One of the most exciting sections in the Los Angeles Film Festival this year is the U.S. Fiction Competition. It features nine World Premieres and one North American Premiere, some of them from first-time directors. Who are these rising talents in the indpendent film world? We  got the inside scoop on their films, their journeys to the big screen, and a few juicy stories that happened along the way.

What’s your first memory of sitting in a movie theater?
What I saw first is foggy, but the clearest memory I have is seeing Joe Vs. The Volcano, one of Tom Hanks’ lesser known movies. My little kid eyeballs thought it was the coolest, funniest thing that ever happened. I mean Tom Hanks was dying of a “brain cloud.” How funny!

When do story ideas usually hit you?
I have a lot of ideas while I’m walking in New York from one place to another–it’s our version of a commute. I’ll see someone who might be walking extra fast, or looking like they’re having a bad day, or an overly great day, and suddenly I’m building a ridiculous back story for them in my head. But sometimes I’m only thinking of Cheetos.

What was the biggest obstacle you encountered in the making of this film and how did you overcome it?
The biggest obstacle was time, and we mostly overcame it by losing sleep. That’s the cliche answer. But I guess when you don’t have time (because you don’t have money) you have to turn the editing room into an adventure palace. We spent a lot of time in the edit making the film look like it had more cameras, more extras, more lighting–just more of everything. Before the democratization of film, this wouldn’t have been possible.

Any embarrassing on set mishaps?
There were a couple of onset meltdowns–those are always funny. We did have to take our gaffer to the emergency room to stitch up a hand. He was gaffing so hard a window broke and sliced his hand open. That sucked, but he laughed all the way through it.

How long have you been working on the film, from idea to execution? How long was the shoot itself?
I would say it was about one and a half years, soup to nuts.

Have you ever considered throwing in the towel on filmmaking and what stopped you?
I consider quitting every time I make a film. After each of my four films I’ve said, “This isn’t worth it, I can’t do this anymore.” And then I make another one. I think the spark of a story stops me–that weird gooey feeling inside that you really want to make this story. It’s like a splinter in your foot, you won’t walk normal until you get the splinter out. It’s painful to dig out but it feels so good once it’s gone. I guess, movies are my splinter?

Negin Farsad / writer-director-producer-star, 3^rd Street Blackout

 

What’s your first memory of sitting in a movie theater?
A.D.: Fantasia. I was several years old and may or may not still be recovering psychologically from the “Night On Bald Mountain” sequence.

When do story ideas usually hit you?
Andrew: I’ve been doing transcendental meditation since I was ten, and I’ve always found that the best ideas come to me in the quietest moments. I used to try to amp up to get creative, but usually my favorite ideas come out of the blue when I’m relaxed and still.

Any embarrassing on set mishaps?
A.D.: While filming from the back of a pickup on a highway outside of Cartagena, we were pulled over and arrested by the policia. With some quick thinking, we bribed them with $250 and a pair of Ray-Bans and continued on our way.

How long have you been working on the film, from idea to execution? How long was the shoot itself?
Andrew: I got the idea in August 2012 and started writing immedately.
A.D.: The shoot itself was 35 days. My involvement in the project as director and editor has stretched on for the better part of two years.

Have you ever considered throwing in the towel on filmmaking and what stopped you?
A.D.: I have considered selling out and making commercial entertainment instead of art films. My conscience keeps preventing me.

A.D. Freese / director-editor, Bastards y Diablos
Andrew Perez / writer, Bastards y Diablos

 

What’s your first memory of sitting in a movie theater?
It’s a tie between watching 101 Dalmatians over and over again at some kind of annual kid event where they always showed the same movie and seeing Cries and Whispers and The Story of Adele H with my mother at the New York Film Festival as a child–something I’m not likely to ever forget.

When do story ideas usually hit you?
Usually something I experience or see in the world just stays with me until I have to write about it to explore it.

What was the biggest obstacle you encountered in the making of this film and how did you overcome it?
Like my character, the biggest obstacle to my making The Girl in the Book was not quite trusting my voice, believing I could tell my story my way. Of course there were innumerable practical obstacles too, but I think the conviction comes first.

Any embarrassing on set mishaps?
The day we were shooting in one of the restaurants–a relatively expensive location–the lighting truck broke down. So the DP lit the whole day with potatoes, I think?  Light bulbs wrapped in tin foil. Almost looks like we planned it.

How long have you been working on the film, from idea to execution? How long was the shoot itself?
The kernel of the story lived in my mind for a really long time before I trusted my voice enough to write it. Then it went through many drafts while I searched for the right producer and right circumstances to come together to make it happen–close to ten years. The shoot was 28 days.

Marya Cohn / writer-director, The Girl in the Book

 

What’s your first memory of sitting in a movie theater?
1978. My maternal grandfather owned a one-screen movie house in Guilford, Conn. and after going behind the concession stand to make my own bucket of popcorn, I went in to see Grease. He didn’t keep the theater very clean and the floors were sticky from spilt soda pop.

When do story ideas usually hit you?
Ideas are like a passing breeze so I always carry a pen and pocket-sized notebook. They could hit me anywhere, sometimes first thing in the morning or often just walking around the city. Ideas are one thing. I really look forward to rewriting and seeing if there’s a better idea tucked behind it.

