Sundance
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“This Is Filmmaking as an Artistic and Cultural Necessity”: Editor Nathan Delannoy on Mami Wata
The seaside village of Iyi is the setting for C.J. “Fiery” Obasi’s mythical Mami Wata, which chronicles the fraught relationship between an all-powerful African water deity and the villagers who are currently embroiled in a period of unrest. The widely respected Mama Efe (Rita Edochie) acts as the intermediary between the titular water goddess Mami Wata and the villagers, but the death of a young boy further provokes the villagers toward an act of violence that no entity can control. Editor Nathan Delannoy discusses the process of cutting the gorgeous black and white film, including how he followed his gut […]
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“I Was Drawn to Harlem as a Character and How Gentrification Was Also an Antagonist”: DP Eric Yue on A Thousand and One
A.V. Rockwell’s feature debut A Thousand and One begins with Inez (Teyana Taylor) migrating between shelters during an intensely hot summer in ’90s-era New York City. Her 6-year-old son Terry is in foster care, and she makes the bold decision to kidnap him and discreetly live together again in Harlem. Years pass, and Terry (Josiah Cross) has grown into a shy but precocious teenager. However, the secret that the Inez has kept for a decade threatens to be revealed, meaning that the life she has built with her son could crumble at any moment. Cinematographer Eric Yue talks about how […]
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“From the Beginning I Knew This Film Was About Performance”: DP Frederic Van Zandycke on When It Melts
The feature film debut from actress Veerle Baetens, When It Melts follows Eva (Charlotte De Bruyne) as she returns to her hometown for a childhood friend’s funeral with an ice block stashed in the back of her car. As the bitter winter rages on (and the ice block slowly begins to shrink) Eva recalls via flashback a sweltering summer from her adolescence that forever altered her life and identity. Cinematographer Frederic Van Zandycke discusses his previous collaboration with Baetens, working with the young actors of When It Melts and the film’s most emotionally challenging scene to shoot. See all responses […]
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“Post-it Notes Always Are a Huge Help”: Editor Thomas Pooters on When It Melts
Actress Veerle Baetens’s feature debut When It Melts, adapted from Lize Spit’s novel The Melting, follows Eva (Charlotte De Bruyne) as she returns to her hometown for a funeral with an ice block packed in the back of her car. While she waits out this frigid winter (and as the ice block slowly shrinks), she recalls a scorching summer during her adolescence that forever altered the course of her life. Editor Thomas Pooters shares his experience cutting Baetens’s film, a process that entailed many Post-it notes and enlightening conversations about gender. See all responses to our annual Sundance editor interviews […]
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“Choosing the Perfect Lens for Us Was the Bigger Challenge”: DP André Jäger on The Persian Version
When Leila’s (Layla Mohammadi) Iranian-American family gathers in New York City for her father’s heart transplant surgery, a secret that she’s been keeping is unceremoniously spilled. What she wasn’t expecting, however, is learning how much her own life parallels that of her mother Shireen (Niousha Noor) decades ago, causing Leila to further appreciate the nuances of her dual identity. Set between two distinct countries and eras, Maryam Keshavarz’s sophomore film The Persian Version comes from a deeply personal place. Cinematographer André Jäger discusses how he got involved in the shoot and the difficulty he and Keshavarz faced when it came […]
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“Nothing Is Wasted in the Process of Documentary Editing”: Editor Jean Rheem on Bad Press
When the 2015 Free Press Act is repealed, Angel Ellis and her colleagues at Mvskoke Media in Okmulgee, Oklahoma begin a long battle to offer transparent journalism for Muscogee Nation readers. Bad Press, directed by Rebecca Landsberry-Baker and Joe Peeler, chronicles this quest for government accountability and the right to report honest news. Editor Jean Rheem discusses cutting the project, including how “incredibly difficult and humbling” documentary editing often is. See all responses to our annual Sundance editor interviews here. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the editor of your film? What were the factors and attributes that […]
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“The Storm, the Fog, the Humidity” | Christopher Murray, Sorcery
Every production faces unexpected obstructions that require creative solutions and conceptual rethinking. What was an unforeseen obstacle, crisis, or simply unpredictable event you had to respond to, and how did this event impact or cause you to rethink your film? I think our obstruction was the unpredictable weather of Chiloe Island at the very south of Chile. The storm, the fog, the humidity. But really, more than an obstruction, I think it was just an intense force to relate to while shooting. In a way, the weather also directed us and the film, as a kind of atmospheric spell. It […]
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“A Family Drama and a Whodunnit at the Same Time”: Editor Robert Grigsby Wilson on Fancy Dance
Jax (Lily Gladstone) has been taking care of her niece Roki (Isabel Deroy-Olson) ever since her sister’s recent disappearance in Fancy Dance, the feature debut from Indigenous filmmaker Erica Tremblay. When two weeks pass without word from her, CPS shows up at Jax’s door and insists that she’s not a fit guardian for the young girl. As a last resort, she jets off with Roki to attend a powwow she’s long been anticipating—with the lingering hope that her mother might just show up there, as well. Editor Robert Grigsby Wilson talks about cutting the film, touching upon his previous collaboration […]
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“The Textures, Colors and Feeling of Muscogee Nation Permeate the Screen”: DP Tyler Graim on Bad Press
When the Muscogee Nation begins censoring its free press, reporter Angel Ellis and her colleagues at Mvskoke Media engage in a dogged quest for transparency and government accountability on the behalf its readers and the community at large. This is the fight that unfolds in the documentary Bad Press, from co-directors Rebecca Landsberry-Baker and Joe Peeler, which follows the ramifications of the 2015 Free Press Act’s repeal. Cinematographer Tyler Graim discusses how he approached shooting a documentary full of twists and turns and the influence of “slow cinema” on the film’s visual style. See all responses to our annual Sundance […]
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“There Were So Many Times That This Film Changed in Form, Tone and Story” | Elaine McMillion Sheldon, King Coal
Every production faces unexpected obstructions that require creative solutions and conceptual rethinking. What was an unforeseen obstacle, crisis, or simply unpredictable event you had to respond to, and how did this event impact or cause you to rethink your film? See all responses to our annual Sundance Question here. King Coal is whole-heartedly a creative response to the very act of filmmaking. We filmed this over three years and we were led from shoot-to-shoot based on reactions and creative impulses of our team and Appalachians we filmed with. Some ideas for shots and scenes came to me as a single image […]
