Filmmaker Interviews

Never Let Me Go: An interview with director Mark Romanek

maint — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 16:59:38 -0400

- Director Mark Romanek talks with FIND about his latest feature Never Let Me Go -

It has been eight years since director Mark Romanek helmed a feature, but his latest feature, Never Let Me Go, is one he has been waiting to do for many years. Based on the novel by acclaimed author Kazuo Ishiguro, Never Let Me Go, is set in a dystopian England where children are cloned for the sole purpose of organ donations. Once they are grown and have donated two or three times, they have "completed" their lives--or usefulness. The film, which stars Carey Mulligan, Keira Knightley, and Andrew Garfield, focuses on the love story between the main characters and the brevity of life. While it is set strictly in England, Romanek wanted to imbue the film with the sense of yugen--a Japanese term for profound grace and subtlety--that Ishiguro's writing conveys. Romanek says working with the team at Fox Searchlight and the producers of the film was like "slipping into a nice warm bath" after so many years of trying to launch movies and then having them fall apart. He says the only way to survive in the movie business is sheer doggedness.

By Lorenza Muñoz

This is such an interesting premise, how did you become aware of the novel and what appealed to you about it?

I am a fan of Kazuo Ishiguro so I read the book the week it was published. It moved me so deeply that I read it twice. I couldn't stop thinking about it. I started asking around to see if I could option the film rights and I found out Fox Searchlight had them. So I called Peter Rice, who was running the studio at the time, and I asked him what was going on. He said there was already a director attached. I was very disappointed. But then a couple of years ago Peter called me and said that it had not worked out with that director and asked if I was still interested. Alex Garland's adaptation was so brilliant; I immediately saw how it would work cinematically.

What makes a script brilliant?

It is an ineffable thing. A great adaptation just is. Structurally, Ishiguro had three parts in the book and Alex kept that structure. But a great screenplay somehow condenses and selects the right scenes and magically crystallizes into something without missing the essence of the novel. A great adaptation is a rare thing.

The book tackles a subject that is so controversial and takes it to a new level--whether clones have souls. And the way to prove to society that they do is to have them make art. As an artist how did that make you feel?

I don't know that I focused on that aspect of the story. As a reader I was swept up by the love story and its sadness and beauty and the originality of it. I didn't spend time contemplating the ethical questions of the book. The science fiction element really is just the stage on which the love story plays out. It is a metaphor for the briefness of our time. It is thematically a more universal story. I really focused on making a love story. There may be a patina of science fiction...but I am making a love story.

In the book, it is Madame that finds Kathy H. listening to the love song and snuggling with the pillow and it's Madame that cries at the sight of it. Why did you change it in the movie to have Ruth watching Kathy?

We actually filmed it the way it was in the book. And the actress who plays Madame, Nathalie Richard, was wonderful but it became apparent that the film was a crystallization of the book and we focused on the love story between Tommy and Kathy. So changing it to Ruth seemed more to the point. And Kazuo fully endorsed that change by the way.

Did you work closely with him?

He was always available to us if we had questions about something, a small detail or large thing. He vetted the screenplay and made many suggestions. The great and gratifying thing for me is that he is happy with the film. He is not the type to get into a feud but you want him to feel that his trust in you was not misplaced. His reaction seems to be that we didn't let him down which is good.

So Peter Rice must have really wanted to make this film--keeping the fire burning for five years...

We were having trouble finding the perfect Kathy and then Peter saw An Education at Sundance. He sent us all a four-word email: Hire the genius Mulligan. Keira, it turns out, is friends with Carey. So Keira contacted us. I always wanted to cast Andrew Garfield, who was astonishing in a movie called Boy A.

Carey Mulligan in particular was so painfully moving and tender. Tell me about working with her.

I learned an enormous amount working with all of the actors. Tonally I wanted the film to have a quality of Japanese-ness because I wanted to draw that aspect out from Kazuo's writing. I wanted an understated and minimalist story. I started working with Carey in rehearsals and she does this thing that is so mystical. She seemingly does so little but she is radiating, just emanating so much information. She emboldened me in trying to go further with the visual language I wanted for the film. In my process of fusing a film with Japanese aesthetic, I used a term called, yugen which is a combination of ideas: the calm surface that belies the deep strong current of emotion underneath and the acceptance of the beauty of how sad life is. Carey is expressing this concept of yugen without necessarily knowing that concept specifically.

"All a director wants and needs is to have a group of people who are going to support and believe in his vision of the movie."

You have not directed a film since One Hour Photo in 2002 how did it feel to get back into it?

I had a false start on several movies and they were not the best experience. This felt like slipping into a nice warm bath. All a director wants and needs is to have a group of people who are going to support and believe in his vision of the movie. I had that here. I had a lot of help in making this film. It was as good an experience as a filmmaker could have. And also working in England was very pleasant. There is a tradition of old craftsmanship that is very good, and people there care about making art.

You were slated to do several projects including a film adaptation of the fictional memoir A Million Little Pieces but they kept falling through. What advice would you give new filmmakers about pressing on despite the obstacles?

Well, with A Million Little Pieces, the book imploded as buy-able material. But the best advice is really just to just press forward anyway. If you have to make films then you will find a way. I pray that things are cyclical and they will come around again to where subtle, dramatic, middle-budget films will be possible to make. Part of the equation of becoming successful is a doggedness really.

Don't miss the FIND Film Series Screening of Never Let Me Go on Tuesday, September 7 at the Landmark.

Before joining Film Independent, Lorenza Muñoz was a staff writer with the Los Angeles Times. For 14 years at the paper she covered news, politics, business, and entertainment. She recently completed her first novel, The Weight of Flight.

Fighting the Good Fight: Producer Kristin Fairweather on Future Weather, the Producers Lab, and the Journey

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 18:35:31 -0400

The times they are a-changin'...

As a producer, I'm still getting accustomed to the highs and lows of producing. My producing partner, Jenny Deller, and I have seen many peaks and valleys over the past few years developing our first feature, Future Weather. Our project was selected as a finalist for major film contest, the script won a best screenplay award from the Nantucket Film Festival, and we've entered into talks with an Oscar-nominated actress to star. But for every one of these achievements, we've had ten times as many disappointments and rejections. I guess it goes with the territory.

A definite high was the day I found out Future Weather was selected for FIND's Producers Lab (2009). Little did I know that this victory would bring me face-to-face with another harsh reality: indie filmmaking is a lot more treacherous than it used to be. Keep reading to find out why despite all the challenges, I still want to keep climbing the mountain (and think you should too)...

