Navigating all the films and special screenings at Salem Film Fest is always a challenge. There's gotta be an easier way! This year we have created a convenient downloadable schedule grid to help you plan your own schedule at the fest. You can download it by clicking the link below. It will also be included in our program book - which you can pick up at CinemaSalem starting on Friday March 2nd.Book Grid spread 2.12 finis
Filmmaker Spotlight--Catching up with Andrew Shea
This year we have a new film by Salem Film Fest alum Andrew Shea, director of PORTRAIT OF WALLY, which screened in 2013. This year, we will be screening his new film, WRESTLING ALLIGATORS, which focuses on James Billie, once Chairman of the Seminole Tribe of Florida, as well as a musician, soldier, and yes, alligator wrestler. Engaging, thought-provoking, informative, and entertaining, WRESTLING ALLIGATORS is a film that effortlessly handles the complexity of its subject. I had a chance to talk to Andrew about his life outside of filmmaking and ask him to predict the future (which he did).
KCS: What do you do professionally outside of filmmaking?
AS: I’m a professor at the University of Texas at Austin in the Department of Radio, Television and Film. I’m also the associate chair here. I teach directing and film production classes, and I help administer the production and screen-writing side of the department.
KCS: I was doing a little research on you, and I noticed that you have a pretty diverse background. You’ve done theater and you’ve done some feature narrative films along with your documentary films. Can you talk about your early influences and how you became interested in performing arts and filmmaking?
AS: Yeah, I was interested in theater from really a very young age and was acting in the plays when I was a student in middle school and then high school. When I got to college I just immediately began taking acting and directing classes, and that was my main focus in my college years. Really my goal was to be a theater director and beyond that even, my dream was to start a regional professional theater somewhere, and I eventually had the opportunity to do that after a bit of a detour to law school for three years. I founded and for eight years served as the artistic director of a regional professional theatre company in New Mexico, but eventually I segued into filmmaking.
I’m not quite sure what inspired me. There wasn’t one thing. I think I felt like eventually I was going to want to have that opportunity to have a broader audience for my work, so I moved into filmmaking. But yes, my first three films were all narrative films and then about 10 years ago I began moving toward documentary, and it wasn’t part of a master plan. It was just that a really great story presented itself to me, PORTRAIT OF WALLY. I just felt like it suited my background and my understanding of the law, because I do have a law degree. And I just have continued making documentaries for the last couple of years, although I fully intend to return to fiction. My next project actually, I think will be a fiction film.
KCS: So is that something you’ve already started work on in terms of writing a script et cetera?
AS: It’s actually a play that a friend of mine in Los Angeles has written. He’s a very talented actor and writer and I’ve known him for many many years. He actually acted in a play for me in New Mexico in the 80s and he’s written a play that I really love. He’s going to adapt it into a screenplay. So we’re just starting work on that project now.
KCS: I’m curious to know a little bit about your personal taste in film. Would you be willing to hazard a guess as to what film might win best picture this year, or tell us about any great documentaries you’ve seen this year that we ought to run out and see right away?
AS: You know, I’ve been watching more fiction films that documentaries right now because I get the DGA [Directors Guild of America] screeners. Because I’ve got young kids we don’t get out to the movies that much, so most of the movies I watch this time of year are DVDs sent to me by the DGA. I don’t know which film is going to win Best Picture, but I loved MANCHESTER BY THE SEA. I did think that was a great, great film. That’s close to home for you there in Massachusetts. I think MOONLIGHT is an extremely strong film also. I’d bet on one of those, but I’m not a wizard by any means. I don’t have a crystal ball, but I do think that they’re both remarkable. So that would be my take on that.
There are so many good documentaries out there right now, but I’m way behind. I finally watched WEINER not that long ago, and I was particularly interested in it because I’m making at the moment a pure vérité film about Buzz Bissinger. I was just interested in the filmmaking approach that the WEINER filmmaker’s had taken. I’m a native New Yorker too, so the story was, I thought, extremely well-done.
