|
Filmmaker Interviews...Shorts Version 4.0 The festival is in full swing now. And we've got more filmmaker interviews! I Hate Myself for Loving
You
Please introduce yourself: I’m based in Melbourne, Australia. I work part-time as a
captioner of TV news and current affairs, and do some freelance subediting, so
that I can devote the rest of my time and energy to writing and filmmaking. What initially attracted you to filmmaking? How many
films have you made? Using the combination of words, pictures and people to tell
stories! I’ve written and directed eight shorts and written another two. Did you go to film school? If so, where? I went to VCA School of Film & TV, Melbourne. What was the biggest challenge you faced in making your
film? Getting a restaurant that would let us shoot inside. These
very popular, very busy BBQ restaurants have a huge turnover and typically open
7 days for at least 12 hours a day! And as cool as a film crew might look, no
one wanted to lose business because of us. What was the most satisfying aspect in making your film? Working with lovely, generous people who gave their time and
expertise for nothing but a little food and a credit, and seeing it all come
together. 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? Yep – a lesbian revenge fantasy! Steak, another short, is about a young woman trying to get
over a break-up and not really succeeding. I’m most interested in drama,
particularly darker, unsettling things like loss, anger, obsession. The one LGBT film that has had the biggest impact on me
is: Boys Don’t Cry. It’s
incredibly moving and a real kick in the guts. Brokeback Mountain is a close second. The most recent film I saw in a theatre was: The French film Un Secret.
Please introduce yourself: My name is Hyoe Yamamoto. I'm
based in Tokyo. I'm supporting myself working as a translator and sometimes
editor, anything I can do to get me by and pay back my loans I collected making
movies. What initially attracted you to
filmmaking? How many films have you made? My dad is a cinephile and I grew
up watching movies, many of them on VHS and Beta tapes. I used to edit my own
version of trailers for the films I saw.
It was fun doing it, but I couldn't get enough, so I went to film school
at NYU. I have done four short films including the one at Newfest. Please describe your film in
1-2 short sentences. A writer's block causes a
roadblock between two women. What was the biggest challenge
you faced in making your film? I gave myself 3 months to go to
Tokyo to prepare and shoot the film. I was afraid that not knowing too many
people and not having enough resources may become big problems, but I somehow
managed to put a very good cast and crew together and I felt very lucky. The first film I have memories
of watching as a child was: I personally don't have any
recollections, but my dad tells me the first one I saw in a theater was a
French soft porn sensation Emmanuelle. The most recent film I saw in a
theatre was: Speed Racer. It's not as bad as you might think.
Please introduce yourself: Brooklyn
based producer and director of fine reality programming such as: What Not to
Wear and Wife Swap- hey, don't hold it against me--we all need to make
a living, and somebody keeps watching that stuff. Always liked movies, but something clicked when I saw Pulp
Fiction in high school. It was so
unconventional-unlike anything I'd ever seen. Made me realize there was
this whole other side of cinema that wasn't mainstream like Forrest
Gump-I was sold. The Uma Thurman
poster went up on my wall, and I started applying for film schools. I made a dozen or so different shorts
while in film school, but haven't made anything with a script since I graduated
8 years ago...this is my first foray back into narrative filmmaking. Did
you go to film school? If so, where? NYU-
Tisch School of the Arts. Please
describe your film in 1-2 short sentences. It’s a story of two writers with a past who are stuck
together on a project for their agent, but both have their own ideas of what
the script should be. A Work in Progress
is part schlocky art cinema, part Hollywood action, and part romantic comedy.
What
was the most satisfying aspect in making your film? Suddenly at the end of the first day of filming, I looked
around my basement and there was a flurry of activity- a bunch of my friends
working for free, to make a dream come true- it was an inspiring
moment. Oh, and there was that moment when I also had two chicks in school
girls outfits tied up under hot lights and a PA misting them- that was pretty
satisfying too.
