Sundance
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“The Resiliency of Youth Is Inspiring”: Editor Kristina Motwani on Homeroom
Homeroom, the final entry in Peter Nicks’ Oakland trilogy, couldn’t have come at a more bizarre time. Amid the early days of the pandemic and movements to defund the police, Oakland High School’s class of 2020 prepares to graduate into an unforgiving world fighting for justice. Kristina Motwani, one of the film’s co-editors, shares how the film’s arc changed but their goals remained the same as the world around them changed more and more. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the editor of your film? What were the factors and attributes that led to your being hired […]
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“Eye-Opening How Much We Could Achieve in This Process”: Editors Kentucker Audley and Albert Birney on Strawberry Mansion
Kentucker Audley and Albert Birney’s surreal sci-fi romantic comedy Strawberry Mansion reimagines the dystopia as something shockingly similar to our own world: a society where even our dreams are plagued with marketing and advertisement. The director duo also acted as editors for the film, and share the joy of working with post-VFX for the first time. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the editor of your film? What were the factors and attributes that led to your being hired for this job? Birney: We’ve always edited our own work—it just seems like a natural part of our process. […]
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“There Is No Clear Main Character to Follow”: Editor Julia Drack on Human Factors
Ronny Trocker’s Human Factors follows a family whisked away to their seaside vacation home in an attempt to escape work. During their stay, burglars break into the house, which drives a wedge between parents Nina and Jan. Editor Julia Drack tells us how they achieved the film’s unique eschew of time, moving perspective to perspective between each family member. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the editor of your film? What were the factors and attributes that led to your being hired for this job? Drack: Human Factors is the second feature film by director Ronny Trocker. I […]
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“I Wanted to Experience Intimacy With the People I Was Filming”: DP Jessica Beshir on Faya Dayi
Jessica Beshir’s feature debut Faya Dayi is all about khat, a plant native to Ethiopia harvested and known for its euphoric properties when chewed. On another level, the film is about khat’s cultural significance as a major cash crop, analyzing its role both economically, socially, and generationally. Beshir tells us why she decided to take on the role of DP for her own film. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the cinematographer of your film? What were the factors and attributes that led to your being hired for this job? Beshir: I started filming Faya Dayi as a very […]
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“It Was Important Always to Keep the Spirit of Dance”: DP Naiti Gámez on Ailey
Jamila Wignot’s Ailey explores the life of seminal choreographer Alvin Ailey in poetic manner. With a heartbeat as studied as Ailey’s jazz-dance that made him famous. DP Naiti Gámez tells us about the magic of capturing dance on film, and the ephemerality of shooting with no possibility of retakes. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the cinematographer of your film? What were the factors and attributes that led to your being hired for this job? Gámez: I’m not entirely sure, actually. I don’t remember. ;) Filmmaker: What were your artistic goals on this film, and how did you realize […]
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“It’s a Balance of Preserving Your Strength”: DP Sean Havey on Homeroom
Homeroom, the final entry in Peter Nicks’ Oakland trilogy, couldn’t have come at a more bizarre time. Amid the early days of the pandemic and movements to defund the police, Oakland High School’s class of 2020 prepares to graduate into an unforgiving world fighting for justice. DP Sean Havey details filming long school board meetings and the intimacy of camerawork. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the cinematographer of your film? What were the factors and attributes that led to your being hired for this job? Havey: I was the associate producer, assistant editor, second camera unit […]
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“It’s So Fun to Run and Gun”: Editor Daryl Wein on How it Ends
Daryl Wein and Zoe Lister-Jones’ How it Ends takes place on the eve of the Earth’s destruction. Followed by her younger self (Cailee Spaeny), Liza (played by Lister-Jones) tries to make it to a party despite the fact that her car has been stolen. Acting as co-DP (as well as co-editor and co-writer), Wein details the catharsis that came with editing his own film during the pandemic. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the editor of your film? What were the factors and attributes that led to your being hired for this job? Wein: I co-edited the film […]
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“I Wanted to Create a Kind of Subtle, Candy-Coated Pop Aesthetic”: DP Daryl Wein on How it Ends
Daryl Wein and Zoe Lister-Jones’ How it Ends takes place on the eve of the Earth’s destruction. Followed by her younger self (Cailee Spaeny), Liza (played by Lister-Jones) tries to make it to a party despite the fact that her car has been stolen. Acting as co-DP (as well as co-editor and co-writer), Wein shares how he got close to the material as a consequence of the pandemic. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the cinematographer of your film? What were the factors and attributes that led to your being hired for this job? Wein: I chose to […]
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“Treat the PTSD That Comes from Filming”: Editor Dávid Jancsó on The World to Come
Director Mona Fastvold’s second feature film The World to Come is an adaptation of a Jim Shepard short story of the same name. The film follows Abigail (Katherine Waterston), a well-read 19th century wife living in upstate New York who has grown frustrated with the humdrum of provincial life. She soon begins a love affair with her new neighbor Tallie (Vanessa Kirby). Editor Dávid Jancsó tells us of the film’s meticulous editing style, the influence of Daniel Blumberg’s score on the process, and his prior collaborations with Fastvold. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the editor of your […]
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“My Understanding of the Central Metaphor Has Deepened”: Editor Sara Shaw on John and the Hole
In Pascual Sisto’s John and the Hole, John (Charlie Shotwell), seemingly unprovoked, drugs his family and tosses them into a bunker where he holds them captive. Written by Birdman co-writer Nicolás Giacobone, John and the Hole is a zoomed in look at the psychology of boyhood. Editor Sara Shaw discusses the parallels between the isolation of the pandemic and the experiences of John and the Hole‘s protagonist. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the editor of your film? What were the factors and attributes that led to your being hired for this job? Shaw: I loved the script and was […]
