NewFest - NewBlog: Filmmaker Interviews! More Shorts Programs

Filmmaker Interviews! More Shorts Programs

Tonight is THE night! Newfest kicks off! For now, here's more filmmaker interviews!

Forbidden Acts

FILM TITLE: Forbidden Acts by Todd Herman

Please introduce yourself:

I am a filmmaker and photographer based in San Francisco California.

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

I have been interested in filmmaking as long as I can remember. Film and video was a natural progression for me - a way to bring together my interests in many visual arts and music. I have completed 10 films.

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

I attended both the Maryland Institute College of Art and the San Francisco Art Institute.

Please describe your film in 1-2 short sentences.

Confrontative, meditative, and sensuous, Forbidden Acts, a film by Todd Herman, showcases three poems by black disabled advocate and writer Leroy Moore. Herman's provocative imagery seamlessly intertwines with Moore's explicit poetry and takes a head-on look at issues of body image, sexuality and disability - relative to politics, medicine, and race. With naked honesty, Herman and Moore combine advocacy, social critique, visual poetry, and spoken word while subtly addressing many of the stereotypes prevalent in disability imagery. Forbidden Acts is an engaging glimpse into Moore's exploration of his own sexuality and the limits that social institutions attempt to impose upon its expression. It is a potent film that ultimately sees beyond the barriers between disability and sexuality, and opens new doors for the expression of sexual desires and frustrations among our disabled brothers and sisters.

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

The biggest challenge in making this film is that I do not embody the politics that the film represents. In other words I am aligned to them, I advocate for them and I am an ally of the disability rights movement, but I myself do not have a disability. So as an "outsider" so to speak, developing a visual interpretation that complimented and supported the work of writer Leroy Moore was one of the challenges in making this film.

What was the most satisfying aspect in making your film?

The most satisfying aspect was that even in my not embodying the politics, the film is, in my opinion, successful in conveying from a non-ableist perspective, some of the broader social as well as personal struggles of the film's writer, Leroy Moore - disability activist, who himself has a disability.

FILM TITLE: Ecstasy by Xavier Baert

Please introduce yourself:

I am an experimental filmmaker based in Paris. I take care of an association for experimental filmmakers, and work as curetting assistant.

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

Until now, I made 6 films, all about the body. Very often, the body gives me the idea of making films.

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

I didn't learn to make movies in a school, but have been a film student at the Sorbonne University for many years. I learned watching and analyze films before making movies - a great way to learn.

Please describe your film in 1-2 short sentences.

It is an experimental documentary about a couple of men making love.

Where did the idea for your film come from?

I think I wanted to make this movie since I became a filmmaker. As a filmmaker whose main subject is the body, it was obvious for me to make a film on this matter.

What was the most satisfying aspect in making your film?

It’s a portrait of two dear friends. Make their image as intense as possible, as a tribute to their beauty, and to their love.

My top three all-time favorite films are:

Blow Out by Brian de Palma, Happy Together by Wong Kar-waï, and Ixe by Lionel Soukaz

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

Without a doubt, Happy Together by Wong Kar-waï.

FILM TITLE: Furs for Adonis by David Pollak

Please introduce yourself:

Filmmaker and video maker based in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

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

Has worked as a programmer at the HBO-Brasil channel (1996-2000). As director, screenwriter and editor has produced short films and videos such as Kicking Ass With My Ellus Shoes (01), Fake Vuitton (02), Kidnnap (04), Deneli (05), Sun, Sea and Soccer (05) Mavamba (06), Dead Memory (06), Sophia (07), Se Pá... (07), among others. Had his work screened at festivals such as: OutFest 2002 L.A Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, Urban Fest 2002 -- Cidade do México, 12. Melbourne Queer Film Festival, 16th and 21th London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival, Brazilian Film Festival of Miami 2002, Festival Latino Americano de New York - CineLaFe, 16. Mix New York Lesbian & Gay Experimental Festival (Anthology), Out Takes 2003 - New Zeland, Inside Out Toronto Lesbian and Gay Film and Video Festival 2006, São Paulo International Short Film Festival, Bars VII - Buenos Aires Rojo Sangre 2007, LA Silver Lake Film Festival, Resfest Brazil, among others.

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

Yes, FAAP in São Paulo.

Please describe your film in 1-2 short sentences.

Homage to the porn films from the 1970's.

Where did the idea for your film come from?

I love erotic movies from seventies. One day I was talking with David (my boyfriend and co-director of this movie) and we have the idea to use some influences of Tom o Finland in a new project.

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

Horror Movies, Comics, Jess Franco, Fasbinder, Harry Kummel, Kenneth Anger, Maya Deren

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

Jaws - Steven Spielberg

FILM TITLE: Saturday Night at the Eagle by Marc Adelman

Please introduce yourself:

I'm an interdisciplinary visual artist working in video, installation, and performance. I am based in San Francisco, and have also lived and worked in Berlin on and off since 2003.