KCS: I haven’t actually seen WEINER yet. I’ll have to get on that.
AS: Like a lot of successful vérité stories, filmmakers just happened to be there when things developed between Weiner and his wife and also between Weiner and the New York voting community in a very unexpected way. They were expecting the film to be about his comeback when he ran for mayor of New York, but they weren’t expecting it so much to be about the final nail in the coffin of his marriage when yet another episode of his sexting was uncovered in the New York tabloids. From a filmmaking standpoint, they were in the right place at the right time.
KCS: It does seem that a lot of great documentaries benefit from a stroke of luck. As you said—being in the right place at the right time.
AS: The vérité stories do. But in my personal experience, you just need to be willing to wait and to be there. And eventually those moments or that moment will happen. With PORTRAIT OF WALLY, my last film, that was really about the settlement of the case and the unpacking of the painting itself in this federal warehouse in Queens. We knew that we needed to wait until something broke in the story like that. But that wasn’t as much of a vérité film as WEINER or my new documentary about Bissinger.
KCS: I think a lot of our viewership will remember PORTRAIT OF WALLY. We showed that in 2013 I believe.
AS: Yep, that’s probably right. I wish I could have come out there. I lived in Massachusetts for 10 years. I went to college at Hampshire out in western Mass, and I went to Boston for four years after that, and I went to law school at Northeastern. I miss New England and Massachusetts in particular. But as you can understand I’m sure, I’m teaching classes every day and it’s a big trip to Massachusetts for me.
KCS: Yeah, from Texas it’s a long journey. Well, you know you’re making movies, so maybe we’ll be able to get you out here in the future.
AS: I would love to. I love it up there. I miss Massachusetts. I would love to visit with you—would love to come to the festival one year. It would be great.
KCS: Well, we’ll keep up with you and follow how BUZZED is going.
AS: That’s at least another year from being finished but it will be done eventually. I’ll let you know.
KCS: Alright that sounds good. I have just one final question I ask pretty frequently to satisfy my own curiosity and film voyeurism. If you were stuck on a deserted island for the rest of your life, and you only had three films to watch, what would you choose?
AS: [Laughs] You mean other than my own films? Oh gosh, you know, probably DR STRANGELOVE would be one of them, maybe CASABLANCA. I can’t think off hand what that third film would be. I’m just gonna stick with those two. You know, I’ll tell you what, I’ll say CHINATOWN as my third film.
KCS: That’s a pretty good list of heavy-hitters, so I think you’ll be all set.
AS: That dates me obviously as someone whose taste was frozen in the 60s and 70s. Be that as it may, those are my choices.
This is a good time to note that MOONLIGHT won best picture, so it's possible Andrew is more wizard than he's letting on. I did talk to Andrew about WRESTLING ALLIGATORS, but that bit of the conversation had a lot of spoilers, so it will be posted after the film has screened. Be sure to check back here after you watch it! WRESTLING ALLIGATORS screens Friday, March 3rd at 2:30, at PEM, Morse Auditorium.
Filmmaker Spotlight: Catching up with SFF Alum Michael Collins
MichaelCollins' film GIVE UP TOMORROW was shown at SFF 2012 and this year he returns to Salem Film Fest with ALMOST SUNRISE. SFF program director Jeff Schmidt caught up with the Michael to talk about his work as a documentary filmmaker.
JS: How did you first get into filmmaking?
I stumbled into filmmaking sort of by accident. I have always loved documentaries and believed in their power to galvanize change, and in 2004 I heard about a story of injustice that I knew had to be told. It was of a young man in the Philippines, Paco Larrañaga, who was on death row for a crime he clearly did not commit.I tried to encourage the few filmmakers I knew to tell the story but soon realized I would be doing it myself. My friend Marty and I quit our jobs, bought a camera and set off for the Philippines. I still remember reading the instruction on the flight. That film was GIVE UP TOMORROW and we spent about 7 years with it and the FREE PACO NOW impact campaign.
