Festival in our own backyard. It’s resonating with different audiences who identify with the issues we broach. We have completed final negotiations with an international film distributor, which means people will be able to access the film more easily. The film also did something special. It brought a group of us together and tested our ability to work with each other. We passed that test with flying colors and my hope is that this film will be the launching pad to many successful films to come. In fact, we are already in production for our new film, written by Jeffrey Grover with me returning as DP and co-producer. It is a SAG-AFTRA short film titled “Between the Lines,” and we can’t wait to see its journey once completed in early fall. ROUGHSTOCK When a beat up, busted down cowboy and former big time professional bull rider’s life collapses after a rodeo accident, which leaves him with a permanent limp and a lost sense of identity, he must overcome his hardships in order to save the sole remaining love in his life, wife Delia. Writen, directed and edited by Jessica Baclesse Produced by Laura Teodosio Interview with Jessica Baclesse What was the hardest part about making this film? One of the hardest parts was the remote setting of the film. My producer, Laura, and I felt very strongly that we needed to shoot in a small town that had a rodeo culture ingrained into it. We found the town of Burns, OR, and the Harney County Fair to be a perfect location, but being 6 hours from the nearest major city, it posed many logistical hurdles. Once there, the town was welcoming and exactly what we wanted, and the challenges of weather, long shooting days and the reality of shooting during an actual fair and rodeo were overcome one by one. What inspired you to tackle this subject? Several years ago, I had a very intense knee injury and surgery. The pain and loss of independence were significant and emotionally it was very stressful. I began thinking about how it would feel if my identity were tied to my ability to do something physical and suddenly that was yanked away. It would be devastating. That was how the story of Riley and Delia began. What did you find most rewarding about the experience? The work of the cast, crew and everyone in Burns and on the crowd funding campaign that lent their time, effort, space or money was amazing. It really is spectacular what a group of people can create together and the generosity of everyone that contributed to the film is very inspiring. What do you hope to achieve with this film? This film was the culmination of two years of writing and working. To have it represent my MFA degree makes me extremely proud, and honestly, just the fact that we actually made this film—on tiny budget film with real cowboys and real bulls and real carnival rides—is an achievement! What’s next for you? Right now, we are working on the feature version of the script. It recently made it into the 2015 Academy Nicholl Screenplay Competition Quarterfinals and we hope to start attaching cast soon. Please contact us if you are interested in becoming involved in the full-length version. SERAGLIO An adulterous tale that begins with a cabbage. Writen and directed by Gail Lerner and Colin Campbell Produced by Gail Lerner, Colin Campbell and Martin Huberty Interview with Gail Lerner What was the hardest part about making this film? Colin and I both come from theater backgrounds, and “Seraglio” was our first film project. We had never worked with a film crew before and were totally new to the technological aspects of filmmaking. Learning on the fly how to work with our crew and communicate in a new visual language was always thrilling and occasionally terrifying. What inspired you to tackle this subject? We were intrigued by the idea of telling a romantic mystery story with an unlikely heroine. Originally, when we were seeking funding, we were told very emphatically from a high-level production company that our script was “gross” and that “no one will want to see this.” Needless to say, we didn’t get any funds from them! But their insistence that the story we wanted to tell wasn’t worth telling did make us double down in our desire to persevere and prove them wrong. We hope SFF@ NST viewers agree with us! What did you find most rewarding about the experience? Writing and directing are usually solitary efforts. We are a married couple who each write and direct individually, so the chance to collaborate together on every aspect of this film was a rare treat. What do you hope to achieve with this film? “Seraglio” was actually completed in 1999. In 2000, it was nominated for an Academy Award, which was a completely unexpected and thrilling honor. It exceeded all of our wildest dreams. What’s next for you? Our two biggest productions after “Seraglio” were our children, Ruby and Hart. They have been playing in Los Angeles since 2002 and 2005. In April of 2015, Gail wrote and directed a new short film, “Raise the ToyGantic,” which was edited by Colin. She is currently a writer and director on the ABC sitcom “Black-ish.” TIME 2 SPLIT A couple with a young child makes the painful decision to separate. Writen, directed and produced by Fabrice Bracq Interview with Fabrice Bracq What was the hardest part about making this film? The most difficult to do this film was to make it with very little money. It has indeed been produced with less than 4000 dollars. And the money was used to pay the technicians. The hardest part was to make all the effects without tricks and without money. We had to be very careful and patient to obtain the effects of “split.” For the actors it would be difficult because we had to play and be credible staying within a strict framework. What inspired you to tackle this subject? This film is actually a second film on the “split.” I made six months before, another short “Split time” with the same concept of “split.” He spoke of an encounter. It encouraged me to do a sequel. But I wanted this one to be independent and be seen without having seen the first film. I thought the break of a couple was very suited to the concept of “split.” What did you find most rewarding about the experience? The most rewarding was to go to the multitudes of festivals and see the audience be moved by this film in 5 minutes. What do you hope to achieve with this film? I wanted this film to be very creative and moving without dialogue and with a very short duration. I wanted the single image allows the viewer to move from a classical and international situation. What’s next for you? I am currently working on a feature film that is in the comedy but which would also be very creative. North Shore Towers Courier n September 2015 23 Time 2 Split Roughstock Seraglio
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