The one LGBT film that has had the biggest impact on me
is: Philadelphia. I
guess it reassured me that I didn't have to be afraid to write gay
characters...that the mainstream was finally ready to see us. All the Reel Boys
Please introduce yourself: Full time television and documentary film director What initially attracted you to filmmaking? How many
films have you made? I'm the son of a documentary filmmaker Did you go to film school? If so, where? NFTS London Please describe your film in 1-2 short sentences. Story of coming of age of a boy in a small town. Where did the idea for your film come from? I read about him What was the biggest challenge you faced in making your
film? Dealing with social services. What was the most satisfying aspect in making your film? Giving confidence and hope to the main character of my film
and taking him to festivals My top three all-time favorite films are: Hoop Dreams, Raging Bull, When We Were Kings The most recent film I saw in a theatre was: No Country for Old Men
Please introduce yourself: From Austin, TX What initially attracted you to
filmmaking? How many films have you made? I became obsessed with video
cameras in high school. The idea
that you could take a machine out in to the world, take pictures and then watch
those pictures on your television screen fascinated me. Seems like a simple idea in our day and
age, but it really struck a chord with me. Did you go to film school? If
so, where? I'm mainly self taught. Learnin' by doing. Please describe your film in
1-2 short sentences. Holdout is the story of my New Orleans neighbor who never left the
city before or after Hurricane Katrina so that he could take care of his 18
pets. I filmed it two weeks after
the storm when the city was still flooded and the residents weren't allowed to
return to their homes. Where did the idea for your
film come from? While listening to the events of
Hurricane Katrina unfold on a pocket radio at my parent's house 50 miles north
of the city, I kept hearing about the "holdouts," the people who
wouldn't leave even if they had the means. I wanted to know who would stay in New Orleans under such
dire circumstances by choice. I
thought it would say a lot about what makes NOLA tick. What was the biggest challenge
you faced in making your film? Dealing with the fact that the
city I grew up in looked like the scene of the apocalypse. I drove around for hours and hours
through streets that are usually bustling with people and I barely saw a
soul. It was a ghost town covered
in mud. The only people I
eventually found were military, paramedics and at one point soldiers from the
Mexican Army. It was their first
time on U.S. soil since the Spanish-American war or something like that. The first film I have memories
of watching as a child was: Gloria by John Cassavetes used to play on HBO in the 80s when I
was a kid. It wasn't the first
film I saw, but it's one of the first films that really stuck out.
Please introduce yourself: Name: Matthew Pond. Occupation: Color & Movement.
Based: Sydney. What initially attracted you to filmmaking? How
many films have you made? In a previous life I was a lawyer, I was attracted to
documentary because it's a form of advocacy that is far more creative than law.
I've worked on several documentaries, Undressing Vanessa is the third I've directed. Did you go to film school? If so, where? I've studied filmmaking at NYU, USC and recently
completed a Masters in filmmaking at the Australian Film Television and Radio
School in Sydney. Please describe your film in 1-2 short sentences. Vanessa Wagner is a true blue Aussie with a political
conscience and a razor sharp wit.
Underneath the veneer all is not what it may appear to be. Where did the idea for your film come from? My friends Dan and Jesse are men who approach drag
with a view to making a point as well has creating some glamour and laughter,
they were the inspiration for my short. I found my subject when I discovered
Vanessa Wagner - a politicized character with something to say. Who or what are some of the creative influences
that have had the biggest impact on you? Tom Donaghy, The Maysles Brothers, Joseph Campbell,
Barbara Kopple, Errol Morris, Dan Elhedry. The most recent film I saw in a theatre was: Lars and the Real Girl The last DVD I watched was: Grey Gardens (again) Her Own Way
Please introduce yourself: My name is Maria Gigante and I am
a freelance producer/director/screenwriter living in New York. Is it my
full-time job? It tries to be. What initially attracted you to
filmmaking? How many films have you made? I think Grease 2 initially attracted me to filmmaking, though I'm not sure
that inspiration can be seen in my work today. I've made a handful of short
films and am concentrating now on writing feature length scripts. Did you go to film school? If
so, where? I got my MFA in Film & Video
from Columbia College Chicago Please describe your film in
1-2 short sentences. A timid young girl’s trip to the
school bathroom results in an unexpected interruption by a neighbor in the next
stall—the question is: is
she friend or foe? What was the most satisfying aspect
in making your film? The most satisfying aspect of
making this film is the reaction it receives. All sorts of different types of
people seem to connect to it on different levels. Their reactions have given
the film a lot of life. 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 currently writing two
features scripts and a web series. One's a heavy drama about something horrible
that really happened, the other is a light comedy about a friend of mine, the
other is about the necessity of fighting in relationships. We'll see which one wins out first. The first film I have memories
of watching as a child was: The Elephant Man (!) The first LGBT film I ever saw
was: Desert Hearts
Please introduce yourself:
Cinema has always been my passion. It started in
high school when I studied filmmaking. Since then I have worked in several
TV productions and directed a few short films as part of my studies. Also, I
have taught film in elementary schools for two years. I just graduated from Film and Television studies at
Tel-Aviv University. Please describe your film in 1-2 short sentences. Mika feels that binds around her are getting tighter and
tighter, preventing her from being true about her feelings for another girl. One
entire weekend, just them on their own, Mika knows there's no escape from
facing it. It's about feelings of "wrong" and
"right" and the way it takes charge of our deepest authentic feelings We started filming two years ago and the "Lebanon
war" came as a big surprise.