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

I came to film and video making by an extensive training in directing for the stage. In 2003, I received a fellowship to study theater in Germany for a year and a half. I was exposed to work that was extremely different than theater in the U.S. European theater and performance cross disciplines in ways that most American theater does not, with few exceptions. This has since become my primary interest although I often think about returning to directing live work as well.

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

I finished my MFA at the School of the Art Institute in Chicago in 2007.

Please describe your film in 1-2 short sentences.

Much of my work in the last year has been concerned with the intersection of sexuality, history, and the ways that identities are negotiated both publicly as well as privately.

Where did the idea for your film come from?

I have been grappling with the ways that HIV and AIDS continue to define gay men more than 20 years after the epidemic. Regardless of one's HIV status and the medical advances that have been achieved, it remains a definitive factor, if not the factor, as to how gay men relate to one another, and how we are perceived on a larger social scale.

The first LGBT film I ever saw was:

I believe it was the film adaptation of E.M. Forster's Maurice.

My top three all-time favorite films are:

Suddenly, Last Summer, The Mirror, and La Jetee

FILM TITLE: Veneration X by Daniel McKernan

Please introduce yourself:

Video artist, producer and filmmaker, based in New York City (East Village). I’ve done video & performance work for the live acts of COIL, Cyclobe, Thighpaulsandra & Black Sun Productions in the US & Europe.

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

I started exploring video & multimedia through an interest in the fluidity of the mediums & the opportunities with working with new technologies. I've made a couple dozen short films, video pieces & installations.

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

I went to art school & got my MFA in Computer Art from the School of Visual Arts. (And my BFA in Electronic Multimedia from Loyola University New Orleans.)

Please describe your film in 1-2 short sentences.

An homage & attempt to reach each other, ghost-like images of the two of us fade in & out of static & seem to always just miss each other. Set to Black Sun Productions’ Veneration X: “Sing me that love song again.”

Where did the idea for your film come from?

It was originally a projection for the live performances of Black Sun Productions for their European shows; I wanted to entrance the audience.

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

I'm most inspired by sexuality and the esoteric. For this piece, I like the idea of technological glitches representing something like ghosts at play.

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

Flowers in the Attic

The last DVD I watched was:

The Films of Kenneth Anger - Vol.II

FILM TITLE: Secret Wound by Baptiste Lamy

Please introduce yourself:

My name is Baptiste Lamy. I live and work in Paris France and I make some films, photographs, performance...and I work in a contemporary art center's bookshop.

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

My discovery was at the University of experimental cinema with Stephane Marti filmmaker's lectures. I've made something like 5 films without counting filmed actions.

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

I went to a visual art University called Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne where I took experimental cinema classes.

Please describe your film in 1-2 short sentences.

Constructed from a quotation from Querelle de Brest by Jean Genet, this filmic introspection is a rereading of my artistic viewpoint with regards to an intimate wound.

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?

Currently I realize videos, photographs, drawings and texts about heart. I suffer from tachycardia since childhood and I want to explore with these researches the incidence of this pathology, how I grew with, my anguishes and also the bond with my love and sexual affairs. After having worked a long time on the butt language, I explore at this moment the heart language!

The first LGBT film I ever saw was:

Happy Together from Wong Kar Wai

The last DVD I watched was:

Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du commerce, 1080 Bruxelles from Chantal Akerman

End of the Road

FILM TITLE: Center of the Universe by Jarrah Gurrie

Please introduce yourself:

I am an Australian filmmaker, based in Brooklyn NY. I am completing my MFA at Tisch, NYU Film School and I'm developing some feature projects and working on music videos.

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

I had aspirations to be an actor and then realized I was too much of a control freak. I started making films when I was about 18, with a good friend of mine in Melbourne. We just used a little handycam and would shoot stuff on the fly, on our days off. Because of this style of working I think I've made around 20 or 30 shorts.

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

I'm in the NYU Grad program! Nearly finished! Before that I studied at the Victorian College of the Arts in Melbourne.

Please describe your film in 1-2 short sentences.

It's about loneliness in crowded places.

Where did the idea for your film come from?

When I moved to New York I was a little bit lonely, even though I was making all of these new friends. I was heartbroken - but had a bit of a sense of humor about it by that stage. I think the script came out of there, looking at the funny side of heartbreak and loneliness - in a hope that it would get me out of my rut. It did.

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

Where to store the equipment overnight that wouldn't get us in trouble
with the insurance company!

What was the most satisfying aspect in making your film?

Purging all of that emotional bullshit out of my system. I felt a
great sense of relief the day we wrapped shooting.

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

Head On, the Australian film by Anna Kokkinos.

