Behind the Scenes of SFF 2022 - Co-Director, Sadry Assouad

This post was written by Zoe, Summer, Caitlin, Cate, Arielle, Martha, Madeleine, Yasen, Celine, Lilly, Lia, Lauren, Griffen, and Griffin -- Marblehead High School's glorious G block AP Language and Composition class. Salem Film Fest is grateful to MHS Teacher Connor Ryan who worked with his students to explore this year’s festival.

SFF 2022 Co-Director Sadry Assouad - Photo by Shane’s Maine Photography

Sadry Assouad and Michael Johnson served as Co-Directors of the 2022 Salem Film Fest. After two years of virtual screenings, SFF returned to in-person screenings in both Salem and Beverly. Assouad shared some of his thoughts regarding this year’s festival.

MHS: How long have you been working with Salem Film Fest and how did you get involved?

Sadry Assouad: I joined as a volunteer in 2013. I’ve always loved films, so volunteering at a local fest was something that intrigued me. When I first joined I volunteered in a variety of ways including driving filmmakers, helping out with crowd control, and overall making sure it was a positive experience for everyone. A few years after that, they reached out to me with the opportunity to step in as Sponsorship Director. I continued to be that for a few years, and then this year stepped into the role of [festival] Co-Director. My role as Co-Director is to make sure we get to show films on opening night and throughout the festival so that everyone has a great time. There's not a specific job description for my role because as Co-Director when problems arise, you are responsible for creating solutions for them.

CLAYDREAM Director Marq Evans introduced by SFF Co-Directors Sadry Assouad and Michael Johnson - Photo by Joey Phoenix, Creative Collective

MHS: What challenges did Salem Film Fest face throughout the pandemic?

SA: This past year was particularly challenging because we basically had to plan for two festivals. Some theaters opened up again, but restrictions and the specter of another variant potentially shutting everything down made us want to make sure we had a contingency plan in place. We decided to go hybrid with both an in-person and virtual fest, so in the event that a variant came and shut down the state, we would still be able to promote and show the films that we selected. Two years ago, we had over 30 films selected and (after the pandemic occurred) the question was: what do we do? We couldn’t push them off to next year because it wouldn’t be as relevant. Ultimately we decided to go virtual and that is where we introduced the streaming element to the fest. We essentially pivoted to streaming in order to be able to still show the films and also do well by our community partners and sponsors.

MHS: What do you do outside of Salem Film Fest? And how do you manage your time between both?

SA: I work for a company that provides language services. If you have a website and you need that to be localized in a different language because you’re going to be marketing a product abroad, we would take the content, process it, and localize it to that particular market. My role is Director of Operations; we have many people abroad, in-country linguists that we partner with, who actually produce the translations, and the team inside that essentially takes those translations and makes sure that they can render properly in the context that they need to be rendered in, and my role is essentially to make sure that we can scale to the demand, and meet schedule deadlines, and so, I’m kind of the man behind the curtain.

Most of my Fest time (has been) after hours and weekends. It’s like juggling a few bowling balls, and certainly not easy… when you work on something that you feel matters, it gives you more energy, and helps you stay with it. Family is more of a consideration, because the Fest time is normally your free time, and that free time is usually spent building a LEGO set with my son. So those are the tough choices, and that’s really where the challenge is.

Sadry Assouad introduces LOST AND FOUND IN PARIS at SFF 2022 - Photo by Shane’s Maine Photography

MHS: What makes Salem Film Fest unique compared to other festivals?

SA: The films that are at the festival are not films that you are likely going to catch on certain streaming services. We feature mostly independent films and some that don't even have distribution yet. It is important to us to promote these films so they can find their way and get the visibility that they need to be successful…[The festival] is not just about the filmmaker, it's also about the North Shore community, and we are lucky to be supported by a large number of organizations. The festival is an opportunity to put the spotlight on film for sure, but it's also an opportunity to put the spotlight on the local business that essentially sponsored that particular film. So that is something I really love about this fest; it's very community-based.

Honey Colored Joy

Salem Film Fest is happy to be collaborating with Marblehead High School on some of this year’s Blog Posts and we are grateful to MHS Teacher Connor Ryan who has been working with his students in exploring this year’s festival.

Honey Colored Joy

by Summer Genovese

My size six, freshly shined, leather dress-shoes are under a half inch of water, my dad’s loafers the same. I scamper through the pouring rain, one of my father’s steps for three of my own. We have just left my newly nine-year-old older sister and my mom for their makeovers after our full-family tea party at the Four Seasons. Anticipation thrums in the wet air; my dad and I have a movie to catch. Entering the subway, we are astonished by the steady stream of water accumulating. I look up to my dad as he feverishly searches his pockets for his metrocard. An MBTA worker waves us through the flooding turnstile, a wide grin splashing across his  face.

