Five Questions With... Geremy Jasper, Writer/Director of PATTI CAKE$ and New Voices in Screenwriting Award Recipient

First-time writer/director Geremy Jasper—a musician and past music video director—showcases his music chops in this brash and bombastic story of unlikely MC Patti “Killa P” Dombrowski. In working-class “dirty Jersey,” Patti and her best friend and music partner, Hareesh, dream of escaping their dead-end jobs and pursuing their dreams of hip-hop superstardom. When they meet reclusive Goth newcomer Basterd, he provides the missing link to elevate their sound. Breakout talent Danielle Macdonald plays Patti with the magnetism and stage presence of a seasoned recording artist, matched by the prodigious talents of Bridget Everett as Patti’s disillusioned mother, who saw her own aspirations of stardom pass by long ago.

Geremy Jasper, who will also be recognized with the New Voices in Screenwriting Award at the Screenwriters Tribute on Friday, June 23, gave us a few minutes of his time to chat about PATTI CAKE$. Take a look below, and join us for the only screening on Saturday, June 24 at 2:45pm!

NFF: How did your background in music and music videos affect or influence your use of light and sound/music in the film?

Geremy: Hmmm. The film encompasses two worlds - an objective rough & raw Jersey reality and Patti’s subjective fantasy world. These two different worlds are lit differently and sound different. One is very natural, minimal lighting and “real” sounding while the other is bold, colorful and kaleidoscopic. My DP Fede Cesca and I were not shy in pushing more color and more smoke into a fantasy scenes. My music video background gave me a love for and vivid colors and surrealism but also a handle on how to capture musical performances that feel dynamic and visceral.  It’s magic catching a song on film. 

I wrote around 25 original songs for the film, so sound was a major focus in how things were shot, edited and mixed. There a many performances that needed to feel raw and authentic and at other times take over the film almost like score.

NFF: Can you talk a little about casting, and how you found the incredible Danielle Macdonald?

Geremy: The character of Patti Dombrowski is so specific physically, emotionally, and musically that it was going to take someone incredibly special and gifted to play her. Luckily my producer Noah remembered Dani from a small role she had in a film called The East. She looked IDENTICAL to the image of Patti I had in my brain so she joined me in Utah for the Sundance Director’s Lab even though she was Australian and had never rapped before in her life. She’s so brilliant and hard working it didn't faze me so we spent the next 2 years training her to rap while developing the character. Dani carries the film on her shoulders and I think she should win every award on the planet.  

NFF: Tell us a little about your inspiration for the film. Do you have a connection to New Jersey?

Geremy: I grew up a chubby blonde, hip hop loving kid from suburban Jersey who filled secret notebooks with endless rhymes. At 23 I was stuck living in my parent’s basement working crappy jobs while nursing an unbelievable hunger to move to NYC and be a musician. I was also raised around big, sarcastic Jersey women who were always called “The Boss” as in you wanted / needed something, “Go ask the Boss.” All this got mixed up into what would become the world of PATTI CAKE$. 

NFF: Are there directors (or musicians) whose style or body of work have influenced you as a filmmaker?

Geremy: Oh yes, they all seem to be named BOB: Bob Dylan, Bob Fosse, Bob Redford, and Bobby Digital (AKA The RZA from WuTang).

NFF: Why are you excited to screen in Nantucket, and what do you hope Nantucket audiences take away?

Geremy: Growing up in Jersey my family used to spend summer vacation at a trailer park in the Poconos (no joke) and to me the idea of “Nantucket” seemed like a mythic East Coast paradise - as well as well as a wonderful word for limericks. This’ll be my first time on the island & I couldn't be more excited. My hope is that the audience will be transported into an exotic blue collar fantasia and will be dancing in the aisles. 

Five Questions With... Sierra Pettengill and Pacho Velez, Directors of THE REAGAN SHOW

Trading on his celebrity to curry favor with voters, Ronald Reagan transitioned from Hollywood actor to politician, ultimately attaining the highest office in the land. Composed entirely of 1980s news footage and behind-the-scenes videos produced by his own administration, this insightful, entertaining, and strangely prescient film details how Reagan used public relations savvy to become the first made-for-TV president—one uniquely suited to face off against a charismatic Russian rival.

We spoke with THE REAGAN SHOW co-directors Sierra Pettengill and Pacho Velez - read more below, and catch a screening on Saturday, June 24 at 1:30 PM and/or Sunday, June 25 at 4:15 PM!

NFF: How did you even begin the archival footage process? Did you have an idea of what you wanted and went after it, or did you have to wade through hours of material and pull out bits and pieces?

Sierra & Pacho: Our initial interest in Reagan was focused on looking at him through his performed images, and how those changed through time.  That led us to the White House Television Archive (WHTV), housed at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library—which was a massive archive shot by the United States Naval Photographic unit, documenting his years in office. There was a PDF log of the materials, but the sorts of revealing moments that interested us were often hidden beneath quite boring descriptions, so we spent months and months - which become years! - actually sifting through the footage.