FILM TITLE: Every Other Weekend by Tim Slade

Please introduce yourself:

My name is Tim Slade, I'm a film and television director based in Sydney, Australia.

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

I was attracted to filmmaking because of the power of film as a storytelling medium - its unique way of communicating complex emotions or messages, of portraying our lives so accurately through a fragile succession of images and sounds.

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

I studied film at the College of Fine Arts in Sydney. The huge part of my training however has been practicing, working on other people's films or my own, and by watching many, many films, and reading many, many scripts. The huge amount of learning that can be achieved through this sort of detailed observation of many kinds of films is by far the best way to learn about how to make effective films with great impact.

Please describe your film in 1-2 short sentences.

Every Other Weekend is a quiet, intimate film, which explores the complex emotions, the heartache and the regret that Roger, his ex-partner Bart, and their daughter, Jessica, feel when their family unit breaks apart. It's not a depressing story however; it has moments of lightness, but it explores a scenario that affects all types of families - the emotions the characters feel are universal.

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

The biggest challenge was taking the story out of Roger's stream of consciousness narration, which is how the story [by Craig T. McWhorter] is written, and into scenes, with dialogues. We made the decision early on to not use a 'voice over' technique, so structuring the film and creating the closeness to Roger, without him speaking directly 'to us' was the key challenge.

The most recent film I saw in a theatre was:

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly - a work of genius.

The last DVD I watched was:

I am Legend with Mr. Will Smith.

FILM TITLE: Tango Apasionado by Jan Krueger

Please introduce yourself:

I'm Jan Krueger, lived in Cologne and Amsterdam, now Berlin. I write, edit and direct. Something always makes a living.

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

My approach was more from reading and words than from the images. But I learn...

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

I went to the Academy of Media Arts in Cologne. In 2005/06 I spent a fabulous year at the Binger Film Lab in Amsterdam.

Please describe your film in 1-2 short sentences.

An experiment about the truth of acting and the truth of watching movies. And what you do if someone fools with it.

Where did the idea for your film come from?

It's an homage to Michael Haneke. The Rotterdam Film Festival asked me to make a short movie inspired by him.

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

Making an 8 min one-shot opening scene, with only 3 rolls of film

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

Happy Together (Wong Kar-Wai)

My Own Private Idaho (Gus Van Sant)

Girls Next Door

FILM TITLE: Jack N Jill by Jeff Warden

Please introduce yourself:

I’m Jeff Warden, this June I’ll be graduating from UCLA’s School of Theater, Film & TV with a MFA in Directing.

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

My passion for filmmaking was initially spurred in high school and really solidified in college when I traveled to some of the world’s poorest countries. I used filmmaking to document what I was experiencing so I could share it with friends and family. I’ve done a handful of short docs and Jack N Jill is my second short-narrative film.

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

I am currently in film school at UCLA. I shot Jack N Jill as my thesis film and will be graduating this June.

Please describe your film in 1-2 short sentences.

Jack N Jill is about two outcasts who go to Vegas and share in an unusual encounter.

Where did the idea for your film come from?

I wanted to explore the coming of age stories of two close people and how they both dealt with it. For me the story is an exploration of the theme mirage vs oasis. Vegas serves as that “life in the desert,” and Jack N Jill have to decide if it is just that, a mirage or an oasis. In the end they find that no matter who you are or where you’re from you can find your own oasis and the blossoming of life if you only look harder...JACK SAW A MIRAGE, JILL MADE IT AN OASIS.

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

Brokeback Mountain, even though the characters were depicted as tragic and not allowed to be together in the end, a film has never touched me the way that Brokeback Mountain did. I left the theater with an empty feeling and felt overwhelmed with sadness. I remember thinking about the film for days until ultimately I had to go watch it a second time just so I could watch it technically and think of it that way. To this day, I can’t watch it.

Play Loud: Music 2008

FILM TITLE: Bend It by Jules Nurrish

Please introduce yourself:

I'm Jules Nurrish, I work as a freelance web information designer when I'm not making films, and am based in London, UK.

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

The prospect of people actually paying money to see my ideas visualized. I've made 5 short films and a 30-minute documentary.

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

I haven't been to film school, I'm self-taught, although I just got accepted onto UCLA's MFA directing program starting this year, so I'm going about filmmaking in a somewhat non-traditional route.

Please describe your film in 1-2 short sentences.

A playful and cheeky homage to artists Gilbert and George and the idea of 'living sculpture' art.

Where did the idea for your film come from?

I'm a fan of the original Gilbert and George 'Bend It' dance which they performed and filmed in the early 1980's. I wanted to create an updated version of the dance, but using two androgynous performers.

What was the most satisfying aspect in making your film?

