The following questions and answers are excerpted from a conversation that followed the NBR screening of A Hero. What was your writing process like, as this idea has been with you for a while? Asghar Farhadi: When I was developing the concept of this idea in my head as a student, I was never thinking about […]
The film has gorgeous cinematography and a beautiful score rooted in classical music. Can you talk about conceiving the look and sound of the film?
Barry Jenkins: When you grow up in a certain kind of place, you contextualize it. So to me, Miami is this very beautiful place.
What goes into fully developing characters like Margaret and David?
Andrew Semans: I don’t have any brilliant insights into that, I don’t think. I think it’s just a matter of building up characters bit by bit, little by little, stealing from anybody you know, or any experiences you’ve had that seem to be relevant, and of course stealing from other films and other stories!
What do you think the future holds for colleges in the United States?
I think that the idea that Universities are treating students more like consumers or paying customers is related to the exponential increase in cost.
get involved?
Andreas Koefoed: A producer friend of mine got in touch and told me about this incredible story. He was in touch with this British art critic—Ben Lewis—that was writing a book about the whole affair.
I’d love to hear how you developed the script.
Andrea Pallaoro: Well, it’s a film that I had envisioned as part of a much larger exploration on the traumas and the dynamics of what it means to feel abandoned and the consequences of that.
The following questions and answers are excerpted from a conversation that followed the NBR screening of She Dies Tomorrow. Can you talk about the origin of this project? Amy Seimetz: I was dealing with a lot of anxiety and I realized that to alleviate the anxiety I was talking to my friends – namely Kate Lyn […]
Can you each talk about your first impression of the painting that inspired this film?
Mbatha-Raw: I first saw a postcard reproduction of it that I bought in a gift shop.
You did almost all of the work on this film— what was that experience like?
Jessica Kingdon: I did have a close cinematographer, Nathan Truesdell, and we shot it together. But, yeah, it was very much a film that was coming out of my own mind.
What was your initial reaction to the script?
Elijah Wood: I came into the script about five years ago, at a film festival in Austin, Texas, called Fantastic Fest.
When was it clear that there was enough here to make a compelling feature?
Amanda McBaine: I love the word clarity; it’s not something you really have until you premiere your film and you hope people respond.
Can you talk about the experience acting in the film?
Marina De Tavira: When Alfonso invited us…when we finished the long casting process he said that it was a film about life itself.
When Alfonso brought you the project what was your initial reaction?
David Heyman: It’s a privilege working with Alfonso. You know you’re going to be part of something that is extraordinary.
What inspired you to tell a story in this specific genre, which is perhaps best described as a “sci-fi rom-com,” whatever that means!
Eleanor Wilson: That’s actually what the log-line for the film has always said! We started with the premise of, “wouldn’t it be funny if a couple went upstate to be off the grid for a week, and then aliens attacked?”
Was the El Capitan free solo climb always the thing, or were you interested in Alex more generally?
Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi: We were interested in Alex and interested in his process and interested in who he is as a human.