JS: GIVE UP TOMORROW won the editing award at Salem Film Fest 2012, can you update us on Paco's situation and your experiences in making the film?
Paco’s father is Spanish, so Spain and the Philippines signed a prisoner exchange treaty to get him out of there. He now lives in San Sebastian Spain where he is safe and enjoying a much fuller life. He is still technically a prisoner because under the treaty he has to complete his sentence in Spain - this is frustrating because the Spanish government knows he is innocent. But within their system he’s been able to complete cooking school and has now begun working as a chef. We continue to fight for his complete exoneration.
JS: This year, we'll be showing your new film ALMOST SUNRISE, what compelled you to want to tell this story?
Back in 2012, I was volunteering for a veteran’s organization creating a video. One particular day, my interview subject casually mentioned, “Twenty-two veterans kill themselves every day.” It stopped me in my tracks. I thought I had misheard. I didn’t. That was a pivotal moment for me in the journey to make this film. I realized that there was a crisis in this country, taking place right in front of our eyes, one to which many of us, including myself, were blind. In that moment I knew my next film had to be about the veteran and military family experience. I wanted audience to have the opportunity that I was having, to hear their stories, walk in their shoes, and feel that connection and sense of responsibility to tackle these issues they are facing, together.
JS: How did you approach Tom Voss and Anthony Anderson, the veterans featured in the film?
I came across a video online where Tom and Anthony were trying to raise some funds to support their walk across the country. I recognized Anthony as one of the veterans I had interviewed months before and immediately reached out.
I could see that they were using this journey to not only call attention to the issues veterans were facing, but to heal themselves. It seemed like the perfect vehicle for a documentary and we agreed our goals were very much in-line. They saw the potential to reach a wider audience with their message, and I saw the opportunity to follow a very personal, character-driven story that could, if they achieved their goal to heal, be used as a tool to inspire so many.
JS: As a documentary filmmaker, what motivates and inspires you?
There is so much about this process that motivates me from the production to the impact distribution campaign. I am endlessly inspired by those who are brave enough to share their stories in the hopes of helping others. I get to see just how extraordinary real people are when you take the time to get to know them; how the true heroes in society are not fictionalized characters, but our neighbors.
I meet so many people while shooting the film and at screenings who open themselves up as a way to uplift those around them – witnessing this fills me more gratitude than I can put into words.
JS: As we celebrate 10 years of Salem Film Fest, what do you think is the importance of documentary film in our daily lives and society?
Documentaries connect people. They give us the chance to walk in someone else’s shoes and break down these illusions of “otherness”. As we see that we are all a part of the same human family, we feel close. When we experience the problems of the world as our very own, we take responsibility any way we can.
Along with ALMOST SUNRISE, we have the Moving Mountains Impact Campaign that we’ve launched to help connect veterans and civilians alike. I invite everyone to learn more about it on our website (www.AlmostSunriseMovie.com) and see how we can all work together to truly welcome our troops home.
ALMOST SUNRISE screens on Saturday, March 4 at 8:35pm at PEM
Meet the organizer--a conversation with selection committee member Debra Longo
By far, the best part of being an organizer of the Salem Film Fest is all of the wonderful people who do the work with you. I have personally made connections with people who I would never have had a chance to meet and work with if not for this festival. One of those people is Debra Longo, a documentary producer herself, who has helped with marketing and serves on the programming committee. Having served on the selection committee from 2007-2011 as the only woman, I was delighted when the committee expanded, and more women were added to the team. Deb was one of the first and she’s stuck with it ever since. She took some time to answer a few questions about her background in film and how she came to become a part of the Salem Film Force.
KCS: How did you first hear of the Salem Film Fest, and had you attended prior to becoming a committee member?