Wet, worried moments pass by. Finally, we take our seats with the popcorn and candy we wordlessly agree mom won’t hear about. Once again, I look up to my dad and meet his gaze. I see his white teeth shining blue, illuminated by the opening credits on the screen, as he shares a seldomly shown smile. The bubbly intro music replaces the sound of popcorn crunching, our eyes turn to the front of the room. I shimmy down in my seat, snatch a handful of buttery goodness, and a feeling of honey colored joy washes over me.

 My soft silk-lined dress sticks to my skin along with the feeling of honey colored joy.

Filmmaker Spotlight: Eric Metzgar, Director of A ONCE AND FUTURE PEACE

In Seattle, communities are working to break the cycle of incarceration utilizing a promising new restorative justice program based on Indigenous peace-making circles. Through beautifully crafted animation, the film follows “Andy,” a teenager facing felony charges, and his family as they work through the program shepherded by Saroeum, a former gang leader from Revere, Massachusetts. As they look at the status of the broken justice system—prosecutors, judges, and those running the program ask: how much is our society willing to invest to truly change the trajectory of our communities for the better?

A ONCE AND FUTURE PEACE can be streamed from anywhere in the United States during the virtual portion of Salem Film Fest which runs through Sunday, April 3.

Eric Metzgar directed LIFE. SUPPORT. MUSIC., which won the Audience Award at SFF 2009 and edited ALMOST SUNRISE (SFF 2017) and GIVE UP TOMORROW, which won the Editing Award at SFF 2012. SFF Program Director Jeff Schmidt caught up Eric Metzgar to speak about his film.

A ONCE AND FUTURE PEACE Director Eric Metzgar

Jeff Schmidt: You have screened with SFF a number of times and worked in a variety of production roles having previously directed and edited LIFE. SUPPORT. MUSIC. and edited both GIVE UP TOMORROW and ALMOST SUNRISE. Can you talk about your roles in those films and the difference between serving as a director on a film vs. serving as the editor?

Eric Metzgar: I don’t really think in terms of roles on a film. Whether or not I directed the film, as an editor I just react to the footage in front of me. Ideas come to me and I try to realize them. The actual cutting of scenes is, of course, a major part of the process, but I’ve found over the years that more and more of the work of storytelling happens in my mind when I’m away from the computer. That is, when you look at the footage, you sort of memorize what you've got to work with, and then the brain starts working in the background to try to organize those elements into a cohesive story. So you have ideas, you implement them and then you see what you’ve got. Then the brain goes to work again trying to organize the chaos into cohesion. Rinse and repeat for months and months and hopefully at the end of the process you’ve got something powerful and impactful and worthy to add to the world.

A ONCE AND FUTURE PEACE

JS: A significant amount of the A ONCE AND FUTURE PEACE uses animation to help tell the story. Did you plan on using animation from the start or was that something you decided upon once production was already underway?

EM: No, we didn’t plan on it initially. But we soon ran into the realities that:  1) Peacemaking circles are confidential and 2) we needed to protect the identities of the youth so that their crimes wouldn’t forever be associated with them.  So we decided to record only the audio of their stories, and then animate them later. 

JS: What do you feel are the benefits in using animation in storytelling?

EM: I think the sky's the limit in terms of animation in storytelling. I think we’re only beginning to scratch the surface of what is possible. In another life (one in which I have actual talent as an animator!), I would love to make only animated films. They can express so much in so many ways. It’s thrilling to imagine what can be expressed.

A ONCE AND FUTURE PEACE

JS: What do you feel are the limitations in using animation in storytelling?

EM: Well, it’s a different mode of relation. Animation can express so much, but there is nothing quite the same as relating to a human being in a film. Or so I think. I don’t know. In Toy Story 3, when the characters were heading towards that incinerator, I was crying like it was happening to flesh and blood people I’d known my whole life. So perhaps our brains don’t need to see real humans to make the deepest of connections to them. So in that regard, perhaps there are no limitations to animation. Ah, I know one big limitation ― cost. It’s so damn expensive and time-consuming. Fortunately, our brilliant animator Reza Riahi understood our limits, and made it work nonetheless, by the sheer abundance of his passion, patience and talent.

JS: Do you have any advice for filmmakers that are considering animation in their documentary projects?

EM: Honestly, most documentaries don’t have the budgets for animation. Or the time. To deal with these issues, we opted for very simple animation. But I don’t want to discourage anyone. Anything is possible in filmmaking if you put your mind to it. Sounds cheesy and cliché, but I found it’s absolutely true. I imagine that in the near future, animation will become more affordable and accessible to all, like cameras and editing programs. So we’ll see…

A ONCE AND FUTURE PEACE streams at Salem Film Fest through Sunday, April 3. Purchase tickets to the film here.

