Earlier last month, we submitted some questions from across the EU community towards the Sundance Festival. Here is how we got on with our answers.
Q: Why did you choose London for this 1st edition out of US?
A: Because England has such a great culture and history, London in particular, and because with the Sundance Festival, we try to promote the importance of art through independent films and music, we thought London is a perfect location for that purpose.
Q: How significant is recognition from Sundance, above any other film festival?
A: Very significant in terms of visibility in the business. From being an unknown film maker, they have to chance to get inside a festival circuit and be known and protected for what they are doing. In addition to that, the festival is a good achievement for Film makers who have a certain kind of vision that take on material that is not mainstream.
Filly Brown
Q: How did you find the actors for the parts in this film? Were they auditioned, and did they have some experience of the life style portrayed in the film?
A: All the actors were auditioned for this film, apart from Jenny Rivera, Majo’s mother, who offered herself for the project, being already a known actress in USA scenario.
Q: How significant is it that the lead is a female, and if the story was told with a male character would the decisions still be the same?
A: The movie has been modelled on a female role, because there are no many stories about female rappers and because of that, it worked so well. It would have been a completely different story with a male lead for sure.
Q: The directors wrote much of the music in the film, did the film concept come before the music, or were the musical ideas brewing before then?
A: The movie concept came first and then they had the great pleasure to collaborate with a great composer and musician, Reza Safinia who was able to capture the whole concept from the movie and use the talented Gina as an instrument for his music.
Liberal Arts
Q: How much the character in the movie reflects Josh’s personality and how much of his experience is reflected in this character?
A: He put a bit of himself in every character of the movie, not specifically the main one he impersonates.
Q: Are there any specific films or books that have had a great influence on your film/work?"
A: There are no specific films or books he referred to in his movie but there are references to popular culture reading, such as Twilight. He said that he has read few pages of it but the book is mentioned in the movie.
Q: From a director point of view, what are the advantages and drawbacks of being involved into the independent cinema?
A: The discussion was mainly focused on the advantages and drawbacks of being an independent filmmaker, without the support of big Studios productions. The pros are related to the fact that independent cinema gives you an “etiquette” and a high cultural “reputation” within the business. Cons are that is very difficult to find sustainable funds in order to produce independent movies without being popular in the industry or getting the support from important studios.
Being the boss of yourself implies that all the decision made come from you, such as final cuts or adjustment to the original script.
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