when home alone I would watch The Movie Channel to keep myself occupied. After seeing Star Wars with my dad, i turned to him and said, "I want to be in that." This is my first film.

 

Did you go to film school? If so, where?

 

Steve Saporito: NO, I have a law degree.

Zach Shaffer: No, I did not go to film school. I went to acting school.

 

Please describe your film in 1-2 short sentences.

 

It's all about sex, drag and rock and roll.

 

Where did the idea for your film come from?

 

Lyle Derek, our fellow producer thought there was a documentary in the story of SqueezeBox! and we both agreed.

 

Who or what are some of the creative influences that have had the biggest impact on you?

 

Steve: Lou Reed

Zach: John Waters

 

The first film I have memories of watching as a child was:

 

Steve: The Sound of Music at Radio City Music Hall

Zach:  Jaws

 

The first LGBT film I ever saw was:

 

Steve: My Beautiful Laundrette

Zach: The Rocky Horror Picture Show

 

The most recent film I saw in a theatre was:

 

Steve: Ironman

Zach: The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

FILM TITLE: Romeo's Kiss by Julien Eger

 

Please introduce yourself:

 

I live in Paris, France. I'm 35 years old. I'm been making movies since 1998 (my first short film)
 
What initially attracted you to filmmaking?
 
First I wanted to produce movies, but after working in production, a producer told me I should write something and film it. It took me 2 years for making this first movie. It's was quite an experiment, and I realized that's what I wanted to do.
 
How many films have you made?
 
I made 12 short films and many corporate movies. Each project was quite different. But each time I have given a lot of time to the movies I made, from the script to even the distribution sometimes.
 
Please describe your film in 1-2 short sentences.
 
It is the story of a young man who finds something unpredicted, and deals with it...
 
The first film I have memories of watching as a child was:

Flash Gordon.
 
The first LGBT film I ever saw was:
 
Chicken Turkey.

The one LGBT film that has had the biggest impact on me is:
 
The king and the clown (Lee Jun-Ik)
 

FILM TITLE: Wonder? by Madga Mogila

 

What initially attracted you to filmmaking? How many films have you made?

 

I just always wanted to make films. I come from Poland but I wanted to study abroad and Germany give good possibility to make this.

Did you go to film school? If so, where?

 

I´m still in Hochschule für Gestaltung in Offenbach/Germany.

What was the biggest challenge you faced in making your film?

 

"I make films which I would like to see"- Sydney Pollack

Are you working on a new film yet? If so, give us a brief description. If
not, is there a genre or subject you are interested in exploring in your
next project?

 

Yes, I work on music clip for Leon Taylor.

 

FILM TITLE: Wrangler:  Anatomy of an Icon by Jeffrey Schwarz

 

Please introduce yourself:

 

I'm a documentary filmmaker based in Los Angeles, California. When I'm not making independent docs, I run a production company called Automat Pictures, and we specialize in producing documentaries, TV specials, DVD content, and studio electronic press kits.

 

What initially attracted you to filmmaking? How many films have you made?

 

For some reason, my parents took me to see Network when I was 6 years old and it made quite an impression. I guess they couldn't find a babysitter that night. I've made hundreds of documentaries for TV and DVD, but my first independent feature doc was called Spine Tingler!  The William Castle Story. It premiered at AFI FEST 2007 and won the Documentary Audience Award.

 

Did you go to film school? If so, where?

 

I went to film school at SUNY Purchase in New York where I studied both narrative and documentary filmmaking.

 

Please describe your film in 1-2 short sentences.

 

Wrangler: Anatomy of an Icon is the outrageous story of 1970s gay porn icon Jack Wrangler. Jack rose to become a major brand name in adult entertainment, as well as a hero to the newly liberated gay population, only to cross over to straight movies and fall in love with famous vocalist Margaret Whiting.

 

What was the biggest challenge you faced in making your film?

 

The biggest challenge in making the film was bringing Jack around to the idea of letting me tell his story. I did many a song and dance for him, until he finally relented and opened up the doors. He's very pleased with final product, so it was all worth it and I'm extremely grateful to him for putting his trust in me.

 

Who or what are some of the creative influences that have had the biggest impact on you?

 

My inspiration doesn't necessarily come from other films, but from true stories of American outsider figures. The films I've made and hope to make have all been about these kinds of larger than life individuals who turned themselves into icons.

 

Are you working on a new film yet? If so, give us a brief description. If not, is there a genre or subject you are interested in exploring in your next project?

 

I'm working on a few projects right now, including a doc feature about the infamous Divine, and also in the very early stages of a film about gay liberation pioneer Vito Russo.

 

The first film I have memories of watching as a child was:

 

It's hard to pinpoint but one of the earliest films I can remember seeing was Young Frankenstein.