Filmmaker Spotlight: Cody Westman, Director of HELL OR CLEAN WATE

Shawn Bath is a former fisherman who once thought nothing of tossing garbage out his truck window. All that changed when diving in the harbors of his native Newfoundland and finding the ocean floor covered with tires, boat parts, nets and “disposable” plastics. Bath quits his day job and dedicates himself to the obsessive task of hauling out thousands of pounds of the rotting mess. He soon finds himself with less than $10 in his bank account, creditors calling daily and a stressed relationship with a supportive but concerned girlfriend. In the face of all this, Bath never loses hope in the possibility that one man might spark change in the world.

HELL OR CLEAN WATER can be streamed from anywhere in the United States during the virtual portion of Salem Film Fest which runs through Sunday, April 3. SFF Program Director Jeff Schmidt caught up with Director Cody Westman to speak about his film.

HELL OR CLEAN WATER Director Cody Westman

Jeff Schmidt: While you have an extensive production background, HELL OR CLEAN WATER is the first documentary feature you have directed. What motivated you to "dive" into a longer format production and was it your intention to find a story that delved into environmental subject matter?

Cody Westman: Although I make a living creating corporate and commercial material, I've been obsessed with film (and music) for decades, both documentary and narrative. After doing a few short films I knew I wanted to dive into a feature, but was just looking for the right story. When Shawn's story came on my radar I knew it would interesting and worth the two years of production to bring it to the screen.

JS: As we see at the beginning of the film, Shawn is in many ways flying under the radar as far as the public being fully aware of his clean up activities - how did you find Shawn and how difficult was it to convince him to let you film?

CW: It wasn't difficult to convince Shawn to let us tell his whole story as he initially contacted me. He wanted me to help bring his story to the public here in Newfoundland in a short video to raise awareness, but when I heard him say that he had 'removed 15,000 pounds of trash from the ocean by himself in a year' I knew that it would make for a good, larger story, the main theme being 'how hard will it be for this guy to get this off the ground'? I'm glad we stuck with it and Shawn put up with a film crew in his face for nearly 2 years because what he's doing is very inspiring and we can all learn from it.

JS: Were you surprised by the amount of discarded tires and trash that Shawn seemed to have a knack for finding? I think a lot of us don't fully realize the level of pollution in our waters since it's not in plain sight.

CW: We heard the phrase 'out of sight, out of mind' a lot while filming. Everyone we met knew that people used to throw garbage in the ocean, but since it's not clear water like in the Caribbean, you can't see it. When you get under to the dark and murky waters of literally every harbour here in NL you realize that it's everywhere. It's very disheartening. Of course there were many people that did not want to go on camera and some of the best bits we heard were off the record. Apparently some people in these communities would take their bags of garbage in the winter time and throw them out on the ice, a pile of trash just waiting to sink to the bottom as the ice melted. Can you imagine? I think that mindset has changed now but many people still don't think twice to throw their bottles and plastics from their boat overboard when there is no land in sight, no prying eyes.

JS: We seem to be living in what feels like an increasingly polarized society, which is frustrating and disheartening to many of us. Something I appreciated about your film is that it demonstrates that it is possible for people with different perspectives to actually work together to achieve a common goal. Can you talk about your experience as a filmmaker watching the different personal dynamics unfold between your "characters" and how it impacted your storytelling?

CW: Twillingate is a very small (and beautiful) little town in NL and the people who live and work there don't forget the past so easily. Many people blame IFAW and their activities for nearly shutting down the sealing industry and costing many families their livelihoods. Although we didn't feel unsafe at all, more than one person said we should be careful going to a restaurant with Sheryl from IFAW cause the anger is still fresh. The fact that Sheryl and Shawn put their differences aside for the good of the ocean was a very positive step. But as you can see in the film, as soon as the local government learned that IFAW was getting a grant to clean the ocean, they lobbied to have the money revoked. Once they found out that the infamous environmental organization wasn't coming here with crews from Ontario to clean NL waters and that all the money was going to Shawn and CHI they were ok with it. There is a deep divide around here, many Newfoundlanders blaming IFAW for the decline of their age old industry and certainly made for a unique dynamic!

JS: What do you hope viewers will take away from your film?

CW: I hope Shawn's story resonates as an example that one person can make a difference. Cleaning up small harbours in Newfoundland is a drop in the bucket regarding the waste and over-consumption problem we face in this world, but it's a start, and if every coastal community started their own Clean Harbours Initiative it would be a step in the right direction. We only have one Earth and we need to come together to take of her before it's too late.

HELL OR CLEAN WATER streams at Salem Film Fest through Sunday, April 3. Purchase tickets to the film here.