First stop: The FIND Filmmaker Forum. At this three-day conference that precedes the Producer's Lab, the mood of the panels reflected the uneasiness that accompanies any period of intense change and uncertainty. The film industry is undergoing a metamorphosis from development on through to distribution and marketing. So the Forum was littered with horror stories ranging from Minimum Guarantees not covering production costs to selling your film only to have it never see the light of day.

As the bad news kept coming, I began wondering: how do we stay motivated and optimistic as indie filmmakers today? The seeds of an answer were sitting right in front of me: by pooling our knowledge in forums like this. Other lessons offered that weekend encompassed the same fundamental wisdom: educate yourself as a filmmaker. Come to the table armed with information. Once you get your film made, know your options. If you find yourself in the fortunate position of getting into a big festival, then hire a publicist. If you find yourself in the enviable position of having distributors interested in your film, know what a good deal is. It's no longer enough to make a great film; if you want to sustain your career, you need to understand how to market, sell, and distribute your film.

Kristin Fairweather with FIND Director of Talent Development, Josh Welsh at the 2009 Sloan Producers Grant reception.

Next stop: the FIND Producers Lab. I found myself in the company of a talented, ambitious and diverse group of people and projects. The focus of the scripts ranged from tales of kidnapping, murder, immigration, and a gold rush action feature to a very cool and unique take on cloning. The scripts all had well-drawn characters and strong narrative voices. As I sat in coffee shops reading them, I found myself doing the things I often do in the theater when a film inspires and challenges me: laughing, crying and rooting for the characters. It reminded me of why the fight to get good films made is such a worthy endeavor.

The focus of the Lab is to help the participants get to the next step: getting our films made. Tightening financing and production plans and getting insight from seasoned producers was the perfect way to put the idea of becoming an educated and prepared filmmaker into action. Each week our Lab instructor, Naomi Despres (Chapter 27, Winged Creatures), regaled us with stories to teach us how to persevere through the obstacles that will inevitably come our way. For the second session each week, we were visited by guest speakers that shared expertise on everything from budgets and crewing up to foreign sales and distribution scenarios. The willingness of these filmmakers to share their own ups and downs, mistakes, victories and heartaches was another reminder that independent films are made through communities.

As we got to know each other and our films, the lab developed a sense of camaraderie. We bonded over the scary reality that the blood-sweat-and-tears poured into our first films doesn't necessarily mean we'll be able to quit our day jobs. So it was good to have people to laugh with when we got more terrifying news: we were going to pitch our scripts in front of a live audience - a live audience of two hundred people. On a stage that was lit, mic'd, and broadcast on giant TV screens.

Our pitching session was a featured panel at the American Film Market. We had three minutes to sell our projects to a trio of seasoned producers: Peggy Rajski (Bee Season, The Grifters), Gail Mutrux (Kinsey, Nurse Betty) and Caroline Barron (Capote, Monsoon Wedding). Jenny and I had to go last, and all I can say is the experience will forever after make pitching in an elevator a piece of cake. In the end, everyone did a great job. The panelists were constructive. I learned that above all else be prepared walking in and be genuine in your delivery. As a producer you are selling the director's vision and what unique talents they will bring to the picture. Don't bog your pitch down with details. Begin your pitch with any good news you have like notable talent attached or industry kudos for your script. Know the answers to the likely follow up questions: the status of funding, casting, target audience and marketing and distribution plans.

Kristin Fairweather and Jenny Deller during FIND's 2010 Fast Track.

Throughout my time in L.A., I wanted to absorb every ounce of knowledge I could about how to navigate the new reality facing independent filmmakers. I walked away with a feeling that indie film is returning to its true Do-It-Yourself roots. To survive as a producer today you have to be able to work with less financing while inventing creative ways to market, produce, and distribute your film.

So my parting message (one I will be using as a mantra as we continue to work to get Future Weather into production) is: Don't. Give. Up. At the close of the Lab Naomi sent us a note reminding us to fight the good fight and feel the highs and lows of the process. We will get our films made. These are beautiful stories that are going to move audiences. Whether that audience is sitting at their laptop or in a theater or scrolling through choices in their living room, they will continue to seek out meaningful content. So to all of you fellow filmmakers out there, don't give up. Apply for grants, and then apply again, submit your scripts to contests, apply for filmmaking labs, create a traditional distribution plan along with a self-distribution plan. The times are a-changin', and that might not be such a bad thing.

- Kristin Fairweather

Kristin Fairweather wrote this blog in December 2009 after wrapping up Film Independent's Producers Lab. Since that time, Future Weather has gone on to receive further recognition and acclaim including receiving Film Independent's Sloan Producers Grant and Sloan Fast Track Grant. Filming on Future Weather began last month in Philadelphia. The film stars Lili Taylor, Bill Sadler, Amy Madigan, and Perla Haney-Jardine. www.futureweathermovie.com

Film Independent is curently accepting submissions for the 2011 Directors Lab. Click here for more information on all of Film Independent's Filmmaker Labs.

Kristin Fairweather was recently selected to represent Future Weather at the Los Angeles Film Festival's highly competitive Fast Track financing market, where she took meetings with film industry leaders including Magnolia, Focus Features, Mandalay Pictures, and Fox Searchlight. Kristin has worked in local politics and public finance in Philadelphia for the past ten years, managing public relations campaigns as well as large field efforts for local politicians - an experience that translated well to film production. Before going to work at both local and state levels in public finance and elective politics, she received her Masters in Government Administration from the University of Pennsylvania. In 2007, Fairweather launched the Philadelphia franchise of Metropolitan Moms, a service that organizes trips and cultural activities for moms and babies. As a producer, her entrepreneurial savvy has aided in development and marketing for Future Weather and will play a crucial role in managing pre-production. She was instrumental in producing Save the Future, Deller's companion-short to Future Weather for the Netflix FIND Your Voice Film Competition. Kristin was selected to participate in the 2009 FIND Producers Lab.