 

The first LGBT film I ever saw was:

 

I saw The Boys in the Band on a late night movie show when I was babysitting one Saturday night. I'm still obsessed with it, but it was kind of a scary look at what gay life might be like.

 

The most recent film I saw in a theatre was:

 

Ironman, so shoot me.

 

The last DVD I watched was:

 

For the Bible Tells Me So

FILM TITLE: Searching 4 Sandeep by Polly Stockell

 

Please introduce yourself:

Poppy Stockell, film maker/TV producer based in Sydney Australia

What initially attracted you to filmmaking? How many films have you made?

After completing a degree in Zoology I started working at a community radio station in Sydney (go figure!). Radio was great, I learnt to interview talent, research and produce radio documentaries. The immediacy of radio is fantastic but I figured that if I wanted to travel and make documentaries, radio in Australia might not have the budget. So I jumped ship and have subsequently shot and directed a series of short films and documentaries. Searching 4 Sandeep is my first long form documentary as a writer/director.

Did you go to film school? If so, where?

I enrolled in a 2-year Film and TV course majoring in Cinematography.  It's a 2-year full time technical course based in Sydney, Australia.

Please describe your film in 1-2 short sentences.

A long-distance Internet romance blossoms into a lesbian love affair strong enough to cross three continents and break through cultural barriers in this raw and incredibly frank tale of love, heartbreaking and understanding.

What was the biggest challenge you faced in making your film?

The biggest challenge by far was continuing to film despite the emotional turmoil Sandeep and I were going through. At some stages in the film I didn't know whether Sandeep and I would make it as lovers, there were very tenuous moments. Thankfully we've made it this far and we've also got a film we're proud of.

Who or what are some of the creative influences that have had the biggest impact on you?

For this film in particular, Arin Crumely and Susan Buice's Four Eyed Monsters video blog was really exciting.  Robert Gibson's Video Fool For Love and Jonathan Caouette's Tarnation have also been very moving. In terms of great lesbian love stories, Go Fish, When Night Falls, High Art and Aimee and Jaguar have definitely made their marks.

The first LGBT film I ever saw was:

Must have been Go Fish. It was so exciting!

The most recent film I saw in a theatre was:

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. Beautiful.

The last DVD I watched was:

Black Harvest, an amazing film by Australian Documentary legends Robin Anderson and Bob Connelly.

 

 

 

 

FILM TITLE: Holidayby Agathe Dreyfus & Aurelia Barbet 

Please introduce yourself:  
 
Agathe Dreyfus. Used to be an editor. Based in Marseilles, France.

What initially attracted you to filmmaking? How many films have you made?

Since I was a kid I've loved watching movies. I have made 6 films, only one by myself. The other ones have been made in a collective way.
 
Please describe your film in 1-2 short sentences.
 
We're leaving for New York in a while. A little while. It's my first time crossing the Atlantic. I'm crossing the Atlantic with an angel. I wonder what it feels like. I feel like filming the women of New York.

What was the biggest challenge you faced in making your film?
To talk about our intimacy.

What was the most satisfying aspect in making your film?
The creativity during the holiday. We weren't only tourists...

Who or what are some of the creative influences that have had the biggest
impact on you?

Avant-garde cinema and of course Jonas Mekas.

 

Are you working on a new film yet? If so, give us a brief description. If not, is there a genre or subject you are interested in exploring in your next project?
 
I am working on a documentary project about immigration politics in France.
 
The first film I have memories of watching as a child was:

Mary Poppins!

The one LGBT film that has had the biggest impact on me is:

I like High Art very much.

The last DVD I watched was:

 

 

 

 

FILM TITLE: The Sensei by Diane Inosanto

 

Please introduce yourself:

 

I am an Actress/Semi-Retired Stuntwoman and Martial Artist.  I come from a world renowned martial Arts Family- Father is martial arts icon Dan Inosanto (seen in David Mamet's Redbelt); my Honorary Uncle and original God father is Bruce Lee.  I am based out of Ventura County, but raised in Los Angeles.

 

What initially attracted you to filmmaking? How many films have you made?

 

The power to tell humanitarian stories that I feel should be out there and to work as an actress in projects that I felt I could be proud of.

 

Did you go to film school? If so, where?

 

My film school and classroom were the sets of Hollywood. As a struggling actress and mother of a young Autistic child, I didn't have the luxury to go to film school.  But, to support my family, I worked as a stuntwoman and martial arts teacher.  My "symbolic" teachers were directors like Ang Lee, John Woo, Chris Columbus, Barry Sonnenfield, John Woo, Joss Whedon, and Clint Eastwood.  I would watch them and the producing team around them, taking notes, and asked questions of other crew members: DP department, Sound, Stunts, Wardrobe, etc.

 

Please describe your film in 1-2 short sentences.