American Cinematographer Award at Salem Film Fest - Read Editor-in-Chief Stephen Pizzello's Comments

TIGRE GENTE

Every year, Stephen Pizzello, Editor-in-Chief of American Cinematographer graciously watches films from our lineup and selects Salem Film Fest's cinematography award. Below are his comments on the nominees and winner of this year's award.

All of this year’s nominees for the American Cinematographer Award alert viewers to tragic situations slowly devolving toward catastrophic loss — the erosion of natural environments, the destruction of animals that are nearly extinct, and sad circumstances that suppress the hopes and culture of an indigenous people.

LAST OF THE RIGHT WHALES

Last of the Right Whales, directed by Nadine Pequeneza and featuring cinematography by Mark Hammond and Stefan Randstrom, ponders the fate of a critically endangered species. Although right whales are no longer hunted for their oil, meat and bones, fewer than 400 now exist thanks to ship strikes and entanglements in fishing gear that can lead to painful, protracted deaths. Pequeneza’s documentary is an impassioned plea to save these magnificent sea creatures, who may be functionally extinct by 2040 unless human beings make a determined effort to save them.

Rarely sighted, right whales make for a challenging documentary subject, and filming them in their natural habitat requires extraordinary diligence and technical flexibility. Drones, floating camera rigs and other special pieces of equipment were deployed to produce spectacular footage of these elusive marine mammoths, but also wrenching visuals that detail their distress.

TIGRE GENTE

Tigre Gente, directed by Elizabeth Unger and shot by Edward Roqueta, documents the ongoing eradication of another threatened species, the jaguar, by focusing on efforts to thwart Bolivian poachers who illegally hunt the animals so they can sell their pelts, skulls and teeth. From its impressive opening shot onward, this compelling doc takes a very cinematic approach to its subject matter as it follows two main protagonists: the director of the Mididi National Park, who’s made it his life’s mission to protect the jaguar, and a Chinese environmentalist, whose conscience compels her to question her own culture’s complicity in the animal’s plight.

Their quest is framed like an investigative thriller, featuring dynamic landscape and wildlife cinematography interspersed with stunning aerial work, time-lapse photography, and undercover footage captured surreptitiously with hidden video cameras.

EXPOSURE

Exposure, directed by Holly Morris, chronicles an ambitious adventure that required two lead cinematographers (Kathryn Burrows ad Ingeborg Jakobsen) and six additional camerapeople to track 10 women from various countries as they attempt to make a 100-kilometer trek to the North Pole in 10 days. The intrepid team of explorers was assembled from a pool of nearly 1,000 women who answered a global call for applicants to join the perilous expedition, which raised funds over two years through sponsorships and crowdfunding. After convening for a pair of grueling training sessions, the team meets in the Arctic outpost of Svalbard, Norway to begin their trek — despite hazardous conditions made even more extreme by the fact that the very formation of sea ice is at an all-time low.

What results is an inspirational, life-affirming journey featuring scenic shots that capture both the glories and hardships of a physically grueling, emotionally draining quest — one that requires the women to trudge through a frozen landscape of constantly shifting ice that poses a formidable logistical challenge.

SCENES FROM THE GLITTERING WORLD

Scenes from the Glittering World, directed and shot by Jared Jakins, surveys the emotional and physical landscapes occupied by three indigenous youths struggling with the alienating realities of their daily lives in a remote corner of Navajo Nation. From its creative opening shots, which “reveal” the documentary’s settings through colored cloths fluttering over the camera lens, Glittering World leads viewers through a range of settings and emotions captured with an abundance of local flavor and visual flair. Witty compositions frame some of the lighter moments on the reservation, and stark but beautifully composed landscapes effectively capture the bleak tone of the young protagonists’ lives.

The cumulative effect of these affecting techniques generates a great deal of empathy for the people portrayed onscreen as they attempt to connect with each other, overcome their individual or family issues, and come to grips with tribal traditions that may fade away unless they and other members of their generation actively strive to keep them alive. As the various narrative strands are woven together, the documentary’s fine details produce an authentic emotional kick, and viewers will surely find themselves rooting for these kids to pull through and succeed.

All of these projects qualify as award-worthy docs, making it a challenge to spotlight just one of them for the American Cinematographer Award. In the end, my decision was only made after meticulously assessing the sheer number of exceptionally photographed moments — captured in a wide range of conditions and circumstances — that each entry offered.

TIGRE GENTE

Ultimately, I felt that the truly cinematic qualities of Tigre Gente elevated it to the top spot in a very competitive field, but all of the filmmakers should feel honored to have their superb work recognized and showcased by the festival.

Stephen Pizzello - Editor-in-Chief, American Cinematographer

All of these films are available for streaming with Salem Film Fest through Sunday, April 3 - Watch them here.