It's not easy filming during a war. It was a situation that made us face
with many unpleasant challenges. The Neverending story I'm not sure if it falls in that category, The Hours Please describe your film in 1-2 short sentences. Please introduce yourself: Your name, occupation if not a
full-time filmmaker, and where you are based. I'm almost 30 years old (August 7th 1978), my full time
occupation is production design and I live in Sao Paulo, Brazil. I also teach
Producton Design at 2 film schools (USP - University of Sao Paulo and
International Cinema Academy - AIC). Pages of a Girl is my first short film as writer and director. What
initially attracted you to filmmaking? How many films have you made? I've
only decided to make this film as filmmaker because it was very important for
me to tell the story about this meeting between young Ingrid and Silvia,
the bookstore manager, inside a bookstore, in 1955. As Production Designer I
made 8 features and over 20 short-films, and also 2 features a long time ago,
in the beginning of my career, as art director assistant. Yes,
I went to UFSCar (Sao Carlos Federal University). I'm graduated in Imagem e Som
(Image and Sound), and since then I was very attracted to Art Direction and
Production Design. Please
describe your film in 1-2 short sentences. Pages
of a Girl is a story of love for books, for
literature, for cinema, for the will to go beyond what's superficial and the
challenge of facing the unconventional. It's a story about keeping a
girl's dream alive and giving proper attention to those desires that arise
while growing up. Who
or what are some of the creative influences that have had the biggest impact on you? Edward
Hopper's and Tamara de Lempicka's paintings and some other films that tells
story about lesbian love (Aimee and Jaguar,
Desert Hearts, Stolen
Diary, Bound...) and films with "atmosphere", which
story is placed in the past. The
first LGBT film I ever saw was: The
first of all I don't recall, but I found myself a lesbian when I saw Gina
Gershon and Elizabeth Berkley's kiss it the end of Paul Verhoeven's Showgirls (believe it or not!!!). The
last DVD I watched was: La
Cienága - Lucretia Martel - Argentina Miss Education Please introduce yourself: I'm Peter Scobie and I'm a Sydney based producer at the
independent production company, Essential Viewing. What initially attracted you to filmmaking? How many
films have you made? I have made 5 short films and one 52 minute documentary.