In general, it was an inside-out approach. Through careful attention to the footage in the archive, we "learned" to what the archive was telling us about the man, as well as his priorities and policies. Once we had that as a rough shape, and had settled on the US-USSR nuclear negotiations, we turned to reckon with the large archival record of the national news media, to see how they were covering and interpreting his presidency. The film is a dialogue between these sets of archives. 

NFF: Do you think being a "tv president" helped secure Reagan's legacy?

Sierra & Pacho: For sure. Well-crafted images and narratives have the power to bypass our internal critical defenses, and can worm their ways in, influencing and manipulating our recollections of history. This is one of the things we were really interested in exploring: how did Reagan’s legacy get cemented? 

NFF: Why did you decide to present the material without any additional contemporary commentary?

Sierra & Pacho: Presenting original recordings, framed only by our montage, is the best way for audiences to track Reagan through the end of the Cold War—with all its confusion, fear, humor and, above all, irony. A present-day commentary would have provided a voice of "authority" that undercut this experiential journey. Instead, we hope that our immersive, self-reflective approach invites viewers to look closely at—and question—the use of narrative in contemporary politics by presenting them with a direct example of that strategy in action.

NFF: There seem to be obvious parallels with the Trump campaign - were you aware of the similarities either during the last election cycle, and/or while you were working on the film?

Sierra & Pacho: The parallels with Trump are striking, but the film is really illustrating a macro trend - the increasing focus on media spectacle in American politics.  With Trump, there is a particular manifestation right now that makes the trend especially pointed or prevalent.  But this trend is something that’s been developing for decades - it’s the transition from politics as a space of nuanced description of complicated realities to politics as a collection of simplified reassuring narratives.  And the scariest thing is that it’s wrong to think Trump is the end of it.  He’s just one more weigh station along the road.

NFF: Why are you excited to show the film in Nantucket, and/or what do you hope Nantucket audiences will take away?

Sierra & Pacho: We hope that the film helps to provide a new lens on both the Reagan presidency and a way to look at and understand the current political climate - both through the similarities and the manifold differences. And also, that they'll have a good time watching the film!

Five Questions With... Ema Ryan Yamazaki, Director of MONKEY BUSINESS: THE ADVENTURES OF CURIOUS GEORGE'S CREATORS

The mischievous monkey Curious George made his first appearance more than 75 years ago and has been entertaining readers young and old ever since. If not for a pair of handmade bicycles, however, the beloved children’s book character might never have made it out of Nazi-occupied Europe. Brought to life with whimsical animation, MONKEY BUSINESS celebrates the power of storytelling as it recounts how refugee couple Hans and Margret Rey created an enduring classic.

EMA RYAN YAMAZAKI

NFF: Did you read Curious George growing up? Did you know much about the history of Hans and Margret or the books prior to working on the film?

Ema: Yes, I read Curious George growing up in Japan. I just assumed he was a Japanese monkey, and it was only many years later when I realized he was so international. I didn't know anything about the authors of Curious George - I think we rarely get the chance to ask, "who wrote our great children's books?' and once I asked, what I found was incredible.

NFF: Why and/or how did you make the decision to incorporate animation into the storytelling?

Ema: We decided that we wanted to tell the story by asking ourselves, "How would have Hans and Margret told their own story?" Since they had created such an iconic illustrated world, it was natural for us to look to animation to create parts of their story also. We decided to animate the anecdotes they told about their lives, while using archival footage to provide a context of the times they lived in. Sometimes, like when they were escaping from the Nazis, the stories they told and the reality of what it must have been like, were not the same. We wanted to highlight this visually by using mixed-media.

NFF: Both Hans and Margret had talents and interests in other areas - do you think had they been born in another time they still would have found their way to writing childrens' books

Ema: Great question. Hans was curious about everything not only was an artist but and had an academic mind - he was interested in being a doctor when he was young, and later on his life wrote books about stars and constellations. Margret also studied various things, including advertising and photography. It's hard to know if at a different time they would have still ended up writing children's books, but it's certain that their chosen profession, and the fact that they worked together, brought out the best in each other. Hans was so gifted but lacked the discipline that Margret brought to the team. He drew and came up with the ideas, while, she did the writing and editing, as well negotiated all the deals with the publishers.

NFF: What surprised or challenged you the most while you were making the film?

Ema: This being my first feature documentary, there were many challenges in the project. I had to figure out a way to fund the film without letting go of the creative vision I had for the film. We did a Kickstarter campaign that was harder than any other aspect of making the film. We raised over $186,000 from almost 1500 supporters, and receiving so much support gave me even more motivation to get the film done and to do it well. I also ended up directing, producing and editing the film, even though as an editor I always tell my directors to hire a separate editor. So in coming up with the structure of the film I sometimes got lost. Although we ended up with an 80 minute film, I remember I thinking at a certain moment "maybe the film should just be five minutes long..." I'm glad I had a team of collaborators helping me through everything, particularly in those darker moments.

NFF: Why are you excited to show the film in Nantucket, and/or what do you hope Nantucket audiences will take away?

Ema: I very much hope that the audience in Nantucket will enjoy and be inspired by the story we are telling. Very little was known about the Curious George authors, and they are people worth knowing. They were as adventurous and resilient as the little monkey the created, and their optimism and curiosity triumphed over the life-threatening situations they faced. I also hope the audience enjoys the way we chose to tell the story with the mix-media elements of the animation and archival materials.

