Michael Dweck
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“Achieving a Deliberate Aesthetic in a Way That Was Unobtrusive”: Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw on The Truffle Hunters
The white Alba truffle, one of the most coveted culinary delicacies, evades the acquisition of modern truffle hunters. The only people on earth who know how to locate the coveted truffle are Northern Italian elders and their canine companions. Directors Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw immersed themselves in the daily lives of this small sect of truffle hunters, who only prowl the sloping Italian forests in the dead of night in order to protect the location of the white Alba truffle. The Truffle Hunters follows these secretive men through a fairytale-like landscape and eventually finds itself at upscale restaurants that […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Jan 27, 2020 -
“The Objects of a Time Passed”: Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw | The Truffle Hunters
Whether capturing or creating a world, the objects onscreen tell as much of a story as the people within it. Whether sourced or accidental, insert shot or background detail, what prop or piece of set decoration do you find particularly integral to your film? What story does it tell? Our film is about a group of mirthful old truffle hunters who live in the forests of Northern Italy. The time spent in their world felt like moving through a fairytale storybook where every object had a past and every cobblestone street and wooded path holds a secret waiting to be […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Jan 26, 2020 -
“The Chaos of the Race Track Was a Constant Challenge”: DP Gregory Kershaw on The Last Race
The documentary debut from fine art photographer Michael Dweck, The Last Race screens five times in competition at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival. The film tells the story of Riverhead Raceway, a decades-old race track on Long Island. At one time Long Island hosted roughly 40 such tracks; today, Riverhead is the only one that remains. Filmmaker Gregory Kershaw served as both cinematographer and co-producer on the film. Below, he spoke with Filmmaker about the physical toll of filming at a loud and fume-filled race track, the influence of Errol Morris’ early films and the logistical madness of having “10 cameras mounted on […]
by Scott Macaulay on Jan 26, 2018 -
“My Past as a Dancer Has a Big Influence on How I Work”: Editor Charlotte Munch Bengtsen on The Last Race
Charlotte Munch Bengtsen began her career as an editor in the mid-2000s on a number of documentaries and shorts. Her break came in 2012 when Joshua Oppenheimer hired her as an editor on his seismic work The Act of Killing. Munch Bengtsen’s newest project is The Last Race, the feature doc debut from visual artist Michael Dweck. Below, she shares her thoughts on the importance of test screenings, rushes and how her experience as a dancer influences her work as an editor. Filmmaker: How and why did you wind up being the editor of your film? What were the factors and attributes […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Jan 23, 2018 -
“Unpredictable, Loud, Hot, and Dangerous”: Director Michael Dweck | The Last Race
As you made your film during the increasingly chaotic backdrop of the last year, how did you as a filmmaker control, ignore, give in to or, conversely, perhaps creatively exploit the wild and unpredictable? What roles did chaos and order play in your films? The track where we shot The Last Race was a reflection of the speedway next to my childhood home where I would sneak under the fence to watch races on hot Saturday summer nights. Later, as an adult, I spent years creating still photographs there, and during that time, I lived and breathed the world of […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Jan 22, 2018