What was the biggest obstacle you encountered in the making of this film and how did you overcome it?
The biggest challenge was when we were trying to make it at a higher budget level and getting it financed. Once my wife and producing partner became pregnant, we knew we had to make it swiftly so we switched approaches and made it on a smaller and more achievable budget. We benefitted from the Panavision New Filmmakers grant which enabled us to film with an ARRI Alexa and full set of Panavision Primo lenses. I also spent months cultivating personal relationships to find many of the locations for low-to-no money.

How long have you been working on the film, from idea to execution? How long was the shoot itself?
I wrote an early first draft of the film years ago and revisited it after I finished my last feature Harvest, now five years ago. It changed a great deal from inception to shooting script. The shoot itself was 19 days. Several days of second unit cinematography were added once we were in the edit room.

Have you ever considered throwing in the towel on filmmaking and what stopped you?
Never considered it.

Marc Meyers / writer-director, How He Fell in Love

 

What was the biggest obstacle you encountered in the making of this film and how did you overcome it?
I think the biggest challenge for me was to overcome the hurdle of my own insecurities as a first-time director. The majority of my set crew had more experience with their respective jobs than I did, which was a daunting but exciting feeling. Sometimes, I would let that knowledge get inside my head, but I also learned to let go and really listen and trust my crew and cast. It gradually became a very collaborative process.

How long have you been working on the film, from idea to execution? How long was the shoot itself?
The project started out as a short script that I wrote in April 2012, shortly after I met an expat in Hong Kong, who inspired the story. I had shown it to a friend, and she told me that she really wanted to know what happens to these characters and that I should make it into a feature. So that short became the first act of the feature. The actors were attached in summer of 2013, and we went into production in May 2014, and are now having our world premiere in June 2015. So it was a good three-year process from inception to premiere. But the shoot itself was a very lean and mean 14 days.

Have you ever considered throwing in the towel on filmmaking and what stopped you?
I actually did throw in the towel on filmmaking at one point in my life already. Shortly after graduating from film school, my dad wanted me to go back to Hong Kong and help take care of the family business. I told myself I’d go back for one year, but then ended up staying for five years. During that time, I watched with envy as all my other friends were advancing in their film careers. And I sort of resigned to the fact that I would never get to make a film. But then on the eve of my 30th birthday, I realized that I was stuck living a life I didn’t choose for myself, and decided to do something about it finally. So I packed everything I owned into two  suitcases and moved out to Los Angeles. And a year later, I was standing on a film set producing my first feature film. And now that I am about to premiere my directorial debut at LA Film Festival, I couldn’t be happier about my decision.

Emily Ting / writer-director-producer, It’s Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong

 

When do story ideas usually hit you?
When I’m listening to people telling their stories, whether in person or through some type of medium.

What was the biggest obstacle you encountered in the making of this film and how did you overcome it?
There are so many and I don’t know where to begin. Shooting in Liberia was very difficult, but we made it through with incredible cast and crew both from NY and Liberia.

How long have you been working on the film, from idea to execution?
A little over three years.

Have you ever considered throwing in the towel on filmmaking and what stopped you?
Yes, but I always come back to it as I can’t find anything else I can devote so much to and be okay with it.

Takeshi Fukunaga / writer-director-editor, Out of My Hand

 

What’s your first memory of sitting in a movie theater?
Seeing the Empire Strikes Back with my dad at the old RKO theater on 86th and Lexington.

When do story ideas usually hit you?
While driving.

What was the biggest obstacle you encountered in the making of this film and how did you overcome it?
Shooting in Paris. It is really expensive, and recently went union. It almost stopped our film from happening. We overcame it by finding an incredible Paris-based line producer named Mark Allen who figured out how to shoot in Paris on our budget: move to Prague. Just for interiors. At first I fought it, but it was the only way.

How long have you been working on the film, from idea to execution? How long was the shoot itself?
From idea to execution: a year and a half. The shoot was 17 days.

Ian Edelman / writer-director, Puerto Ricans in Paris

 

What’s your first memory of sitting in a movie theater?
My grandmother took me to Roswell Mall (R.I.P.) just north of Atlanta to see Bambi when it was rereleased in the early ’80s. We arrived late and the movie was already playing. The room was so dark and the screen was so bright. The whole environment felt very surreal. I don’t remember a thing about the movie, but I can still picture every detail of that theater.

When do story ideas usually hit you?
Driving or showering or some other situation when I don’t have a pen.

What was the biggest obstacle you encountered in the making of this film and how did you overcome it?
Time, patience, endurance, that kind of stuff. We shot our first scene in May of 2012 and didn’t finish shooting until June of 2014. It turned into a mini Boyhood situation, though we never intended to shoot it that way. There was a lot of agonizing down time. I found myself quoting Apocalypse Now a lot: “Some day this war’s gonna end…”

Any embarrassing on set mishaps?
I think we saved all the embarrassing mishaps for the wrap parties.

How long have you been working on the film, from idea to execution? How long was the shoot itself?
Idea to execution was five years. I started writing the script in 2010 and we just completed the film in March 2015. The shoot spanned for two full years. We shot our first scene in May 2012 and our final scene in June 2014.

Have you ever considered throwing in the towel on filmmaking and what stopped you?
Nope.

Dennis Hauck / writer-director, Too Late

Tom Sveen / Film Independent Blogger