I'm attracted to telling stories about passionate people or unexpected
journeys. Did you go to film school? If so, where? I have a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Theatre and Film from
the University of New South Wales and a Diploma of Media and Communications
from the University of Technology, Sydney. Please describe your film in 1-2 short sentences. A friendship forms between a heart-broken fiancee and a
lost teenage girl as they both discover the vast space in the NSW Blue
Mountains and themselves. Licorice is
an eight-minute coming-of-age drama that shows us that there is a world beyond
what we know. Where did the idea for your film come from? The short is partly inspired by Gillian Armstrong’s High
Tide (1987) staring Judy Davis, Claudia
Karvan and Colin Friels. In the final sequence, Judy Davis’ character
momentarily thinks about leaving her daughter at a roadside diner. I found this
predicament fascinating and started thinking of what would happen if a mother
did abandon her daughter. As I
began researching mother-daughter relationships and cases of child abandonment
I found myself drawn to the daughter’s perspective and how she would change
through such an experience. I also
begun observing friends and colleagues who I felt were living a fairly basic
but content lifestyle. With few ambitions and a routine lifestyle they go about
their day-to-day chores with little animation or excitement. I wondered how
they would change if their world was turned on its head. The first film I have memories of watching as a child
was: Fantasia The first LGBT film I ever saw was: Transamerica Hello. I'm Rebecca. I am now a filmmaker
although I started out as a theatre director/creator in NY. I created a
Broadway musical called The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. I was born and raised in NY so I decided it
was time to try something new - so I moved to LA. Apart from being drawn to visual storytelling, when I moved
to LA, I found it hard to put any energy into theatre whereas filmmaking seemed
much more accessible suddenly. A 17 year old Rachel wants to take the wheel but her mom
can't let go. My sister, who wrote the film. It's based on the
events of her life. She was the youngest and my mom just couldn't stand
to let her drive on her own. She didn't trust her. She knew she was
hiding something but also, she couldn't let her baby grow up and be her own
person. Shooting the script in 5 days. Especially since we got
shot down by the cops on our first day of shooting. Working with my sister and making a film that is close to
both of us. I'm working on raising a baby at the moment. But
hopefully soon, my sister and I will make another short film. The Wiz Please introduce yourself: Melanie McGraw. Full-time filmmaker. Based in Los
Angeles and San Francisco. What
initially attracted you to filmmaking? How many films have you made? Watching Paul Thomas Anderson's Magnolia in the theatre. The first 20 minutes of the film
blew my mind and made me want to be a filmmaker. In terms of
writing/directing, I have made 2 short films that I can proudly classify as
that, and 10-15 other shorts/projects as I was learning to be a filmmaker in
school. Did
you go to film school? If so, where? Yes. USC (University of Southern California). School of
Cinematic Arts. MFA in Film Production. Please describe your film in 1-2 short sentences. Pitstop is about an
artistic yet silenced 12-year-old girl who accidentally gets left by her family
at a gas station in the Mojave Desert and must learn how to find her own
voice. It is a film about
defining yourself in the midst of (and in spite of) family. Where
did the idea for your film come from? Wrestling with the experience of feeling invisible in a very
large family (I am one of 10), combined with the story of my little brother
accidentally getting left in Mt. Vernon, Virginia when he was 5 years old. We
discovered he was gone 2 hours later. That's when we started using the
"counting off" system every time we got in the old station wagon. What
was the biggest challenge you faced in making your film? First, finding the truth of the story in writing the script
by revisiting the old feelings of invisibility I felt growing up. Second, working
with 9 children and their parents in the middle of the desert. Finally, the
editing process...finding a balance between story and emotions. The
first film I have memories of watching as a child was: Either E.T. or The
Sound of Music. I can't think back that
far! But LOVED Anne of Green Gables
when I was a young teenager. Are my Mormon roots showing? Fallen Angels My Name is Tim Moeck, I'm a film student in the directing
class at the University for Television and Film in Munich, Germany. What was the biggest challenge you faced in making your
film? Please introduce yourself: My name is Ed Buhr. When not writing and directing, I
am a print advertising casting director and freelance producer/production
manager in Los Angeles. Please describe your film in 1-2 short sentences. Please introduce yourself: The possibility of being able to comment on something
important and make people think. A
lot of my work is queer and political in some form and I do feel motivated to
tell these kinds of stories. I am open to other stuff but I always find
myself coming back to similar themes in my writing especially. I have made
eight short films. Yes, I studied at the University of Technology in Sydney and
will be studying again this year at the Australian Film and Television and
Radio School. Posted by Basil on 07 June 2008
Comments
Trackback (ping URL) Post a Comment
|  |
Recent Entries
» NewDraft Interviews
» Filmmaker Interviews: The End of the Road » More Filmmaker Interviews! The Features! » Filmmaker Interviews...Shorts Version 4.0 » Filmmaker Interviews...More Shorts » Filmmaker Interviews! More Shorts Programs » Filmmaker Interviews! Shorts Programs! » Filmmaker Interviews, 3rd Time Around » Filmmaker Interviews, Round 2 » Filmmaker Interviews!! Archives
Search
Links
Total Entries: 50 Comments: 3
Blogs hosted by blogs.indiewire.com Powered by Movable Type 3.2 |
 |
|  |