Five Questions With... Narrative Short Filmmakers from THROUGH THE FIRE

NARRATIVE SHORTS: THROUGH THE FIRE screens Friday morning at 9 AM at Bennett Hall. We spoke with several filmmakers included in this program:

  • David Brundige, Writer/Director of LAURELS
  • Charlotte Barrett and Sean Fallon, Writers/Directors of THE PHANTOM MENACE
  • Chris Carfizzi and Hilary Mann, Co-Writers of THE FINGER
  • Aude Cuenod, Writer/Director and Benjamin Friedman, Producer of SCRAP DOLLS
  • Jeannie Donohoe, Writer/Director of GAME
  • Micah Perta, Director of DAYTIME NOON
  • Holly Voges, Writer/Director of FELL

And ok, there are technically seven questions here (one for each filmmaker!)...but who's counting? Read more below and join us on Friday!

DAVID BRUNDIGE, LAURELS

NFF: The film pokes fun at the festival world. Have you had bad festival experiences to draw from, or is this all imagination? 

David: Artist egos are so fragile, and my characters, one a notable feature director and the other a newbie short film director, react quite differently to their film festival granting them a shared hotel room.I love going to film festivals because the audiences, filmmakers, and programmers are so great, but there's a side of festivals, especially from afar, that creates prestige which can overshadow the celebration. We artists sometimes get distracted by the validation that comes with selection and awards.

CHARLOTTE BARRETT AND SEAN FALLON, THE PHANTOM MENACE

NFF: The location and production design is super specific to the story telling. Did you have to construct any of it, or was it pre-existing?

Charlotte and Sean: We shot the entire short at Frank & Sons Collectible Show, a twice weekly comic convention in the City of Industry, about 30 miles south of Los Angeles. Most conventions have a singular theme be it Star Wars, Star Trek, Comic Books, etc., but Frank & Sons is a wonderful hodgepodge of everything you could imagine collecting like Disney World Pins, 80s WWF action figures, and McDonalds happy meal toys. That diversity gave us the flexibility to stage scenes in thematically relevant settings. We added certain elements to scenes, like the American Flag at the end of the movie, but the only location we had to construct was the Celebrity Autograph Area.

However, being a low budget short meant we had to shoot on days Frank & Son was open. So every scene except for when Jim gets Robert Picardo’s autograph was shot on the live convention floor. It was completely chaotic and a lot of fun to shoot an emotional and personal story amid a working convention. All the background extras were just convention goers who had no idea they were going to be in a movie, but gave their permission by entering the building (we had signs posted!).

CHRIS CARFIZZI AND HILARY MANN, THE FINGER

NFF: The Finger is in the "Through the Fire" group - without giving anything away, how do you think that theme relates to your film as a larger theme?

Chris and Hilary: Our guiding principle in writing was this: ‘You admire a character for trying more than for their successes’*. In The Finger, we took the most momentous night of Luke and Laura’s relationship so far and made it as difficult as we could imagine. The real love in The Finger is found when they try again and again to make it work despite the challenges.
* from Pixar’s Rules for Storytelling

AUDE CUENOD AND BEMJAMIN FRIEDMAN SCRAP DOLLS

NFF: How did the film come together? 

Benjamin: Aude brought her inspiration to Detroit to develop the narrative further. It’s there that we met and collaborated for the first time.

Aude: I was studying film at Wesleyan University when I met a 70-year-old artist who made art out of abandoned objects. I was fascinated with how he transformed objects that others had thrown away into beautiful sculptures. The artist told me he had once tried to help a young boy from a broken home by teaching him how to make art and I found the story of this intergenerational friendship and connection through art beautiful. I was drawn to Detroit mostly because of the amazing art I saw there during a scouting trip: specifically Tyree Guyton’s Heidelberg Project and Olayami Dabls’ African Bead museum. Most of the cast/crew was Detroit based and it was my first time working with them.

JEANNIE DONOHOE, GAME

NFF: Your lead performer is incredible - did she already know how to play basketball, or did you have to teach her? Did you look for an actor who knew the sport, or was that not as important as a good actor?

Jeannie: Nicole Williams was terrific to work with in every way -- she's an amazing person, actress, and of course, a great basketball player.  The character AJ Green is in high school, but Nicole actually already finished college, and she played basketball throughout (at Nevada).  The casting of her role in particular was a tall order.  It was a huge priority for me to find someone who could play basketball extremely well. I didn't want to cheat the shots or double the action with a stand-in player.  I also think the lived-in experience -- that Nicole has really played basketball at a high level for so long -- was essential on an emotional level within the production. I believe that lends an important authenticity to the role. In addition to assessing skill, I was looking for a compelling, interesting actor who could also pass as a boy and look high school age.  Nicole checked all the boxes and was instantly a great collaborator. This film was her acting debut, and I'm grateful to our casting directors Lisa Pantone and Gigi Berry for discovering her.

MICAH PERTA, DAYTIME NOON

NFF: Shooting in a car is notoriously hard - can you talk a little about that challenge?