 

Tolerance, martial arts, and the inner journey to peace are taught to a bullied gay teen.  After a failed suicide attempt with another boy, lonely McClain, finds himself the secret student of a woman "sensei", after a near fatal beating by three schoolmates during the dawn of the AIDS epidemic. But there are some lessons in life that don't come easy.

 

Where did the idea for your film come from?

 

After the murder of Matthew Shepard and the death of writer / martial artist Gilbert Johnson – a close family friend, and co-author of Bruce Lee's bestselling book "The Tao of Jeet Kune Do" who died from AIDS in the mid-eighties.  Also, from my travels as a martial arts teacher visiting martial arts school owners who struggled with the decision of teaching someone that was from LGBT Community for fear of retaliation from the  communities they lived in.

 

What was the biggest challenge you faced in making your film?

 

When the same school district (Jefferson County School board) that governs Columbine High School, became the second school district to deny us permission to shoot our film in one of there high schools, despite having the support and endorsement of school teachers, students, a principal and their Director of Communications.  They said we could possibly incite "feelings" of Columbine. This comment was made without having read the script—a story about Tolerance and Compassion.  When I asked them to read my screenplay they refused.  The other school district (RE-1) straight out said we had "questionable values" because we were doing a movie about a gay teenager and had a medical marijuana scene, plus we just might influence young people in a negative way.  Later, the Associated Press found out what we were going through and put us in the national news.

 

Are you working on a new film yet? If so, give us a brief description. If not, is there a genre or subject you are interested in exploring in your next project?

 

There are several projects I have in various stages of Development.  I am personally trying to develop a movie on Boudicca, the Celtic Queen Warrior that stood up against the Romans.  I am also trying to complete the trilogy screenplay to The Sensei.  I'm also writing a true story about how the Dallas Cowboys (under the teaching of my father) were the first NFL Team to utilize martial arts in the NFL, which took them all the way to the Super Bowl in 1978 with Co- MVP Randy White and Harvey Martin leading the way.

 

The first film I have memories of watching as a child was:

 

West Side Story

 

My top three all-time favorite films are:

 

West Side Story, Picnic, and Gypsy

 

The last DVD I watched was: 

 

The Secret

FILM TITLE: Cedric by Sadrac Gonzalez & Sonia Escolano

 

Please introduce yourself:

 

Sadrac González perellón, student of cinema. Sonia Escolano Pujante, student of Literature.

 

What initially attracted you to filmmaking?

 

The photography.

 

How many films have you made?

 

6: Mr. Long-Neck (2005), the cage (2005), juliets (2006), Petite maman (2006), Cédric (2007) The rapture (2007).

 

Did you go to film school? Where?

 

Complutense University (Madrid) Studying yet.

 

Please describe your film in 1-2 short sentences.

 

Beauty in frames.  Working with children is difficult but if it comes out good, you feel good too.

 

Where did the idea for your film come from?

 

When Sonia saw a carousel, although there's not one in the film.

 

What was the most satisfying aspect in making your film?

 

To work with total freedom.

 

Are you working on a new film yet? If so, give us a brief description. If

not, is there a genre or subject you are interested in exploring in your next project?

 

Yes, we are. The new project is about an old boxer who escapes from his geriatric to box a last time.

 

My top three all-time favorite films are:

 

Heavenly Creatures, American Beauty, Gods and Monsters

 

 

 

FILM TITLE: Dolls by Randy Caspersen

 

Please introduce yourself:

 

My name is Randy Caspersen.  I am a full-time graduate student based in Chicago.  At the moment, I am a full-time filmmaker.

 

What initially attracted you to filmmaking? How many films have you made?

 

I was always a television and cable junkie.  When I was a teenager, it dawned on me that maybe I could be a filmmaker. I have made many, many short films in the experimental and documentary tradition. Dolls, is my first purely narrative film.

 

Did you go to film school? If so, where?

 

I am a full-time graduate student pursuing Film & Video Production at Columbia College Chicago. I am originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and have an undergraduate degree in Film & Video, as well.  Between undergraduate and graduate school, I spent about ten years working in television in Los Angeles.

 

Please describe your film in 1-2 short sentences.

 

This logline just appeared in the Calgary's Fairytales program and it sums up the film well: "It's time for the annual garage sale, and a young mother doesn't understand why her son doesn't want to get rid of his dolls."

 

Where did the idea for your film come from?

 

I was trying to adapt an old story about a teenaged girl who would beat up her dolls in the attic to exorcise her demons.  It made me want to do a story about dolls being a sacred, secretive force in a boy's life.

 

The first film I have memories of watching as a child was:

 

Those weird Disney movies from the sixties and seventies like The Apple Dumpling Game, Pete's Dragon, and The North Avenue Irregulars.

 

My top three all-time favorite films are:

 

Thelma & Louise, The Wizard of Oz, and Rear Window