Sundance Responses
-
“For Three More Years, I Rewrote and Rewrote”: Director Elite Zexer | Sand Storm
In every film, there is the story that you knew you were telling, the story the audience perceives. But there is always some other story, a secret story. It might be the result of your hidden motivations for making the film, or, instead, the result of themes that only became clear to you after you made the movie. It might be something very personal, or it might be a story you didn’t even know you were telling. What is your film’s secret story? When I first started writing the story of Sand Storm, a drama about a Bedouin family from the […]
-
“One Last Leap Towards Independence”: Director Richard Tanne | Southside With You
In every film, there is the story that you knew you were telling, the story the audience perceives. But there is always some other story, a secret story. It might be the result of your hidden motivations for making the film, or, instead, the result of themes that only became clear to you after you made the movie. It might be something very personal, or it might be a story you didn’t even know you were telling. What is your film’s secret story? Southside With You is ostensibly a love story. A simple boy meets girl kind of thing. But […]
-
“I Had a Lot of Growing Up to Do”: Director Tahir Jetter | How to Tell You’re a Douchebag
In every film, there is the story that you knew you were telling, the story the audience perceives. But there is always some other story, a secret story. It might be the result of your hidden motivations for making the film, or, instead, the result of themes that only became clear to you after you made the movie. It might be something very personal, or it might be a story you didn’t even know you were telling. What is your film’s secret story? The story behind this movie is one in which I came to realize that I had a […]
-
“Behind the Story of Social Injustice and Abuse”: Director Alejandro Fernández Almendras | Much Ado About Nothing
In every film, there is the story that you knew you were telling, the story the audience perceives. But there is always some other story, a secret story. It might be the result of your hidden motivations for making the film, or, instead, the result of themes that only became clear to you after you made the movie. It might be something very personal, or it might be a story you didn’t even know you were telling. What is your film’s secret story? The film is based on a real event, a hit-and-run incident involving the son of a very […]
-
“I Came Back Many Times Without My Camera”: Director Maya Goded | Plaza de la Soledad
In every film, there is the story that you knew you were telling, the story the audience perceives. But there is always some other story, a secret story. It might be the result of your hidden motivations for making the film, or, instead, the result of themes that only became clear to you after you made the movie. It might be something very personal, or it might be a story you didn’t even know you were telling. What is your film’s secret story? The first time I came to La Merced, where I filmed Plaza de la Soledad, I was […]
-
“Fate Managed to Bring Us Back Together”: Director Andrew Ahn | Spa Night
In every film, there is the story that you knew you were telling, the story the audience perceives. But there is always some other story, a secret story. It might be the result of your hidden motivations for making the film, or, instead, the result of themes that only became clear to you after you made the movie. It might be something very personal, or it might be a story you didn’t even know you were telling. What is your film’s secret story? After two weeks of shooting with one week left to go, my lead actor Joe Seo injured […]
-
“Swap Skywalker Out With a Black Kid”: Director JD Dillard | Sleight
In every film, there is the story that you knew you were telling, the story the audience perceives. But there is always some other story, a secret story. It might be the result of your hidden motivations for making the film, or, instead, the result of themes that only became clear to you after you made the movie. It might be something very personal, or it might be a story you didn’t even know you were telling. What is your film’s secret story? Pushing for diversity in the movie wasn’t necessarily a mandate of ours, but when Alex and I […]
-
“A Film Reveals Itself As You Go Along”: Director Kelly Reichardt | Certain Women
In every film, there is the story that you knew you were telling, the story the audience perceives. But there is always some other story, a secret story. It might be the result of your hidden motivations for making the film, or, instead, the result of themes that only became clear to you after you made the movie. It might be something very personal, or it might be a story you didn’t even know you were telling. What is your film’s secret story? I don’t exactly recall what film I thought I was going to make when I started on […]
-
“Targeting Women of Color”: Director Dawn Porter | Trapped
In every film, there is the story that you knew you were telling, the story the audience perceives. But there is always some other story, a secret story. It might be the result of your hidden motivations for making the film, or, instead, the result of themes that only became clear to you after you made the movie. It might be something very personal, or it might be a story you didn’t even know you were telling. What is your film’s secret story? I was very attracted to this story as not just a story about choice, but about political […]
-
“To Portray Life as Joyful and Dynamic Amid the Horror”: Director Anna Rose Holmer | The Fits
In every film, there is the story that you knew you were telling, the story the audience perceives. But there is always some other story, a secret story. It might be the result of your hidden motivations for making the film, or, instead, the result of themes that only became clear to you after you made the movie. It might be something very personal, or it might be a story you didn’t even know you were telling. What is your film’s secret story? One of the secrets I discovered while making The Fits was that it was a lot more […]
