Pit Stop
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Thank Heaven for Seven: The Best of NewFest
This year marks the 25th anniversary of NewFest (September 6-11), kissin’ cousin of LA’s OutFest. Before the acronym LGBT became a more inclusive umbrella for groups stigmatized on account of sexual and gender preference, an earlier incarnation of a queer film event, The New York Gay Film Festival (1979-1987), was the only game in town. Founded by Peter Lowy, it took place at the Thalia cinema, then a film-buff paradise on the Upper West Side, and filled a huge gap for many of us. Distributors were fearful of gay-themed films. Of the selection, recurring topics included coming out and of […]
by Howard Feinstein on Sep 6, 2013 -
Amy Seimetz Breaks Through
Collaboration may well be Amy Seimetz’s favorite word. Some derivation of the noun weaves its way into the multihyphenate’s emphatic speech when discussing any facet of her decade long career. It’s how she found her footing, and how she has been able to surmount an impressive and far-reaching presence in independent film, and now, television. Seimetz began making films when she was 18, at home in the Tampa-St. Petersburg area, a place she frequently returns to in life and work. Following a short-lived tenure at film school, Seimetz made her way to Los Angeles, where she met the experimental filmmaker […]
by Sarah Salovaara on Apr 3, 2013 -
Sundance Recommendations: Andrew Sensenig
At the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, Filmmaker magazine asked a series of directors to talk about the films they were excited about at this year’s event. Here Andrew Sensenig, the actor who plays The Sampler in Shane Carruth’s Upstream Color, offers his recommendations.
by Nick Dawson on Jan 26, 2013 -
Five Questions with Pit Stop Director Yen Tan
It’s been five years since Yen Tan’s mournful, romantic drama debut Ciao, and the Texas-based filmmaker now returns with Pit Stop. If the early buzz surrounding the film is any indication, Pit Stop shares the emotional intimacy of its predecessor, this time tracking the relationship of two gay men in a blue collar small Texas town. The film premieres today in the Sundance Film Festival’s NEXT section. Filmmaker: Where did the inspiration for Pit Stop come from? Can you speak a bit about Gabe and Ernesto’s characters, and how you developed each? Tan: Pit Stop came about during my road trips between the […]
by Jane Schoenbrun on Jan 21, 2013 -
Pit Stop | Director Yen Tan
[PREMIERE SCREENING: Monday, Jan. 21, 2:45pm — Prospector Square Theatre, Park City] I was in psychotherapy for a year before going into production on Pit Stop, mainly to deal with my insecurities and unresolved angst as an artist. By the time we began shooting, I still wasn’t sure if I was fully prepared to tackle the stress, the uncertainty, and the frustration of making another independent film.The most significant sacrifice I had to make then was my mental health. I felt a lot more vulnerable throughout the process, and in hindsight, thought it was a sign of weakness that I […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Jan 20, 2013
