Q: What attracted you to the project?
Simply put, the story. When I read this script for the first time it left me feeling vulnerable. I felt so much empathy for the characters. It left me with a feeling of emptiness that left me betrayed, hurt and angry. I never read a script that affected me like this. It is a bold and original story that will hopefully elicit much thought and dialogue from our viewers. It is thought provoking, and it hopefully, will impel discussion and debate. It centers around a politically charged issue, but the story is not about this issue. It is about the affect the issue has on the people in the story. Those who choose to see this film will be challenged to think honestly about an issue that affects all of us. I believe those who are most honest will be left with the desire to make choices and to possibly influence others.
Q: Given that the story genre is a social-political drama, what do you feel are the most controversial hot issues of today? And what hot topic does your story exploit?
Q: What themes do you hope to explore in the film?
Raz (writer) answered this question by listing quite a few different themes. I would add a few more - free will, individualism, choices, toleration, diversity, acceptance, humanity, liberty. For me this film is about embracing the differences in all of us and not to fear what is dissimilar. Specifically, the state of being free within society from having oppressive restrictions by society or the government. We all have choices to make. These choices lead us to our journey and our individual journey defines who we are. Each one of our characters has a journey to travel. They are all different as they should be. Having the free will, the ability to act on ones our discretion, becomes a significant theme that begins the film and ends it. We should be thankful to have these liberties today's, because no one really knows what life will bring us tomorrow. Although, something I do feel is that life without challenge and risk, and without confidence and fear, and without discussion and debate is just not really worth living.
Q: Do you feel that the economics of the project are a boon or a burden when it comes to your vision?
A little of both. The story is quite simple because it is honest. Because this story is about the people, their experiences, their intimate relationships and their feelings. Although there are no skyscraper scenes or expensive post production computer graphics, there will be intellectual debate, behind-the-scenes politics, hospital emergencies, and death. This story, although set in the future, is naturalist and looks and feels like today. So no hidden period or story setting costs. One of the most complex things about this film are the emotions of the characters and the complexities of the issues. This is where great performances are needed. So to answer the question, it will not require a big budget to make this film because it is an economical story. With that said, the burden lies in the unpredictable territory of marketing and distribution. This can get costly and needs to be managed closely.
Q: Are there any influences that will make their way into your style?
Professionally, I am strongly influenced by directors and actors that can capture the subtleness of a situation. I am a strong believer in 'less is more'. Actors like Mereyl Streep and Kate Winslet. Amy Adams a favorite of mine and Emily Blunt both next generation talents. Marcia Gay Harden and Kate Blancette who never overacted in my opinion. Just superb. Johnny Depp just wonderful. Sean Penn a favorite of mine, Ed Norton and Ralph Fiennes and the young Michael Cera are just wonderful. Great directors like Clint Eastwood, Anthony Minghella, John Cassavettes, Ang Lee, Adrian Lyne, Oliver Stone, and Jane Champion are great influencer for me. Clint for the simplicity, Anthony for the intimacy, Nick for the rawness, Ang for the subtly, Adrian for the reflection, Oliver for the controversy, and Jane for giving us The Piano.
Personally, I am influenced by what I am passionate about - family, friends, politics, economics, education and world hunger. I am motivated by goal attainment and my pride. I am fiercely loyal and expect kindness and compassion from others. I don't like to be controlled or manipulated so if I sense a breach of boundary I fight back.
Most of all I cannot bear intolerance or unfairness. These, I believe, will be my strongest influencers when making this film.
Q: What has been the biggest creative struggle for you so far?
Because I have worked so closely with the writer, my struggle is not with the character stories at all. It is with moving into the Director role implicitly. My other responsibilities namely Executive Producer often pull me away from the creative process and into the business process. It will be important for me to let go of the business issues until after we have a locked picture. Is this really possible? I am not really sure because part of me thinks I can do both. Because my desire to be successful if so strong that when problems arise, I instinctively want to solve them. However, intellectually I know that I must keep this passion funneled on the story as first priority, and as it rightfully deserves. Thankfully I have a strong production team backing me up.
Q: As the director, what do you see as your biggest struggle?
Because the story is controversial and it has many themes, keeping them united will be important. I can see this as a possible struggle. However, I must stay focused and uncompromising with my vision while at the same time remembering to listen well. I need to be mindful of my stakeholders, but stay true to the original intent of the story. With that said, this story is bold, and to appropriately tell it, boldness needs to be exploited. I believe this is possible because we are an independent production, because we have great team and wonderful support from our investors.
Q: How has your relationship with the characters grown since first reading the script?
The change has been dramatic. All of the significant characters have many dimensions to them. I know an awful lot about each one of these characters. And for some of the characters, more than what the audience will know in the end. And those things that are not known by the audience, will be intentional. Dr. Carol Virgo, the character that we like to refer to as the matriarch of the film, has a relationship with each and every other character, and not because she meets each one face to face in the film. Rather this is accomplished through parallel and/or mirror storytelling. Not all the story lines of the characters converge in their resolutions, but Dr. Carol Virgo in the end is deeply exposed by the resolutions of the other characters.
Q: With this project, do you find that the characters dictate the script, or the script dictates the characters?
Immediately the premise of the story is known and the characters are introduced. We meet the characters in their everyday life, doing what they do each day. Our characters' stories are told in parallel with the central issue moving the story forward. The story line progresses quite rapidly resulting in the characters advancing into heated debates inside and outside the courtroom. Confrontation, intellectual debates and violence ensues between characters both whom are friends and whom are enemies. The characters go through their change because of the story plot, the themes and the issues, therefore I would say the script dictated the characters.
However, from the beginning these characters tell this story. They are honest, biased, and flawed. People just like you and me. They will be familiar to the audience. So familiar that the audience will either choose to be them, to be an ally with them or to be an enemy of them. It would be a disaster if the audience were to be feel indifferent to them. This I must avoid. Our characters will be understood based on what they are saying, what they are doing, and more importantly based on what they are not saying or doing. This story is a character driven story, even though a central issue quickly drives the story forward. For some of the characters, the issue is irrelevant. With that said, the affect this issue has on the lives of these characters is powerfully relevant.
Q: How do you plan to explore the lives of these characters?
Through their prejudices, honesty, and flaws. Through their inhibitions, denials, and vulnerabilities. This is how we get to know these characters, and based on the different facets of their personalities, and their attitudes we will either embrace them or be repelled by them. Our characters have diverse backgrounds. Their educated is different, they have different professions, and life experiences. Much like our audience. I truly hope in the end the audience understands them. I hope the audience empathizes with the characters and their choices. Because if it were them making the decision, it would be just as difficult.
Q: Without giving too much a way, what in the film do you think your audience might connect with most?
I hope our audience connects with our characters above all else. To feel their raw emotions, to experience their love and loss, and to feel compassion for the story, the characters and themselves. I hope our audience connects with the honesty of our characters. Their struggles and the flaws that make them human. I hope to create empathy not apathy, and possible give the audience an opportunity to rethink their beginning position without experiencing judgement from others. Americans are made up of many different ethnic groups. The people are very diverse today. We have more than 50% of the Americans being of a minority group. Their life experiences, social learning, value systems, heritage, opinions, political predisposition are all different. With that said, if we are to accomplish our objectives for this film, which is to allow our audience to interpret the issues themselves and to debate freely, then we must acknowledge that their opinions may be different and their interpretation of the film as well. Above all, I think the audience will connect with the themes of the story, because acceptance, respect and free will is what each and every one of us want and need, and deserve.
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