Micah: I come from the commercial world, so we shot on a process trailer, which is totally complicated, but also a much easier way to direct talent. Basically we had a caravan, starting with a cop car followed by a union flatbed truck with the car and camera operators mounted on top, followed by a car for hair and make up and art department.  Every time we cut we would pull over to the side of the road.  But I was able to watch the actors on a monitor and talk to the them through a walkie (and not have to be in the trunk).  It was fun, and worked great, but I will probably do something with less car next time around.

HOLLY VOGES, FELL

NFF: The film is deliberately ambiguous. Do you prefer storytelling that asks questions, rather than provides answers?

HOLLY: I prefer stories that are challenging. Projects that provoke the audience to ask questions related to the story and well as themselves are most interesting to me. I don’t think this necessarily means not giving answers, but leaving some room for interpretation means a more active audience, which I definitely prefer. 

Five Questions With... Sabrina Schmidt Gordon, Producer of QUEST

Christopher "Quest" Rainey and his wife, Christine’a, are raising their kids in a North Philadelphia neighborhood beset by poverty, drugs, and violence. As an antidote, the Raineys nurture the community in their basement music studio, but this creative sanctuary can’t always keep them safe. Sensitively filming this open, genuine, and loving family over the course of a decade, Jonathan Olshefski constructs an ultimately uplifting counternarrative to typical depictions of African-American lives.

Read more with Producer Sabrina Schmidt Gordon, and come see QUEST on Thursday, June 22 at 9:00 PM and/or Friday, June 23 at 1:45 PM!

NFF: How did the film come to you? Had you worked with Jonathan before?

Sabrina: Jonathan and I met through a mutual filmmaker friend. He had been filming for several years and was ready to start putting the film together. Jonathan is a photographer, and this would be his first film. Our friend told him that he needed a team, and recommended me. I work mostly as and editor and producer, so he thought I’d be someone who could advise and provide support on these different aspects of the filmmaking process. When Jonathan reached out to me and sent me some clips he had assembled, I realized that I had seen the footage before. He had applied for a grant and I happened to be one of the reviewers. The bad news was that he wasn’t selected to be one of the recipients. The good news was that there was a lot we liked about the material, so I agreed to meet with him, and we had a long discussion about what I thought were the challenges with the material and how to approach the story and structuring the film. He was very open to feedback, even if critical. He was really committed to making the best film possible, so I was really encouraged by that and excited to collaborate with him. He mentioned that he applied for a grant that he didn’t get and I said, “yes, I know, I was there!” He was floored. It was pretty funny!

NFF: Shooting took almost a full decade - were you onboard for the whole shoot, and/or aware of the amount of time Jonathan would take to complete it?

Sabrina: No, Jon had been shooting for years when we met. He did continue to shoot after I was onboard, and there was an ongoing joke that Jonathan was never going to stop filming! We didn’t exactly know what the ending would be, but there was a natural arc provided by the election of President Obama in 2008, and the end of his second and final term.

NFF: Do you have a connection to Phily and/or this community?

Sabrina: Well, it’s interesting. I’m from New York and have never lived in Philadelphia, but this is the third Philly-themed film I’ve made. I’ve gotten to know Philadelphia through a camera lens, through the remarkable people who’ve shared their stories.

NFF: What surprised or challenged you the most while you were making the film?

Sabrina: I think stories about Black folks in under-served urban neighborhoods is wrought with stereotypes, mostly negative. They’re also pervasive in our society, so the challenge is how to pierce through the preconceptions people may be bringing to the story, to disrupt them in a way that gets to a much more authentic and nuanced truth.

NFF: Why are you excited to show the film in Nantucket, and/or what do you hope Nantucket audiences will take away?

Sabrina: I hope people will see themselves in the Raineys. There’s a way in which our society is increasingly segregated and stratified that suggests that our worlds are too different for us to understand and relate to one another. QUEST certainly upends that, and goes a long way in sharing the depth, beauty, and complexity of a family, and of a community that is often disparaged, misunderstood, or ignored altogether. 

Five Questions With... Christopher Radcliff and Lauren Wolkstein, Writers/Directors of THE STRANGE ONES

Young Sam (James Freedson-Jackson) and older, rugged Nick (Alex Pettyfer) are seemingly on an innocent, brotherly road trip into the woods. But the younger boy has disturbing nightmares that suggest all is not as it seems. Are they on the run, and from what? Is Nick the quiet boy’s protector, his captor, or something else entirely? For their feature debut, Christopher Radcliff and Lauren Wolkstein have crafted an engrossing, atmospheric mystery.

We spoke with Christopher and Lauren about THE STRANGE ONES - read more below and catch a screening on Thursday, June 22 at 9:15 PM and/or Saturday, June 24 at 4:00 PM!

NFF: The film is deliberately vague. Do you prefer to let audiences draw their own conclusions, rather than provide explicit exposition?

Christopher & Lauren: Yes -  we tend to be more drawn to films that ask questions rather than give out answers; we think it's more fascinating to consider multiple dimensions and possibilities for what a film might be, and we hope our film has this sort of quality. Rather than being vague, we wanted the film to be quite precise in its mysteriousness, if that makes sense... everything the viewer sees and hears in the film is there for a reason and we hope that it adds up to a beguiling and satisfying experience for anyone who watches it, even if it takes different shapes for different people.

