Your upcoming movie Then What Happens - in a few words,
what's it going to be about?
The storyline is about an Israeli
up-and-coming dancer who loses her ability to dance. We meet her after the
fact. She can’t go back to how things were, but is not ready to “move
on” either, so she finds herself in Brooklyn with the goal of buying
herself time. We join her during that period, where she gets to explore
who she is without her story, without her circumstances. What were your sources of
inspiration when writing Then What Happens? And is any of the film
autobiographical, actually? Human
connection, films and music, places and time... struggles and pain. This
is a story about being brave enough to let go before you can see the other
side. I’ve lived through such an experience, as I’m sure we all do at
different intersections in our lives. Life is a strange thing. It seems
that you need to learn to let many parts of you die, before you trust that
circumstances can never rob you of who you essentially are. And
sometimes it’s a good conversation and even mentorship. In the process
of writing the script, Ido Angel, an amazing Israeli writer who I hope
you’ll get to be able to read some day, gave me valuable feedback that
helped me concentrate on what’s important and let go of caging
preconceptions about writing. It’s not an exchange of knowledge or
skills, but when something is said in a certain way at a certain time, it
can change everything in a second. And there’s no end to this process,
of course.
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From what I know, your film
will put an emphasis on dancing and Origami folding - why these forms of
artistic expression, and how do you go about bringing them to the screen? Mia's
choice of Origami is random. It doesn’t mean anything to her and
doesn’t exist in her world of values as dance did, for example, and
that’s why it appeals to her. But
what’s interesting and subtle about Origami is that the model you see
– as complex as it might be – is not the truth or the core of the
object; it’s just one of many possible expressions of that piece of
paper, just as being a dancer is of that woman. Particularly
in Origami, you rarely cut or glue or manipulate the paper in any way –
you take its basic features as a given and work with them. When it comes
to people, it’s harder to respect that boundary. You'll
also appear in front of the camera in Then What Happens, right? So
what can you tell us about your character, what will you draw upon to
bring her to life, and have you written her with yourself in mind? Yes.
I write characters that I want to play. Inevitably Mia and I have a lot in
common. The main element is a very turbulent inner life within a seemingly
peaceful exterior. It’s not so much that I wrote “her” with myself
in mind; it’s that I used myself, my worldview, my sensitivities, and
allowed them to be expressed through another personality and different
circumstances.
What
can you tell us about the rest of your projected key cast and crew, and
why exactly these people?
I am grateful for having very
talented people on board already. They include:
Stacey Maltin, producer:
She is also talented writer and actress, and just recently wrapped her
feature Landing Up, directed by Dani Tenenbaum.
Steven Latta, cinematographer:
I met him through NY-based French filmmaker Estelle Artus, and immediately
fell in love with his eye, attention to detail and understanding of text.
Lucas Rainey, castmember: We’ve worked together before in front of the camera, and his
fluidity and craft blew me away. I wrote one of the characters with him in
mind.
Michi Kanno, castmember: We met at Taro’s Origami in Park Slope, where I hung out quite a
lot over the past two years as part of my research. She is an Origami
instructor, and I offered her the same role in my film. She was perfect
for it.
Justin West,
music: I came across his work in mysterious ways (one of the roles in the
film has the same name), and adored his music. He agreed to collaborate
and allow me to use his song Cold Coffee in the film.
You are still running a
fundraiser for Then What Happens, right? So what can you tell us
about your campaign?
Yes! The fundraising page
- http://igg.me/at/
thenwhathappens -
is on IndieGoGo and will run through mid October. What we raise
will enable us to shoot the film, as planned, this December.
Pre-production is already underway, and we are looking forward to making
it. What I enjoy about the campaign
and the way it’s set is that I get to offer meaningful perks to
supporters and to keep in touch with them through the process. So it’s
not just about raising funds; it’s about building a community of people
who care about and share similar passions.
Any future
projects beyond Then What Happens?
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There
is a comedy series in the oven, and a meta-style side project in
development. I’m also looking forward to seeing an (outlined)
improvisation-based film by Wes Ciesla I was cast for as lead role earlier
this year, which is currently in post-production. Your/your
movie's website, Facebook, IndieGoGo, whatever else?
Thanks for asking.
Our IndieGoGo Page
- http://igg.me/at/thenwhathappens -
has it all, with links to other sites as well.
Anything
else you're dying to mention and I have merely forgotten to ask? You
covered all the essentials. Thanks! Thanks
for the interview!
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