Going the Distance: An interview with director Nanette Burstein

Wed, 18 Aug 2010 17:04:23 -0400

- Director Nanette Burstein talks with FIND about her narrative feature film debut Going the Distance -

In 1999, director Nanette Burstein broke into Hollywood with the highest honor possible--an Oscar nomination for her first documentary, On the Ropes, which she and her co-director Brett Morgen, made in film school. She continued to make documentaries, including the story of Hollywood legend Robert Evans, until this year with her first feature, the raunchy romantic comedy Going the Distance, starring Drew Barrymore and Justin Long. The story of a couple involved in a long distance relationship struck a cord with Burstein, since she and her husband were apart for a year while she filmed her last documentary, American Teen. While Burstein would love to do an action film or a superhero movie, she laments the fact that female directors are often overlooked by studio executives to direct in those genres. While she still enjoys making documentaries, she is also eager to continue working in feature films be it a comedy or a superhero action flick.

By Lorenza Muñoz

You went from documentaries to features. What was the biggest difference or challenge that you had to overcome?

Well, the biggest challenge was that I had never done it before. You just rely on your storytelling instincts. Everything was new and exciting. (In features) you have so much control over everything that appears on screen and you are in charge of every tiny decision-- which was welcoming but also tiring. I would come home and my husband would ask 'what do you want for dinner?' and I would say I could not make another decision. On documentaries it's a different level of anxiety. The intensity goes on much longer. There are fewer decisions but it's all about capturing reality.

How did you get involved with this film?

I was sent the script. I really loved it and then I met with the studio and they decided to hire me. I love the humor and the irony. I have been in a few long distance relationships in my life including while I was married. So it was familiar.

Right, you were away for a year in Warsaw, Indiana when you made American Teen, how was that for you and your husband?

He would come and visit me every other month. But I was working so much that even when he came I didn't see him too much. We were lucky though because we had a long foundation behind us in our relationship and so it was fine.

But you have a daughter; did you take her with you?

Oh no, I didn't have her back then. I don't know that I would have been able to make that movie if I had my daughter. I suppose people do it, but it has to be a choice made on the part of the filmmaker. Unfortunately, women just don't necessarily get the opportunity to make that choice.

You have said it is harder for female directors to get hired in Hollywood-especially if they want to make an action film. Do you want to direct an action movie?

I would love to make an action film or a superhero movie. I like to make movies that I like to watch and there are a lot of action/superhero movies I like. I think because the audience for those films is male skewed that people in Hollywood make the supposition that a man should direct it.

"I would love to make an action film or a superhero movie. I like to make movies that I like to watch and there are a lot of action/superhero movies I like."

What was the biggest difference working with actors vs. non-actors?

I had had some experience with actors because I work in commercials but it's still different. I really enjoyed
it. I learned so much. I had incredible actors to work with. I was allowed a lot of freedom on the set. We did a lot of improvisation perhaps that comes from my background in documentaries. For comedy it is great to create that kind of freedom.

What scenes were improvised?

For example, when they go into the house and have sex on the dining room table. That scene ended with them realizing that the brother-in-law was sitting right there at the table. But when we shot the scene, I just allowed it to keep going and going and that ended up being one of the funniest scenes in the movie.

In documentaries do you still have to direct non-actors?

Directing non-actors is similar in that you have to make them feel confident and to trust you and to not think about the camera. With actors you also have earn their trust so that they reveal themselves and do intimate scenes.

How was it working with a veteran like Drew Barrymore?

It was a great experience. She is such a talented actress. We saw in Grey Gardens what she could do as a dramatic actor but her comedy skills are also very impressive. She really went for it in this part. Since she has directed and produced and starred in movies, she really understands the process. But she was also respectful of my role as director.

This was a film with a strong leading female character, why do you think there is such a dearth of leading and interesting roles for women?

I think there is a dearth of roles for men and women. That's because most of the movies made are genre films that play it safe. But then you have ask why audiences go and see these films.

This film was a little raunchier than I expected...

Yes. It's a little more Knocked Up than The Proposal. But I think it's honest and really the way people talk to each other.

What are you working on now?

I just finished directing a non-fiction pilot for A&E that is like a real Law and Order. But I really want to make another fiction narrative.

You were part of a series called Film School. Do you recommend film school for aspiring filmmakers or do you recommend avoiding the debt and just making a movie or trying to get a job in the business?

I think if you can get grants and scholarships to pay for it, then film school is a great way to get out on the street and start filming. For me it worked out well. I made my first documentary On the Ropes at film school and it was nominated for an Academy Award. But it is not the only way to become a filmmaker. Everyone has their own path. You just have to figure it out.

--

See the film and hear more from Nanette Burstein at the FIND Film Series Screening of Going the Distance on August 24.

Cinema Lounge Roundtable: An Interview With the Filmmakers

maint — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 18:19:01 -0400

Cinema Lounge Roundtable: An Interview with the Filmmakers - August 2010

From a look at the hip-hop culture in Manila to a secret terror filled phone call, to an intense rock-paper-scissors competition or the hunt for the perfect nanny; this month's line up of Cinema Lounge films presents an eclectic mix of short films from a talented group of filmmakers. We caught up with filmmakers mark Redondo Villegas, Jesse Shapiro, and Theodore Melfi for a pre-screening chat about their films and what it took to get them made.

By Folayo Lasaki

An image from Lyrical Empire:Hip-Hop in Metro Manila.

Introductions please. Let's start with names and projects...

MV: Mark Redondo Villegas - Lyrical Empire: Hip Hop in Metro Manila

JS: Jesse Shapiro - Practical

TM: Theodore Melfi - Roshambo and I Want Candy

Can you each tell us a little bit about your project? What's it about? Where did the idea come from?

MV: Lyrical Empire is about a circle of hip-hop artists in Metro Manila, Philippines who are struggling to be embraced by fellow Filipinos. I have always been involved with hip-hop in the United States, especially among the Filipino American enthusiasts who have been faithfully involved in the culture from the get go. I have done a few films about hip-hop culture among Filipino Americans. After being asked about hip-hop in the Philippines, I decided to find out about the scene myself.

JS: Practical is about a guy with three alleged friends who, in my estimation, play the worst possible practical joke you could ever play on someone. I came up with the idea after a practical joke gone wrong - I got REALLY worked up, said mean things about dear friends, and generally acted like a total asshole. A few days later I became excited about the idea of doing a short film where the audience is the victim of a practical joke and is taken on an emotional journey with a character. So I sat down and wrote Practical.

TM: Roshambo is about a rock-paper-scissors competition. I actually got the idea when my wife's aunt sent us a newspaper article about a small town accountant from Massachusetts who had just won the Bud Light rock-paper-scissors world championships in Vegas. I started researching and was blown away by the sport and its following.

I Want Candy was born out of Roshambo ...the actors who played the promoters ...their performance so disturbed me that I imagined their home life to be very kinky. They looked like they have lots of dirty secrets. So we explored that thinking in Candy.