NFF: The atmosphere/setting is such a prevalent part of the film. Where did you shoot, and how did you decide on your location/s?

Christopher & Lauren: We shot in upstate New York, mostly in the Catskill region and Hudson Valley. The script was written with pretty specific locations in mind, and they all hold different meanings that relate the characters and their journey.  They are two people journeying away from civilization and into an unknown future, so the places they go naturally needed to mirror this in terms of being both beautiful and seductive in a way, but also treacherous and full of mystery.

NFF: How did you work together as co-directors? Were there pre-determined work or shots you divided up, or was it more in the moment decision-making?

Christopher & Lauren: When we co-direct we basically do everything together. We both direct solo as well, so we are both pretty opinionated and are always thinking of all aspects of job, so it never felt right to divide up tasks in any way. We prep and shotlist really extensively together, so we have a really unified vision for the whole thing going in and this in turn allows us to give each other the space on set to make decisions in the moment.

NFF: What surprised or challenged you the most while you were making the film?

Christopher & Lauren: The most challenging aspect of our film was probably making sure that each scene presented multiple dimensions, in addition to figuring out when to reveal pertinent information about the characters' past while still keeping the film in the present tense. We were surprised in the edit process that certain scenes we shot didn't fit into the natural progression and pace of the film we were making, and therefore these scenes ultimately had to be cut. Since our film is a mystery that is largely left for the audience to solve, we were very aware of how each scene would be interpreted in multiple ways when we were writing, shooting, and editing the film. Because of these challenges, it was a very ambitious first feature film for us.

NFF: Why are you excited to show the film in Nantucket, and/or what do you hope Nantucket audiences will take away?

Christopher & Lauren:Nantucket is a really special place and the festival is known to have excellent programming, so we're really excited to be included in that. We hope the audiences there take away a sense of intrigue and wonder with the film's story and our approach to it, and find it to be something they continue to think about even after the film ends.

Five Questions With... HOT SUMMER NIGHTS Writer/Director Elijah Bynum

Daniel (Timothée Chalamet, Miss Stevens, NFF 2016) has been sent to spend the summer of 1991 with his aunt on Cape Cod. He quickly falls in with the town rebel, Hunter (Alex Roe), and falls for the town beauty, McKayla (Maika Moore), who just happens to be Hunter’s sister and thus off-limits. As Daniel re-invents himself in surprising—and illegal—ways and a hurricane looms on the horizon, the stage is set for an unforgettable coming-of-age drama in writer/director Elijah Bynum’s assured feature directorial debut.

We spoke to Elijah about Imperative Entertainment’s  HOT SUMMER NIGHTS - read more below, and see the film on Thursday, June 22 at 6:30 PM and/or Friday, June 23 at 4:30 PM!

NFF: The film is based on a "mostly true story" - can you talk a little about your inspiration?

Elijah: It's based on two kids I knew in college. Daniel and Hunter are much different than the two kids I knew but the unlikely friendship or so called “odd couple” dynamic is the same. They started out selling weed around a dorm and then they were selling in two dorms, then 10 dorms, next the entire campus and the five other colleges in the area were getting weed from these two. As their success grew so did their paranoia and distrust for one another and you could see their friendship starting to come apart at the seams. Eventually it all came to an end in dramatic fashion and both kids dropped out of school and vanished. Nobody really knows where either of them are or what they're up to. Still gives me chills to think about.

NFF: This could be classified as a "coming of age" film - were you influenced or inspired by any coming of age films when you were working on it?

Elijah: Absolutely. The John Hughes movies of the 80s were certainly an influence. As were other classics such as The Sandlot and Stand By Me. The Last Picture Show was another film I found myself revisiting over and over again while making Hot Summer Nights. But the biggest influence was probably the book Virgin Suicides. It haunted me and has stayed with me in ways few other movies or books have. 

NFF: You have an impressive young cast. Tell us a little about casting and how you found them?

Elijah: First of all, I'd like to say I love all the actors. They are all incredibly talented and dreams to work with. I had seen Timothée Chalamet on “Homeland” and then again in “Interstellar” and thought he was great. One of our producers, Ryan Friedkin, was also a big fan and everyone was on board right away. As far as the role of Daniel goes Timothée was always the first (and only) choice. Alex Roe was brought to us by WME after a long search for Hunter. The role was really tricky to cast and a bunch of great actors came in and read for the part, but nobody felt quite right. Alex did an audition tape, and it was basically love at first sight. Then we skyped and he held up well under interrogation and the rest is history. I think he did a fantastic job and now I can't imagine Hunter being played by anyone else. Another producer of ours, Bradley Thomas, had seen Maika Monroe in “It Follows” and called me up and said "this is McKayla". I went out and watched “It Follows” and agreed. She did a great job with a role that could have very easily turned into a clichéd mess. Maia Mitchell had come in and read for the role of McKayla but at this point we were closing in on Maika for the part. But she was just so good I knew we had to have her in the movie. Again, she took a role that didn't give her much on the page and turned Amy into a fully formed human being. Maia is great. I first saw Emory Cohen in Place Beyond The Pines and thought he was fantastic. I remember thinking "if I ever get to make a movie I want to put him in it." Originally I had imagined Dex as being played by someone much older but Emory had gotten hold of the script and responded to the role. We met up and talked about it and he had really exciting ideas. He's such an incredibly inventive actor and it was a joy watching him work. He's also one of the funniest people I've ever met.

