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“Did I Waste Everyone’s Time?”: Songs My Brothers Taught Me | Director Chloé Zhao
What fear — whether it’s personal, or one related to the development, financing, production or distribution of your film — did you have to confront and conquer in the making of your movie?
My biggest fear making Songs was the fact that life doesn’t wait around for us to capture it. We worked with mostly non-actors who are from Pine Ridge. The casting process was endless. However, because it takes time for a narrative film to go into production, we started losing our cast to different life circumstances. That fear forced me to go ahead and make the film without the intended funding.
Then the fear would turn around on me. Did I make the right decision? All the hard work everyone has put in, all the generous individual and institutional support. Did I waste everyone’s time? Unfortunately there was nothing I can do about that fear but to just keep on going. I think we are very lucky to be where we are today. I would never take it for granted. Overall I’d say fear kept us humble and it gave us limitations. I think it’s a healthy thing to have.
[PREMIERE SCREENING: Tuesday January 27 at 5:30 pm — Library Center Theatre]