An image from Practical.

What was each of your roles in your films? How involved were you in the process?

JS: I wrote, directed, produced, and edited Practical. I pretty much was the process.

TM: I was the writer, director, and one of the producers for both Roshambo and I Want Candy... is that second question a joke?

MV: I directed, produced, and edited Lyrical Empire. It's essentially a one-man show in terms of its creation, but of course I had a group of friends and family who helped me along the way.

How long did the project take to get from script to screen? How long was the shoot? How long were you in post?

TM: For Roshambo took we brainstormed the idea for a few hours. The script was written in a day, and we shot three weeks later on the back end of a commercial...the shoot was 4 days long. We were in post for 8 months!!! It was all done for free by friends and family.

I Want Candy was very fast. A friend came to us with some money and an actor that wanted to act. The script was written in a day, we had a two-day shoot three weeks later in LA. Post-production was fast, three months all in.

An image from Roshambo.

MV: I began filming Lyrical Empire in June of 2009 for about two weeks. Started editing in the Fall of that year and was satisfied with the result in March of 2010.

JS: I wrote Practical on a Wednesday, shot it that Sunday (from 10-4), and had the rough cut edited by the following Wednesday. I had the final cut pretty much locked by that Friday.

What did you shoot your film on?

MV: I used a Panasonic PV-GS180 mini-dv camcorder.

JS: A Panasonic HVX with a red rock adapter.

TM: Roshambo...mixed media. 35mm, red camera, mini dv, stills. Candy...red camera

An image from I Want Candy

And the question everyone wants the answer to... What was the budget for your film? How did you come up with financing?

JS: Thanks to my incredibly generous actors and crew, and their hardy stomachs, the budget was 2 extra large Domino's pizzas.

TM: Roshambo was roughly 30K. We got financing from a private investor that loved the idea -the intention is to turn it into a feature. We got financing for Candy from a Brazilian producer and the actor. The budget was 20K.

MV: I had no budget for the film. I like to work guerilla-style: no budget, and often improvised.

About the filmmakers...

Mark Redondo Villegas is a documentary filmmaker who grew up a Navy brat, but was raised mostly in Jacksonville, FL where he immersed himself into the Filipino American community and became involved in the hip hop scene in Florida. Villegas is currently a PhD student at the University of California, Irvine and uses film as a supplement to address questions about Filipino and hip-hop cultural expressions.

Jesse Shapiro works for Chelsea Handler's production company Borderline Amazing productions. Prior to Princes declaration that the Internet is dead - he wrote, directed, edited, and produced over 60 shorts for Sony Crackle. Shapiro was also a talent booker at the Hollywood Improv on Melrose. He's currently fundraising for his upcoming feature, Nobody Walks in LA, and enjoys water boarding, tennis, and long walks on the beach at night.

Theodore Melfi is commercial director at Gartner who started in the business making indie films. With six features in the can, Melfi ventured into commercials when his wife decided he needed to make more money. He's now coming back to long form and feature work from the back door.

See each of the films and hear more from the filmmakers at Film Independent's Cinema Lounge on Tuesday, August 17.

Folayo Lasaki is Marketing Manager at Film Independent.

It's a Labor of Love: Koji Sakai on The People I've Slept With

Thu, 05 Aug 2010 17:15:21 -0400

- FIND Fellow Koji Sakai talks with Film Independent about his film The People I've Slept With -

Writer/producer Koji Steven Sakai left no stone unturned when it came to getting his film The People I've Slept With made. Opting for locations including his mother's house and his office, Sakai, alongside director Quentin Lee and co-producer Stanley Yung, set out to make a high quality low budget film. A sexy rom-com about a promiscuous woman on a hunt to find the man who got her pregnant, The People I've Slept With has made quite a mark on the festival circuit, premiering at the 2009 Hawaii International Film Festival and numerous other fests including Sao Paulo International Film Festival, Golden Horse Film Festival, San Francisco International Asian American Film, and Outfest Fusion. The film was also the Centerpiece screening at the 2010 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival. The film opens theatrically in New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco this August.

By Josh Welsh

First off, congrats on the film - on your great festival run, and now the theatrical release.

Thank you. We're definitely thankful for all the people across the world that have come out to support the film.

For those haven't seen the film, can you describe what it's about and the overall style and tone?

It's a sex comedy about a promiscuous girl who finds herself with an unplanned pregnancy and needs to figure out who the "baby daddy" is. It's a modern broad comedy in the vein of Knocked Up.

Can you describe your process? How and when did you come to write the film?

I met Quentin Lee [director] about four years ago at a networking event for Asian American filmmakers. He was a special guest; I introduced myself and told him that I wanted to work with him.

That worked?...

Yeah. I sent him a script, he liked it and we - along with his producing partner Stanley Yung - started working on a project together. While we were working on that script, Quentin and his friend Karen Anna Cheung, who's the lead in The People I've Slept With, started talking about making an Asian American date movie with a strong female character. Quentin brought Stanley and me on board and the four of us met for over a year to work on the outline and different drafts.

Were you on attached as producer and writer from the beginning, or how did that come about?

Yes, I was on as a producer and writer from the very beginning. Quentin and Stanley are both more experienced producers than I am, and they worked with me and involved me in all levels of production. Their guidance really allowed me to learn what it takes to make a high-quality, low-budget feature film.

How long was the shoot? What did you shoot on?

We shot for 18 days - three six-day weeks, and we shot it on the RED camera.

How was the production? Where'd you shoot? Can you share some details?

We shot throughout Los Angeles at any place we could find for cheap or for free. For example, we shot it at my mother's house, my house, and my work. During the third week, we built a set in a warehouse in an industrial part of downtown. There were working factories all around us so, in order to avoid noise, we had to shoot from 4 pm to 4 am. That was an experience that I'd rather not do again. We were very fortunate and grateful to have had a hardworking and talented crew of about 50 people who worked without complaint through an early horrendous summer heat wave. This movie wouldn't have been possible without their hard work and professionalism.

How was it being the producer and the writer? Was it challenging? Were there times in production where you felt the two roles put you in internal conflict of any sort?

Producing and writing are very different roles. Sometimes there was a conflict. As a writer, there are no limitations. I can write anything that my imagination can think of. However, as a producer, I have to face reality. Our budget is limited. Our time is limited. Sometimes we had to make certain story/creative sacrifices for the sake of getting the project in the can -- even if it wasn't exactly what I had in mind when I wrote it.