NFF: The soundtrack is so important for setting the tone of the movie - and you have a diverse, engaging collection of songs throughout. How did you decide on the music you wanted to use?

Elijah: A lot of the music in the movie were songs that I would listen to while writing the script. Their energy seemed to seep into the story. I would play them on set whenever I could to set the rhythm and mood. While the story is set in 1991 I wanted the story to feel timeless -- I wanted it to feel suspended in some bygone summer of America's yesteryear. I knew the wardrobe and production design would tell audiences the movie was set in 1991, not to mention the fact we slap "1991" on the screen, so I didn't think we had to also remind them through the music. The tone of the movie is slightly heightened, it's a dreamy memory,  more so than a fact based account. It's a story about teenagers with raging hormones who's emotions run the full gamut. We felt that this gave us the artistic license to choose music that complemented the story and characters on an emotional level rather than try to use music that felt grounded in a specific time and place.

NFF: Why are you excited to show the film in Nantucket, and/or what do you hope Nantucket audiences will take away?

Elijah: Not only is Nantucket a great film festival but it's only right that a movie set in Cape Cod, a movie in which Cape Cod plays an integral character, gets to be seen in Cape Cod. Hopefully the Nantucket crowd can relate in some way to that special feeling of being on the Cape during those summer months while also taking note of some of the more subtle social-class issues and the effects it can have on the kids who live there.

Five Questions With... Lisa Addario and Joe Syracuse, Writer/Directors of COUP D'ETAT

NFF is delighted to showcase Lisa Addario and Joe Syracuse’s satiric comedy COUP D'ETAT, originally presented as a staged reading at the Festival in 2006! Putting a rebellious twist on a high school English assignment, 16-year-old Tatiana (Odeya Rush) strikes up a pen pal correspondence with Anton (Michael Caine), the notorious dictator of an island nation. When his people rise up and depose him, Anton escapes to the last place anyone would think to look: the suburban home Tatiana shares with her single mom, Darlene (Katie Holmes). As he plots his return to power while in exile, Anton takes on Tatiana as a protégée, helping her plan the overthrow of her high school’s ruling mean girls. What could possibly go wrong?

We chatted with Lisa and Joe - read more below, and join us at COUP D'ETAT on Thursday, June 22 at 6:15 PM, and/or Friday, June 23 at 4:30 PM!

Lisa Addario and Joe Syracuse

NFF: How do you work together as co-writers and directors? Does one of you handle certain tasks more than the other, or do you divide everything down the middle?

Lisa & Joe: We’ve been screenwriting partners for twenty years so we’ve ironed out working together. We are usually of one mind, which is good and bad. It’s good because we don’t fight that much. It’s bad because if we are going off a cliff, no one stops us. In general, though, Joe is the ‘idea’ guy, and Lisa is the ‘decision maker.’ Joe comes up with a million ideas, and Lisa tells him what seems to work, what doesn’t; what’s funny, what isn’t. Also, on set, Joe is usually there with the actors and Lisa is watching through the monitor to see if it’s working. Before directing, we storyboard together. Unlike most indies, there is no handheld in our film (on purpose) because we wanted to create a more heightened, stylized reality. This is very hard to achieve on a short shoot like this one (19 days) so we really had to have our shots nailed down. Similarly, we didn’t have much rehearsal time, so we had to know in advance what we wanted from the actors. We had such super pros, they understood what we were going for very quickly but if there was any confusion/debate, we’d usually tag team until we got our way. 

NFF: Can you talk a little about casting, and how your actors came to the project? Did you write this with any of them in mind?

Lisa & Joe: We always thought of Jason Biggs because we knew him and had worked with him before. At various times there were many other actors in the lead roles, including for the staged reading we did at your festival ten years ago. For that, we had Jimmy Smits as our dictator and Heather Graham as the mom. Later, we had Alfred Molina, Robert DeNiro, Anthony Hopkins, but our heart always was with Michael Caine. He has the gravitas but also pairs that with the most subtle wit. We were blessed to have him.  We also got very lucky with Odeya Rush. She came in just weeks before shooting and she blew us away. 

NFF: The production design and art direction is so specific to the storytelling. Did you have the world in mind when you were writing, and/or was it a collaborative effort with your team putting it together?

Lisa & Joe: On a small budget,  the art department is the most under-funded area. Directors should have very clear ideas because it’s hard to create a look with no money or crew. We had a very specific vision for Tatiana’s room. We wanted no punk rock posters and wanted it to look like the character hand-made everything. In real life, we made the decor with our kids and a student from SCAD. The idea of defacing cute animal pics later became Tatiana's DIY motif, she then defaced her backpack, her boots, her school etc. 