DL: I first heard about Salem Film Fest through my partner, Don Nadeau, who I am pretty sure is also the festival’s number one fan. I worked in the film industry at the time and frequented many film festivals as a producer, but had never gone to a festival just to be a member of the audience. It was an entirely different experience –no angst over how a film I had had a hand in would be received and no pressure to not mess up in front of an audience. I was hooked immediately.
KCS: What year did you become involved?
DL: I first got involved with the festival in 2011. Don forwarded me a social media post by festival co-founder Joe Cultrera who was looking for help with marketing. At the time I was marketing films professionally for the film company that I was working with. I contacted him and about a week or so later I met with co-founder Paul Van Ness at Jaho for coffee to discuss what was needed and things took off from there.
KCS: When did you join the programming committee and what made you say yes?
DL: In 2012 Jeff [Schmidt] and Joe [Cultrera] asked me if I wanted to join the programming committee. Programming involves watching dozens and dozens and dozens of documentaries over a four-month period and getting together for semi-regular “marathon” meetings with other programming committee members to discuss each film and determine the line up. I didn’t hesitate to say yes. While the time commitment can be fairly daunting – one year I watched nearly 80 films, and I still didn’t see every film that made the line up! In all honesty I feel like I hit the jackpot of volunteer gigs. I get to watch hundreds of incredible films and have thought-provoking discussions about them with a tight group of highly intelligent, passionate, and good-hearted souls. It’s a dream gig.
KCS: How did you become involved in the film industry as a producer?
DL: I had been working as a technical writer at an IT firm in Boston. It was during the “.com” boom and technical writing jobs were in abundance. I am avid cyclist, and at the time I was looking to live somewhere where I would never have to put my bicycle away for the winter. The job was a just a means to make it happen. I was starting to organize my life in this manner when I got a call from my sister who told me that the entrepreneur that she had been working for was starting a film company and needed someone to help him research story ideas, write, etc. She thought it was right up my alley. So I did what anyone else would do when presented with the opportunity of a lifetime: I said “no thanks, I am going to go out west so that I can ride my bike all year.” To which she said, “well, I already told him about you and there is no harm in a conversation.”
Soon thereafter I met him for what was meant to be a 30-45 minute conversation before work. We ended up talking for 3 hours and he offered me a job. I agreed to work with him for 6 months, after which we would reassess and I was likely going to pack up and move out west. I ended up staying for over a dozen years.
During the course of these years I came face to face with some giant thinkers and doers all of whom are helping to push the world forward. There was Father Christopher Hartley, a priest stationed in the Dominican Republic who was working tirelessly to improve the working and living conditions of the Haitian sugarcane workers living on the bateyes [a settlement situated around a sugar mill]. There was Regina Kelly, a single mother of four who was falsely accused of dealing drugs and rather than take the plea, she against all odds fought the charges risking the possibility of going to prison where many of those in her community who had also been accused ended up. And there was Maria Gunnoe, standing on the front lines of coal country waging war against the grotesque practice of mountaintop top removal mining. And these were just a handful of the folks that we met, interviewed, and ultimately made films with - each of whom left an indelible mark on my soul and in my heart, and all of whom taught me more about the kind of person that I want to be.
KCS: What is your most memorable Salem Film Fest moment?
DL: I think my most memorable film fest moments are the ones that happen behind the scenes. One in particular that comes to mind is when one of the programming committee members came to our final committee meeting of the year dressed as the character from a doc that was in contention for the last spot in the festival line-up. Collectively we screen over a hundred films every year for approximately 35 slots. Needless to say we have to make some very difficult choices, particularly at the end of the process. Whenever he walked in to the room in character we all burst out laughing.
KCS: Which film was the most unforgettable?
DL: Gosh we screen so many incredible films. Perhaps the most memorable film for me was last year’s THE BABUSHKAS OF CHERNOBYL. I still think about those women, all that they endured and all that they represent both in terms of the resiliency of the human spirit and the power of life to go on.