As a writer/producer on this film, is there any advice you would give to a filmmaker about to shoot his or her first feature?

Don't do it. Just kidding! My only advice is to make sure you love what you're doing. Making a low budget feature film is a true labor of love. There are so many pitfalls, so many things that can wrong, and so much stress that if you don't LOVE what you're doing... you're not going to make it all the way through.

What's next for you?

Right now, Quentin, Stanley, and I are trying to raise funds for a micro-budget feature film about an Asian American serial killer. The film is tentatively called Model Minority. We're hoping to shoot it soon. So if anyone out there has a bunch of money and wants to give it to me to make this movie, contact me... I'm not above begging!

---

Koji Sakai is an alumnus of Film Independent's Project:Involve and a graduate from the University of Southern California's Masters of Professional Writing program. Film Independent Fellow Aldo Velasco (Fast Track, Project:Involve '05) worked as editor on the film.

Josh Welsh is the Director of Talent Development at Film Independent where he oversees the Filmmaker Labs, Project:Involve, and Fast Track. He holds a Ph.D. in philosophy from Johns Hopkins University, and is the lead singer/guitarist of the band Meatyard, whose album Toot Toot, Boom Boom, was released on iTunes in 2008.

Click here to learn more about Film Independent's Talent Development programs.

FIND INTERVIEW: Director J Blakeson on The Disappearance of Alice Creed

maint — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 18:25:45 -0400

British filmmaker J Blakeson knew getting financing to direct his first film would be tough. So he set out to write a tense, economical, and tight story about a kidnapped girl and the complicated interaction between the kidnappers and their victim. Starring only three actors: Gemma Arteton, Martin Compston and Eddie Marsan, the resulting film The Disappearance of Alice Creed, is set in one room and was inspired by a scene in Ron Howard's 1996 thriller Ransom. Always wanting to be at the helm, Blakeson says that he is relieved to have proven that he can direct after several years of writing screenplays to pay the bills. Now that he has directed his first film and has an American agent, Blakeson hopes to continue directing more movies and letting someone else do the writing.

By Lorenza Muñoz

The script was extremely tight. How did you discipline yourself to be so spare?

I wanted to make a film that I could direct myself even if no one gave me any money. SoI had to give myself as many limitations as possible. I didn't want to make it feel like it was a big film in a small container. I didn't want it to feel stagy-I wanted it to feel cinematic by keeping it visual and the sequences fast. I like thrillers that are close to the bone.

In such a tight movie, set in one room with only three characters, I imagine that the casting has to be perfect...

Yes, this kind of film lives or dies on the actors. If we had had bad actors in the film, it would have been bad. It was quite stressful finding the right actors. Because of the nature of the story they all have to work together and click in this triangle. We had about six to eight weeks to cast it and we had an absolute start date. My casting director had known Gemma in acting school. I wasn't sure that she could do it because it was a very different role from what she had done previously. But she came in and read the role and it was very clear she could do it. Eddie was great. Finding Martin was much harder. It is a hard role to play because he is an enigmatic kind of character. We auditioned a lot of very good young actors but they were not right. It was less than two weeks before we started shooting when we cast Martin.

Why did you have such a firm start date?

It was shot on the Isle of Man because the Isle of Man Film Commission financed it. Before this they had never funded a total film before. We had to shoot off-season in the Isle of Man. So it was February when all the hotels are empty and people need work. Gemma only had a gap in February as well. But it was all very quick. I went to meet the financiers in October and then we shot it in February.

What were you hoping to convey with the lighting in the film?

We wanted to bring out the emotions of the characters and the mood of the scenes with the lighting. We wanted to cut it up into four different locations in one apartment: the bedroom, the lounge, the bathroom, and the kitchen so you didn't feel like you were in the same place for the whole movie. In the bedroom, instead of a horror film aesthetic, we talked a lot about it being otherworldly--like a neon light that is blunted and soft. We wanted it to feel off-kilter and weird and very exposed like Alice. In the lounge I didn't want it to look naturalistic. I wanted it to look expressionistic so whether it's night or day it is over lit with the characters glowing at the edges. I was inspired by Rita Hayworth in Gilda where her head almost glowed with desire. I wanted that for Danny. He was the golden god that everybody wanted. I wanted the bathroom over lit - to have that sense of when you are going to the bathroom in the middle of the night and the light is so bright it hurts your eyes.

Were you concerned that filming in one room could become boring for the audience?

I don't think there was a fear. I was aware of it. But the claustrophobia helped because it focuses the audiences' mind. I was more concerned about making it feel cinematic. In one room it could feel like a soap opera. I also knew we were going to get out of the flat in the last 20 minutes of the film. We did more jarring cuts at the end when they leave the room than we did at the beginning.

You mentioned Billy Wilder as an inspiration but what other films influenced your directing style?

I don't know. I watch thousands of films and all of them have influenced me. When we were making the film I was talking to the cinematographer about David Lynch and Stanley Kubrick. I also like the films of the 40's and 50's. I did watch a few other single location films like Panic Room, Repulsion, and Reservoir Dogs to see what other people have done right and done wrong.

You started out as a screenwriter, but did you always want to direct?

I never wanted to write. I just wanted to direct. I started writing to make my films. I came to London from the north of England to become a director. If you have no contacts it's hard to direct, but you don't need money to write. So I sold the scripts to pay the rent and then I was pigeonholed as a screenwriter. That is why I wrote Alice Creed, to show that I was a director. If someone else can write the script and spare me the torture, that would be fine. I kind of hate writing. I was let me out of the cage to direct and I don't want to go back into the cage. When you write you are alone. As a director you are surrounded by people who help you make it better. Writing is a monastic process that is for sure.

What is your next project?

I am writing something on spec and reading stuff that could be interesting both in the States and in Britain. I have a US agent and I went to LA for the first time in my life. I had never been before and as a big cinephile it was quite exciting. Just to see the Hollywood sign was exciting. I met producers and directors. In London about two blocks revolve around the film industry. In L.A., it's the whole city. This movie has opened a lot of doors and I hope to be able to walk through them.

---

Don't miss the FIND Film Series screening of The Disappearance of Alice Creed, Tuesday, August 3 at The Landmark.