We wanted suburbia and Tatiana’s town to showcase consumerism gone awry. Lots of Americana.  When choosing locations, anything kitsch we used— the huge globe, the mall with the insane train and toy animal play area,  the school that looks like a post modern fortress.  We wanted America to be Disneyfied and not totally real because we felt that would allow people to believe the very unlikely story. When choosing props, we went for gaudy color, especially yellow because it reflected Anton Vincent’s flag and also made the world a little more fantastical. (We used yellow for Darlene’s hygienist outfit, her silly car and the crazy adult tricycle)!

By contrast, we wanted the island nation to look deprived and rural, like Guiana/Cuba. we also wanted to push the dictator’s Soviet imagery, with his very eastern european fortress, his retro Rolls Royce and his very Fidel style propaganda posters. since we shot everything in Savannah, we are pleased that it actually does look like a different country. 

NFF: This is a satirical look at family, relationships, and politics, among many other topics. Would you say you approach the world or are you drawn to stories from a place of humor?

Lisa & Joe: We always start with our own stories from our lives. In PARENTAL GUIDANCE we used our real stories with our kids. In Coup D’etat, we used stories from both of us growing up with single moms.  Joe’s mom really did force him to spy on her boyfriends. Lee’s mom really did date a convict because he could fix her car and make her life easier. 

In high school, we were very into punk rock and always wanted to find a way into a story about teens, punk and moms. When Saddam went missing, we imagined him hiding in suburbia and that became the thread to weave our real stories together.  

NFF: Why are you excited to show the film in Nantucket, and/or what do you hope Nantucket audiences will take away?

Lisa & Joe: We love Nantucket. We are from upstate NY and CT and we both went to Connecticut College. We had many summers on New England beaches and on Nantucket, so it feels like home to us. Also, we think Nantucket could use some punk rock and DIY spirit, so, we hope everyone becomes galvanized to spark their own revolutions. 

COUP D'ETAT

Five Questions With... Jeremy S. Levine, Director of FOR AHKEEM

After being expelled from her St. Louis high school, Daje is given a final chance to succeed. Placed in an alternative school for delinquent youth, the strong-willed young woman initially excels, but a new relationship with her classmate Antonio changes both their lives. Set against the charged backdrop of Ferguson, Missouri, FOR AHKEEM is an intimate and frank story of the coming of age of an African-American teenager today.

Read more with Director Jeremy S. Levine, and meet him in person at a screening on Thursday, June 22 at 6:30 PM and/or Friday, June 23, at 9:30 AM!

NFF: How did you meet Daje? Do you have a connection to St. Louis?

Jeremy: We wanted to tell a deeply personal story about what it means to live your life when so many systems are set up against you, when school discipline policies are used to suspend and expel Black students in huge numbers, when the police and the courts assume you are criminal because of your race. We wanted to root the issues in a personal, cinematic narrative that would resonate with audiences on an emotional level. 

So when our Executive Producer Jeff Truesdell told Landon and I about an interesting alternative school in St. Louis designed to break the school-to-prison pipeline, we knew we had to go see it for ourselves. When we got there, we talked with dozens of students and so many of them had amazing stories to tell—there were so many films that could have been made. We started filming with a few students when Daje—who everyone calls “Boonie”—literally walked into the frame and stole the show. From that point forward, it really became about following Boonie as she navigated these crucial adolescent years. While the issue brought us to St. Louis, For Ahkeem is much more of a cinematic coming-of-age story and a film about what we do for those we love.

NFF: You spent over two years documenting this story - when did you know in your mind that the film had enough footage to be complete? Do you still think there's more story here to tell?

Jeremy: Of course, in real life, there’s always more story to tell. Boonie's life continues—she’s had more triumphs and setbacks since we stopped filming. But at some point you need to stop. With this film, we used Boonie's time at the school as a skeleton for the film, so that helped hone in on the timeline. As we filmed, Landon and I would often map out the story elements we had shot to date and where we thought the story was heading, with the idea that we wanted to flesh out a full narrative arc. Then of course real life would intercede, Boonie's life would be thrown a curveball, and we’d have to revisit what this meant for the film. In some sense, it's like writing and rewriting the script, which continued to happen for the next year in the edit. 

NFF: In our current political and cultural climate, it seems things may good worse before they get better for this community. Where do you see things headed in St Louis? Is there hope?

Jeremy: Well a lot of people are saying that about our country at large, which I think is an optimistic way of looking at things. Look, we were in production during the Obama years, and it was clear that Boonie's community was already left behind in so many ways. But, with the new administration, things are certainly only going to get worse for communities like hers, which are among the most vulnerable when services get slashed. 

Do I have hope that things can get better? Yeah, you’ve got to have hope. Before the election, it was possible for some Americans—mostly white Americans—to ignore or deny the persistence of racism. But Trump changed that. There isn’t necessarily more racism in the US now, it’s just more overt now, more out in the open. And maybe now that it’s in the open, we can start to deal with it.

NFF: What surprised or challenged you the most while you were making the film?

Jeremy: When Mike Brown was shot a year into production, that certainly was a pivotal moment for our country, but it was also a monumental event for Boonie—and the film. And it wasn’t because a Black man was shot by the police. How many Black men were shot by the police during the making of our film? What was extraordinary was that the media paid attention, that the people in Ferguson made the country pay attention. 

