Five Questions With... Sarah Ginsburg, Director of SPACESAVERS

Sarah Ginsburg's short documentary SPACESAVERS profiles how when it snows, Boston residents respond to threats to parking spaces with subconscious self-expression.

We spoke with Sarah about this short and sweet doc - read more, and check it out in the shorts program "It's All True," playing Thursday, June 21 at 9am!

SARAH GINSBURG

NFF: What inspired the film? Are you a Boston local?

SARAH: I went to school in Boston and stuck around for about 5 years after graduating, watching a majority of my peers leave for bigger cities and warmer climates. As rent prices increased, I found myself living in a funny little residential neighborhood in Somerville alongside mostly retired folks who had grown up there. Boston's winter of 2015, with its relentless and record breaking snowfall, showed me a side of the city, including my own quiet neighborhood, I hadn't seen before but totally believed. The items people chose to put out on the street and save their much labored over parking spot spoke so loudly to me. I saw determination, persistence, wit, humor, pride, sacrifice and artistry in the space saving operation but then I also saw a simple way to document it. 

NFF: The film communicates everything it needs to in just three minutes. Did you cut a lot of material down, or did you always intend it to be a snapshot? 

SARAH: As with any film ever made, the stripping down of this film in the edit was painful but necessary. With the help of friends' feedback, I let the space savers be the lead in a solo performance instead of trying to paint a well-rounded portrait of the neighborhood and all its quirks. Once I recovered from losing some of my favorite shots, I focused on creating different feelings and bringing out the whimsy of it all by playing with the order of shots and audio.

NFF: Did you discover any particularly weird or interesting space spavers? 

SARAH: It's not in the film but there's the well-known and highly anticipated bust of Elvis that some one in Southie puts out every year. I love to see any type of toilet out there doing its job. My favorite in the film is definitely the walker that my next door neighbor's put out with a laminated sign explaining why it would be rude to move the walker and take the spot.

NFF: Did filming present any particular challenges you weren't anticipating? 

SARAH: Taking your gloves off to set up a freezing cold metal tripod and press record as gusts of wind blow snow in your face can be challenging but I'm extremely tough and brave and had on a super warm winter coat given to me by my mom, so I was just fine.

NFF: Why are you excited to screen in Nantucket, and/or what do you hope Nantucket audiences might relate to or takeaway from the film? 

SARAH: I consider Boston and Nantucket to be friends. There's a camaraderie that exists probably because of proximity, sports teams and extreme weather. Just as you'd help your neighbor shovel their car or maybe just share their pain from inside your warm home as you watch them shovel their car, I imagine Nantucket residents and festival attendees enjoying a little bite of Boston's rich heritage captured.