KCS: What’s your favorite doc-watching snack?
My favorite documentary-watching snack hands down is blue corn tortilla strips. Of course my partner Don is allergic to corn…so don’t tell him ☺
Your secret is safe with me. And also now the entire Internet. But don't worry--we’ve got your back.
If you see something you particularly like this weekend, maybe a film that makes you think about something a little differently, or a film that makes you feel a little bit closer to people in other parts of the world with very different experiences than your own, take a moment to leave us a note on Facebook or if you see an organizer, don’t be shy about flagging us down to tell us what you liked (or didn’t for that matter). The ultimate pay off for the selection committee members is when we get to see you, the attendees, experience these films.
Filmmaker Spotlight: Catching up with SFF Alum Amy Nicholson
AmyNicholson's film MUSKRAT LOVELY was shown at SFF 2009 and she also screened ZIPPER at SFF 2013. This year she returns to Salem Film Fest with the short PICKLE. SFF program director Jeff Schmidt caught up with Amy to talk about her work as a documentary filmmaker.
JS: How did you first get into filmmaking?
AN: I got into filmmaking as a result of losing a job! True story. After 9/11, I was laid off from my big advertising gig - along with a lot of people - and a friend recommended I take courses at NYU. The first year of Tisch can be covered in 2 summer sessions, and the second course requires that you make an 8-10 minute film. I made my first short, BEAUTY SCHOOL in that class and it got into a bunch of festivals. Then I was hooked.
JS: We first met you at SFF 2009, when we screened MUSKRAT LOVELY and then again at SFF 2013 with ZIPPER. Can you talk about filming those documentaries and give us any updates on what has happened to your film subjects or Coney Island since we screened those films?
AN: Well, MUSKRAT LOVELY was my first feature. It was a bit overwhelming, but I knew I had to do a lot of homework and get to know the people before I could film in a small, close-knit community. By the time we went to shoot, we were getting lunch made for us on the days when we had interviews. It was amazing. I still keep in touch with most of the people from the film and I attend The Outdoor Show - the main even in the film - every year my schedule allows.As far as Coney Island goes, I have lost touch with a few of the guys, but I am still very close with one of the carnies. Of course, it’s been 8 years and the city has not built any affordable housing or made any infrastructure improvements (the excuses for that massive rezoning), BUT they have managed to force out all but a couple of the old timers and sanitize the amusement area. It’s really sad. ZIPPER was a really hard film to make, but I will never regret it; it’s a piece of history.
JS: This year, we'll be showing your most recent film, a short called PICKLE. I understand you didn't have to travel far to find the subjects for this film?
AN: Spoiler alert: the stars of the film are my Dad and his wife, Debbie. It never occurred to me to ever film any of the animals over the years so it wasn’t as obvious a choice for a doc as it seems. However, it was so fun after ZIPPER’s grueling 7 years to make a film in 9 months.
JS: As a documentary filmmaker, what motivates and inspires you?
AN: That’s a big question and hard to boil down. The one thing I can say is that I am endlessly fascinated by people and life and the underbelly of humor that is always present - even in death. My favorite part of making any film is getting to know the people and getting them "in on” the project. I try to treat them as participants more than subjects. It’s very tricky to have fun with a subject without poking fun. I like the challenge of trying to walk that line.
JS: As we celebrate 10 years of Salem Film Fest, what do you think is the importance of documentary film in our daily lives and society?
AN: With all the social media and news and fake news and instant everything that can be uploaded all day every day, I still feel like documentary is a curated world. That doesn’t mean bad films don’t get made and slip through, but for the most part, it’s really hard to get a documentary in front of the public. They are vetted through funding, festivals, distributors and acquisitions and good documentaries have a certain level of art mixed with journalism that I think we need more than ever.
PICKLE screens as part of SHORTS BLOCK 2 on Sunday, March 5 at 12:15pm at The National Park Service Visitors Center