You could feel that history was in the making and at times, it started to feel like these events might overpower the film. But ultimately we brought the focus back to Boonie and what the events meant for her. Boonie was pregnant at the time and the situation in Ferguson forced her to grapple with the reality of raising a Black boy in America today.

NFF: Why are you excited to show the film in Nantucket, and/or what do you hope Nantucket audiences will take away?

Jeremy: I grew up spending my favorite weeks of the summer in Cape Cod, so it’s really amazing to be able to bring the film to audiences in Nantucket. I imagine for a lot of folks on the island, Boonie's circumstances will be pretty different than what they experienced growing up. But her story will move you, regardless of your background. Ultimately, we hope the film will inspire people to get involved and fight for a better future for her and Ahkeem.

Five Questions With... Nina Horowitz and Alexandra Liveris, Directors of Short Docs THE MARGARET LAMBERT STORY and EYES OF EXODUS

We spoke with Nina Horowitz, director of THE MARGARET LAMBERT STORY and Alexandra Liveris, director of EYES OF EXODUS, both included in DOCUMENTARY SHORTS: LIFE JOURNEYS, screening on Thursday, June 22 at 11:15 AM. Read more with Nina and Alexandra below, and check out their films this week at Bennett Hall!

NFF (To Nina and Alexandra): How did you first become acquainted with and interested in your subjects' life and story?

Nina: There is a famous quote from the author Virginia Wolff,  “If you do not tell the truth about yourself you cannot tell it about other people.” Here is my truth, I am Jewish and I was a competitive high jumper in both high school and college. I was vaguely familiar with the story and the rumors about Margaret Lambert, but I did not know much more than she was unable to compete in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Life can be full of unexpected opportunities, and when I was asked to work with the Olympic Channel and develop films to showcase the impact of the Olympic Games , I knew this was the story I wanted to explore and document.

Alexandra: I started filming EYES OF EXODUS while visiting my grandfather’s birthplace. I was struck by the surreal dynamic of locals, vacationers, and refugees coexisting side-by-side on this fairytale island. It wasn’t until I became engaged in the underbelly of the town, did I understand that this coexistence wasn’t surreal, it is our global reality— only visually heightened when you are dealing with a population of 300.

NFF (To Nina): Can you talk a little bit about obtaining the archival footage and material/s? How difficult was that process?

Nina: I thoroughly enjoyed the work involved with searching and finding archival footage for this film, and I had decided early on that the perfect archival would be critical to sharing Margaret’s story. Our subjects in the film generously donated old photos, articles and videos for us to use in the film. Another leading provider of archival in the film was our distributor, The Olympic Channel, who had an impressive and unlimited bank of archival from every recorded Olympic game, specifically from the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games, which were the first ever broadcast live to the world.

NFF (To Alexandra): Immigration is a hotly contested topic all over the world right now. Do you think your film might be able to provide some perspective on the global refugee crisis?

Alexandra: My intent was to make a short film that humanized both the refugee and local experience during a small, but crucial part of the Syrian refugee crisis—the first stop into Europe. I was interested in using Kastellorizo as a microcosm to explore how this global crisis affects all of our choices and destinies, refugee or not. Kastellorizo only has a population of 300 and for this reason it is easier to show all sides of humanity more clearly. My main focus was showing something that is not often talked about--the difficulties of altruism. 

NFF (To Nina and Alexandra): What surprised and/or challenged you the most while you were making the film?

Nina: One of the biggest surprises, which may sound funny, was Margaret Lambert herself.  At 103 years old, she still recounts her life narrative with such clarity and passion. It became a huge inspiration for the film.  I was also surprised how the people closest to her shared her story with clarity  and without the resentment or anger that some might have expected toward her persecutors. Margaret's attitude and acceptance of her history are compelling and at times, emotionally wrenching. She is an exemplar of positivity. She lost a title and the opportunity for a gold medal, but she gained a life in the US that she valued more than anything else.

Alexandra: The different reactions my refugee friends had to the island. A few very young men told me that they wished they never came to Kastellorizo because they expected the Red Cross to be available to them and they didn’t have enough money to buy hotel rooms and food from the locals. Another couple were happy to spend a few days on the island after surviving war torn Syria so they could enjoy the honeymoon they never had. 

NFF (To Nina and Alexandra): Why are you excited to show the film in Nantucket, and/or what do you hope Nantucket audiences will take away?

Nina: I cannot wait to show my film and meet some of the incredible filmmakers that I'll be featured alongside.  This is a distinguished festival, I’m absolutely thrilled to be included in this year’s program.  I'm looking forward to seeing as many films as possible and eating delicious seafood.

I hope the audience is moved, inspired and can also laugh a little. Margaret lived in a time of great political uncertainty, yet she found ways to recreate herself and to honor her past. At 103 she is able to be grateful for the life she has had. My goal is to have us all pause, reflect and recognize that if we are lucky, the road is long and our stories can inspire generations to come.

Alexandra: I know that Nantucket is a community of compassion and with 1/113 people worldwide currently living as refugees, I hope that EYES OF EXODUS will inspire an environment of continual education and compassion on a very complex issue.