The DIY independent nature of the film. I used a small, yet highly talented, all-female cast and crew, we shot it in one day in a South London art gallery on a tiny budget. And it got into Sundance!

My top three all-time favorite films are:

The Ice Storm, Fear Eats the Soul, The Night Porter

The most recent film I saw in a theatre was:

Happy Go Lucky

FILM TITLE: Eternal Flame by Leah Meyerhoff

Please introduce yourself:

My name is Leah Meyerhoff and I am a filmmaker based in New York.

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

When I was a kid, I was obsessed with Madonna's Justify My Love music video and even made my own adaptation on Hi-8. When I got to college, I decided to pursue filmmaking as a career and have made over a dozen shorts, commercials and music videos. I am currently in pre-production on my first feature UNICORNS.

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

I have a BA in Art-Semiotics from Brown University and am currently pursuing an MFA in Film from New York University.

Please describe your film in 1-2 short sentences.

Welcome to a world where mermaids dance with octopi, fire breathers rule the night, and dazzle dancers perform in a puppet show without strings. A circus-themed burlesque music video for Joan as Police Woman, “Eternal Flame” is the ultimate fire hazard.

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

Shooting on the beach. Back flips in the sand. Fire breathing without a permit.

What was the most satisfying aspect in making your film?

Collaborating with an immensely talented cast and crew to pull it off against all odds. Also getting to bury two of my friends up to their necks in sand.

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?

A 2008 Sundance Lab finalist, UNICORNS tells the story of an awkward teenage girl who escapes to a fantasy world when her first romantic relationship turns increasingly abusive. UNICORNS is scheduled to go into production this summer.

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

E.T.

FILM TITLE: Fashion Ho by Yaniv Dabach

Please introduce yourself:

My name is Yaniv Dabach, I am a filmmaker based in NYC and London. Originally I'm from Israel.

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

I’ve made 1 feature documentary about the NY’s Gay Rugby team, and in the process of making my second doc. I always liked the idea of being creative as well as working in a group of artists.

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

I attended the School of Visual Arts in NYC

Where did the idea for your film come from?

The concept was to put the group in front of a green screen, and see what we can come up with. We were influenced by Warhol, Madonna’s vogue, and the 80’s.

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

I am a big fan of the choreographer, Ohad Naharin. I find his work fascinating. I learnt a lot from his amazing capability to use edgy and dramatic contemporary dance moves, which creates a very loud non-speaking social and political statements. I think I’ve learned how to use rhythm, and music in my editing by watching his work.

The first LGBT film I ever saw was:

Tales of the City (it’s a Mini series, but that was the first time I saw a gay kiss on television or anywhere else)

The most recent film I saw in a theatre was:

In Bruges

The last DVD I watched was:

Rendition

FILM TITLE: Greg by Jenn Garrison

Please introduce yourself: Your name, occupation if not a full-time filmmaker, and where you are based.

My name is Jenn Garrison and I started making films in Austin, Texas in 2000. I recently moved to Los Angeles to continue my directing career.

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

My media-making career started in radio and my first project was PrizeWhores, a feature documentary about a group of senior citizens that go to radio station remotes and promotion events. Since then I have made about 8 films. My films have won awards, been broadcast on television and played film festivals internationally.

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

I have a Master of Arts in Media Studies and a Master of Fine Arts in film directing. I love blending theory with practice. Both of my degrees are from the fantastic Radio-TV-Film program at The University of Texas at Austin.

Please describe your film in 1-2 short sentences.

Greg Sells has been described as the ‘Rain Man’ of women’s music. Some assume he is autistic. Some think he is a deviant. The female musicians accept him, so why does everyone else want to label him?

Where did the idea for your film come from?

Having worked in radio in Austin for many years and being a part of the women's music community, I grew to know Greg Sells as a fan of women artists. I’ve known him and the musicians in my film for over 10 years. I thought Greg’s unique relationship to the female musicians and the queer community was a compelling story about an outsider finding community.

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

FUNDING!! Making documentaries takes much time in the editing room and it’s hard to devote the time needed when funding is tight. Also, I worked on the film in and around my MFA degree, so that slowed the process down. I initially wanted Greg to be a feature doc, but I compromised by making it a shorter character piece.

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

Desert Hearts – That was such a groundbreaking film on so many levels.

FILM TITLE: Jay by Julius Holtz

Please introduce yourself:

I am Julius, and I practice Art... of living, music & sound, film, photo what ever I like. At the moment I study Sound at the UDK-Berlin. I also live in Berlin.

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

When I finished school, I thought I can’t become a musician for different stupid reasons. To have my passion close to me I started work in the film business. Now I discovered filmmaking. Until now I’ve worked in different positions in film projects, although there are just two films I really call my own, Jay and Zwielicht, which is still in progress...

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

Posted by Basil on 05 June 2008

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