FIND INTERVIEW: Aaron Schneider on Get Low

maint — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 18:57:48 -0400

While studying engineering at Iowa State, director Aaron Schneider realized he longed to do something more creative and tangible. A chance encounter with Billy Crystal while vacationing in Florida changed his life. He spotted the comedian, and on the advice of his mother, asked him for career advice. Crystal advised him to go to film school and Schneider promptly complied. After several years working as a cinematographer, Schneider broke into directing by winning an Academy Award in 2004 for his short, Two Soldiers. And again, by chance, he ran into Crystal who was the show's host. On his first feature film, Get Low, Schneider teamed up with Dean Zanuck, son of the legendary producer Richard Zanuck. Get Low, which stars Robert Duvall, Bill Murray, and Sissy Spacek, is based on the true story of a 1930s Tennessee hermit who staged his own funeral to hear what folks had to say about him. Schneider says he is drawn to tales of redemption and family and loss-themes that the Illinois native says are more likely to be found in Pixar films than other Hollywood features.

By Lorenza Muñoz

How did you come across this screenplay?

Through my agent, who got it from Dean Zanuck's agent. Dean and I met and we hooked. We were a couple of guys at the same point in our careers. He had left his father's company to start his career and I was trying to make a feature film after making my short. It took us five years of rolling a rock up the hill like Sisyphus but we did it.

It's not based on a novel, right?

It's not based on a novel but on an actual event that took place in Eastern Tennessee in the ‘30s. Felix Bush was a hermit who had a mule for a companion. When he had his funeral, 12,000 people showed up. There was no lottery. It was just tremendous curiosity from the community. It became a pop culture phenomenon because of how odd it was. (Screenwriter) Chris Provenzano came across the story and thought it would be a great jumping off point for why. Dean Zanuck developed it with Chris for three or four years.

I imagine it must have been a hard sell to financiers...

On paper, it didn't excite anyone overseas in terms of foreign sales value. The big problem is that unless you can see the film people evaluate the value of it based on facts on paper. Once you make a good movie it's got a life. And it was a period piece; an American folk tale and we had an older cast.

But a great cast...

Yes, for people who appreciate movies they see it as an abomination that this cast couldn't get a movie off the ground. But even the biggest stars in the world have a hard time getting a movie off the ground if the investors can't envision them in the film. We had actors not stars. In today's economic climate it's not enough. We were pushing this rock up the hill as the world was collapsing around us. But our lead investor hung in there.

How did you line up the cast?

Duvall expressed an interest in the project before I came in. It was just a matter of developing a project that was worthy of him. In the meantime what you are trying to do is attach actors that will create a desire for people to want to invest in the movie. I thought of Sissy (Spacek) immediately and CAA set us a meeting. They put me in a room with her and we had a four-hour chat about the script page by page. She said, ‘let me know when it's ready to go.' Well, it was five years later. She likes to joke that by the time we raised the money she was finally old enough to play the part. Bill was at the top of list from the beginning. But in a strange way you set him aside because you don't think of it as realistic. It seems like such a long shot. Dean called his rep and said ‘how do you get in the Bill Murray' business? And his rep said ‘well you don't.'

But you did reach him and you wrote him a letter to convince him...

It took three days to write a letter. It was very difficult to write because I wanted it to work. I wrote about how I felt about him and about him being in my movie and hoped it would work. And it did.

The photography on this film was beautiful. Because of your past work as a cinematographer, did you have a vision for it?

David Boyd was the cinematographer on my short, and he is kind of a cinematic soul mate. For my short, I called him and said 'I don't know how much of the reigns I can let go of and I may want to play in your sandbox a little because this is all new to me.' But we were friends so it wasn't like he was a stranger within a bubble that I couldn't break into or a director that he had to be careful with. With Get Low I hired David because he had done such a great job with me on my short. We work together. The photography is his. But because we shared so many opinions it made me feel like it was mine too.

Winning an Oscar doesn't make everything easier, does it?

It would be wrong to say that it wasn't a big part of where I am now but there is a perception that winning an Oscar gives you your pick of opportunities. It gives you a chance to create your opportunity.

Your short was based on the Faulkner short story...you seem to like stories that are about journeys to self discovery...

I love classic and commercial movies. I grew up on movies like Back to the Future and Big and Splash and Star Wars and Jaws. But it is getting harder and harder to find movies that mix commercial appeal and a good story. I am not necessarily an independent filmmaker but I am looking for a good story. I like the themes of family and a rite of passage and characters that are burdened by a sense of loss that they have to reconcile. And you can find all of that in Pixar movies like Finding Nemo or Toy Story.

What are you on to next?

I am flirting with several wonderful projects. A couple of them would be considered commercial movies. But I like to say you don't have your next movie until you do.

FIND INTERVIEW: Ryan Piers Williams on The Dry Land

Mon, 12 Jul 2010 18:46:44 -0400

In film school, director Ryan Piers Williams was given a good piece of advice: write what you know. So he set out to tell the tale of a young man from the hard, dusty landscape of West Texas where he grew up. Five years ago, after reading a news article about a soldier suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, he developed what would become his first feature film, The Dry Land. Set in the unforgiving terrain that Williams knew so well, where meat packing and the military are a way of life, The Dry Land narrates the difficulties one soldier faces when he returns home from the war-much in the vein of Hal Ashby's classic 1978 drama, Coming Home. Starring America Ferrera and newcomer Ryan O'Nan, The Dry Land is an unflinching portrayal of the hardship so many war veterans face after experiencing the trauma of war. Williams says he was the same age as many of the veterans he interviewed. His contribution, he says, is an honest portrayal of the challenges they face on the home front.

By Lorenza Muñoz

After a slew of war movies like The Hurt Locker, In the Valley of Elah, Stop-Loss, and others, were you afraid your subject would be redundant?

No. Not at all. Our film tells a story from one person's perspective and it is a story that doesn't have any political agenda attached to it. It is an honest portrayal of one soldier's return home. I hope that the audience is able to connect with this character and his feelings and watch him as he is experiencing them. It's a movie that explores the human condition and the effects of war. And frankly, the more reminders we have that we are still at war and that there are men and women having these intense experiences, the better. Our film just adds to the social awareness in our society.

What's wrong with a war movie having a political agenda when some of the best war films, such as Coming Home, did have an anti-war sentiment?

Well, anytime you make a movie about war there are of course some political ideas that can be explored. But the fact is that we are already in Iraq and Afghanistan. How are we going to treat the men and women who come home? Rather than use the soldier as a political statement I am trying to portray the soldier on a basic human level. Through this soldier's journey you can get a better perspective of the devastation that he has been through as a result of the war. If you can feel the character's emotion, you take away any message you want from the movie. And that is what is important to me.

Why did this topic interest you for your first feature?

Five years ago I read a news article about a soldier who was returning from the war and was suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. I was so disturbed by the fact that this soldier could not find the proper resources to take care of the PTSD. It hit me on a deep level. So I spent two years reading lots of articles and talking to the men and women coming home from the war. I was the same age as many of these people who were there fighting and I thought if I wasn't there, at least I wanted to be socially aware of what they were going through. As a result of that research, I came out with a story. I was never intending to make a movie. But I was so affected by all these people coming home that I felt that as an artist I should explore it. So it became a very specific portrayal of one man's story with universal ideals.

You say you were influenced by Vietnam-era films like Coming Home and Apocalypse Now. In what way?

I think it goes back to that authenticity. They didn't hold back in their portrayal of the characters. The characters are created in a specific way and felt very real and honest and raw. The 70s did a lot of really great things for filmmaking in that things felt unpolished. You really saw the authenticity. They have this real feel to them that you miss in filmmaking today.

How did you connect with America Ferrera?

We worked together on a movie five years ago and I mentioned it to her. She wanted to come onto it as an executive producer before I had even written the script. And then when I sent her the script, she fell in love with the part of Sarah and said she really wanted to play the role. I was really excited about it.

And where did Ryan O'Nan come from?

He is great. My casting director told me about him in the fall of 2007 but we didn't shoot until the summer of 2009. When my casting director mentioned him, I thought ‘I am sure he is a great guy but we need a name that could help us get financing.' Then eight or nine months later I met Ryan at a poker night at my friend's house. I had forgotten about him but he happened to sit next to me and we talked about the movie and then I sent him the script and I cast him right away. The universe conspired and forced us to meet each other.

Was it hard to line up the financing?

I know this is going to sound crazy but it wasn't challenging at all. I spent a year and a half creating schedule and a budget and so by the time we were approached by our producer, Heather Rae I had all the documents prepared. She was able to take that to Maya Entertainment. It took only two and a half weeks. It was wild. Heather is an incredible producer. She did Frozen River. Her tenacity pulled it together.

How did you meet Heather?

Endeavor was helping me at the time. They set up a call and Heather and I spoke and two and a half weeks later we were financed.

What is next for you?

I have two scripts that are very different-a sci/fi thriller and a family comedy. But right now I will be doing whatever needs to be done to get this film out.

FIND INTERVIEW: A Small Act: An Interview with Jennifer Arnold

maint — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 16:10:14 -0400

Writer/director Jennifer Arnold (2005 Fast Track, 2005 Directors Lab) talks with Film Independent about her film A Small Act.

The film premiered at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival, and also played the Los Angeles Film Festival in June. Arnold received the ELLE/Garnier Directing Fellowship from Film Independent at the 2010 Spirit Awards. A Small Act will air on HBO on Monday July 12 9pm / 8c.

Q: How and when did the idea of A Small Act originate for you?

A: I was actually trying to sponsor a Kenyan student when I heard the story. I went to University of Nairobi for my year abroad as an undergraduate and I made a lot of friends in Kenya. One of my best friends had been sponsored and I always remembered what a huge impact it made in her life. I called this friend (Jane Wanjiru Muigai, who is in the movie) and asked her how I would go about supporting a child. She started telling me that her and her cousin were starting a fund; that they were looking for his sponsor; and I knew instantly that it would be a good film.

Q: How long was production, from start to finish? Was there a core crew on the film throughout production, and where did you shoot?

A: The film took two and a half years, which I guess is short for a documentary, but it was hard! We shot in Kenya, Sweden and Switzerland, but most of the shoot was in Kenya. The core crew while shooting was Patti Lee and myself. I did sound, directed and produced. Patti shot, produced and did most of the assistant editor work in the field. We had a Kenyan assistant who did most of the driving, acted as a translator and helped us carry stuff - it was a hardcore shoot. There's some really funny photos of the shoot at www.asmallact.com in the photo gallery.

Q: Were there any particularly challenging aspects to the shoot, or unexpected things that you had to deal with as a filmmaker?

A: We shot in a language we couldn't speak (it is hard to follow a verite scene if you can't understand what's going on). We shot in a village with almost no electricity (hard to light anything, charge any batteries or download footage when your only power source is your car's cigarette lighter). And riots broke out during production (It's really hard to keep the camera steady while you're getting tear gassed).

Q: Did your conception of the film change substantially between when you started the project and when you finished the film?

A: Certain aspects of the film stayed the same. We always knew we wanted to show a success story in Kenya. That was one of the reasons I loved Chris' story. There are so many images of child soldiers and refugees in Africa, we wanted to paint a broader picture - yes there is poverty, but there is also a huge middle class and this middle class is bringing about a lot of change and solving a lot of problems.

We had no idea that violence would break out during the Kenya elections. That was really unexpected and that altered our storyline. Suddenly we had some of the stereotypical images of conflict in Africa that I was trying to avoid. But it also brought depth to the film. In this story there is a European who is a genocide survivor and an African who is a human rights worker and ultimately the message of that conflict storyline ended up being is that conflict can happen anywhere, to anyone.

Q: You premiered A Small Act at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival, where screenings of the film so moved audiences that people donated $90,000 for the Hilda Back educational fund. Can you talk a bit about the life of the film from Sundance on, and the way audiences have been responding to it? Did seeing the way audiences engaged with the film at festivals change the way you and HBO approached the release of the film?

A: Definitely. We never expected the reaction we got at Sundance. Since the premiere someone has actually given a quarter million dollars to the Hilde Back Education Fund. A Quarter Million Dollars!!

I don't think we, as filmmakers, knew that audiences would want to get personally involved in the story at this level. HBO has partnered with Network for Good and built this site www.networkforgood.com/asmallact, it has a place for viewers to search for volunteer opportunities by zip code. You can also search different charities by keyword. We love that the Hilde Back Education Fund has gotten a lot of support, but we also hope people will do small acts in their own communities. HBO has gotten behind that idea they've helped us with a "What's Your Small Act?" campaign. They're even giving away gift cards worth ten dollars that can be redeemed as a donation to any of the 1.8 causes on the Network for Good site. Right after the broadcast, which is July 12 9pm / 8c, you can go to the HBO Documentaries facebook page or twitter feed and get one of these gift cards and do your own small act!

Q: Is there any advice you would give to a director about to shoot her first feature?

A: Try to shoot in a language you can understand. It is really helpful.

Q: I know you have your hands full with the release of the film now, but do you have other projects that you want to work on in the near future? Are you developing other documentaries, or do you also have narrative feature projects in the works as well?

I'm pitching a TV project that also has a feel good storyline. I'm also researching two new documentary feature projects and reading narrative scripts. I've got a lot going on right now.

A SMALL ACT Trailer 2010 from Jennifer Arnold on Vimeo.

FIND INTERVIEW: Philip G. Flores on The Wheeler Boys

Thu, 17 Jun 2010 15:38:52 -0400

It's been a busy year for The Wheeler Boys writer/director Philip G. Flores. Since winning Film Independent's Netflix FIND Your Voice competition last year, Flores has been on quite a ride going from script to screen in less than 12 months. Flores, an alumni of Film Independent's Screenwriters Lab, sat down with Film Independent Director of Talent Development Josh Welsh to talk about The Wheeler Boys and its upcoming world premiere later this month at the Los Angeles Film Festival.

By Josh Welsh

You've been extremely busy since we last interviewed you, just before the Screenwriters Lab began. It's a broad question, but how have these last months been for you?

Making this film has been the most incredible experience of my life. It's been amazing to see a story you've been dreaming up in your head forever comes to life, first on set, and now during the post-production process. It's a strange feeling to know that it'll be coming to end soon since I've been living with this project for the last four years.

After winning the Netflix FIND Your Voice contest, how much time did you have for script and story development? Describe that process for you?

As soon as we found out about winning the contest at the end of August 2009, we had roughly three and a half months before production started, and all that time we re-wrote and re-wrote. Max Doty, my co-writer, and I had already started work on the re-writes during the Screenwriters Lab, so winning the contest just sped up that process. Meg LeFauve, the Lab instructor, pushed us hard, emphasizing how important it was to connect the emotions inherent in the story to our own lives as much as possible. This was an invaluable process for me as a director because it definitely solidified ideas and themes, providing a great creative foundation to work with my crew and cast.

When did production start, and how many days did you shoot? Where did you shoot?

Production started at the end of December and we shot for 22 days. We shot all over Los Angeles. We started in Lawndale where we shot our school scenes, then moved onto North Hollywood, Castaic, and Santa Clarita.

What format did you shoot on?

We shot on 35mm, which was very important to me since I really wanted the film to have a very vintage, timeless look to it. Shooting on film has definitely allowed us to push that look further during the digital intermediate.

Who was your DP and how did you come to work with him?

My DP was Bradley Stonesifer, a great young cinematographer who had a couple films under his belt before working with me. Our line producer Angela Sostre actually introduced us, and after seeing his work on The Vicious Kind I thought we shared a similar aesthetic and that he had the experience and skills for this film. It also helped that he comes from a similar background as the characters in the story, and it definitely added to the making of the film.

Were there any particularly challenging aspects to the shoot, or things that really surprised you in production?

The biggest challenge during the shoot was the speed of production. It's pretty amazing how many scenes we were able to shoot on any given day with the sheer amount of locations that we had on the film. There was one week during production where it rained nearly every day, and unfortunately we had a large amount of exterior scenes that we couldn't push back. Thankfully, those particular scenes tonally fit with the rain, and it ended up being a huge blessing.

What is your post schedule?

During production, our editor Amy Duddleston had been assembling scenes, so when we started editing full-time at the end of January, I was able to see a rough assembly very quickly. It was very difficult to cut certain scenes, but in the end, you have to do what's best for the overall film. For another two and a half months we edited and then handed over our picture-locked cut to our sound editor Nathan Smith. We just started the digital intermediate in the beginning of June.

How would you describe the filmic style of The Wheeler Boys? Could you also talk about the score, and how you approached music in the film?

The style of The Wheeler Boys is very realistic. While the film is character-driven, I also wanted to emphasize the environment, so we definitely have a mix of grand landscapes and skies with very intimate scenes between characters. When working with Bradley, we decided very early on that we were going to adopt a very simplistic shooting style that didn't get in the way of the story, and I think we accomplished that.

The music of the film takes a very similar approach. Peter Golub, our composer, developed a beautifully subtle, vintage sound for the music, emphasizing the guitar. I wanted the music to add another layer to the emotions of the story, but not act as a complete substitute.

Can you talk about casting the film? You have an amazing cast of young actors. How did you find them, what qualities were you looking for, and how was it working with them on set?

Matthew Lessall, our casting director, and I luckily shared the same goals as far as the casting goes, and he brought in an amazing amount of talented young actors in a very short time as we cast for less than two months. I wanted actors who were as close to the actual ages of the characters in the film since authenticity was very crucial to me. Being a first-time filmmaker, it's great to surround yourself with actors who have more experience than you do, and all the actors had worked on some really great projects with fantastic directors. I trusted them implicitly and gave them all freedom on set to try different things. Before we shot, since I wanted the audience to feel that these characters had known each other for years, I gathered them all together and played charades with them. It definitely helped them to get comfortable with each other, and I think that it translates on the screen. One thing that I couldn't have anticipated is how well they all got along with each other. The group of guys especially would all hang out after work. It made for a very fun experience on set.

Now that you've completed principal photography, is there any advice you would give to a director about to shoot his or her first feature?

I would tell any first-time feature director to just trust your gut and believe in your vision. During the process, you'll be asked countless of questions and will have to make many quick decisions. Knowing what your movie is ultimately about will help alleviate the stress of that collaborative process.

This is a terrible question to ask someone in the middle of color correction, but what do you have planned next? Do you have other scripts you want to direct, or are you focused on getting The Wheeler Boys out into the world?

While finishing this film has been my life these past few months, I definitely have other stories that I've been thinking about and am dying to start work on. There's an action-comedy set in the Philippines in the vein of Beverly Hills Cop and Three Kings that I've been recently developing that I think would be a fun change of pace from this film along with a few other ideas I'd like to tackle soon.

----

The Wheeler Boys will premiere on Friday, June 25 at the Los Angeles Film Festival.

Netflix celebrates the premiere of The Wheeler Boys by inviting America to a free online screening of the film that won the Netflix FIND Your Voice film competition. The film can be streamed from Netflix for free for 48 hours, from 8:00 p.m. Pacific Time on Friday, June 25 to 8:00pm Pacific on Sunday, June 27, by visiting www.netflix.com/findyourvoice.

Click here to learn more about Film Independent's Talent Development programs.