5 Questions for 3 Sundance Shorts Filmmakers

Sundance Filmmaker Interviews, as part of Tinsel & Tine’s 5 Questions Series

HALLELUJAH (World Premiere)

Synopsis: Hallelujah After being stuck with the guardianship of their annoying, bookworm nephew, two brothers in Compton, California, have to decide if they are willing to take on the responsibility of being caretakers. TRAILER

Writer/Director Victor Gabriel

T&T: In a nutshell what was the main inspiration for HALLELUJAH and/or the theme that is the heart of your film?

Victor Gabriel: The main inspiration for Hallelujah came from my personal dealings with loss, tragedy, and trauma, as well as my tendency to laugh at said loss, tragedy, and trauma. A consistent theme in all my work is the question of “Can one overcome suffering?” And in this piece, I am answering yes, through the means of connection and laughing with each other.

T&T: Tell us a bit about the music of your film? (Who did you work with? What did you want to convey? Or any other tidbits)

Victor: My composer was Keith Phelps. And to be honest, the work he did on the score, in a lot of ways, saved the film. I trapped myself in a corner, because the way I constructed the film made the music become almost another character, so if the music was not right, the film was not going to work. Some films you can take the music out and it’s fine. For our project, the music was so integral that without it the actual quality of the short diminished significantly.

With the music, I wanted to convey sadness, joy, and deep connection. On some level, I wanted the music to mirror one of the last lines: “It’s gonna be alright.” Gospel and ‘70s soul music were the templates, as I feel that connected me more to the community and the environment.

T&T: Was there a point where you almost didn’t finish? And if so, what pushed you forward? AND/OR What’s been the most memorable response you’ve received thus far from anyone after seeing your film?

Victor: There was never a point that I almost didn’t finish, but there was a point where I wasn’t sure I was going to start. And what pushed me forward was my fear of hating myself later on, if I allowed myself to not take action towards my goal. So far, the responses have been amazing, at least what people say to my face. The best response I have received is someone saying that my film “transcends,” and that was incredible to hear.

T&T: Give a quick shout out to your creative team and anyone who helped get HALLELUJAH from an idea to Sundance 2022.

Victor: I want to shout out Duran Jones, my Producer; Robert Hunter, my Cinematographer; Tari Wariebi, my First Assistant Director and Associate Producer; Esme Jackson, my Production Designer; and Camilla Bartoli, my Editor. I also want to shout out my Executive Producer, Dr. Alexaundrea Smith—my partner in crime. There is no way I could do this film without her, so thank you for believing in me.

T&T: Name 5 of your favorite films which influenced your desire to be a filmmaker?

Victor:

Superman (1978 version, with Christopher Reeve)
The Royal Tenenbaums
Do the Right Thing
Boyz n the Hood
Moonlight

Victor Gabriel: Growing up in poverty, Victor Gabriel realized that water in cornflakes doesn’t taste as bad as you think it would. He wandered without a home before eventually ending up in Compton, CA. Now as a black male writer/director and recent MFA graduate of AFI Conservatory, he has turned to filmmaking as way for him to wrestle with his own suffering as well as the suffering of others. He holds an MA in Clinical Psychology and has been working as a Marriage and Family Therapist with survivors of trauma in Compton/Watts/South Central for the past several years. His short film BLACK BOYS CAN’T CRY, won the Social Impact Award at the Hollyshorts Film Festival and is currently being shown in others. He likes Red Vines and thinks Twizzlers are trash. Instagram @ABlackBoyNamedHallelujah|@WhereKingsReign

THE PANOLA PROJECT

Synopsis: Highlighting the heroic efforts of Dorothy Oliver, who vaccinated nearly 99% of her small town of Panola, Alabama against COVID-19, THE PANOLA PROJECT chronicles how an often-overlooked rural Black community came together in creative ways to survive.

Writers/Directors/Producers: Rachael DeCruz and Jeremy S. Levine

T&T: In a nutshell what was the main inspiration for THE PANOLA PROJECT and/or the theme that is the heart of your film?

Rachael & Jeremy: We made The Panola Project at a time when we were looking for hope and inspiration. We found that in Dorothy Oliver, a retired county administrator, who took it upon herself to launch a COVID-19 vaccination campaign to keep her community safe. Through her diligent efforts, she’s gotten 99% of her community of Panola, AL vaccinated in a state with one of the lowest vaccination rates in the country.

The Panola Project offers a unique window into a community that is often overlooked, as they come together to combat the pandemic. Through Dorothy’s tireless campaign to vaccinate her community, we witness the lack of infrastructure in Panola, AL and the significant hurdles that residents face in trying to get the vaccine. As Dorothy says: “To get vaccines, you’ve got to go 39 miles, I guess. And that’s just one way, now, we’re talking about round trip. And a lot of peoples don’t have cars.” Her story illuminates the dire underinvestment in rural communities—especially communities of color. “This area here is majority Black. Kind of puts you on the back burner,” Oliver says in the film. “I don’t have to elaborate on that one.” Our country’s underinvestment in rural and Black communities has had major ramifications for our nation’s ability to recover from COVID-19.

The film also celebrates the strength and resilience of Black women and the many ways they step up every day to fill in the gaps left by a lack of governmental investment. Our hope is that this film gives viewers a sense of what’s possible when we come together to care for each other, while also providing a model for how we can move our country forward. Imagine what could be possible if we invested in thousands of “Dorothys” around the country!

T&T: Tell us a bit about the music of your film? (Who did you work with? What did you want to convey? Or any other tidbits).

Rachael & Jeremy: We sought to emulate Dorothy’s spirited attitude in the soundtrack, brilliantly brought to life by composer Jermaine “Maineframe” Fletcher. Dorothy is on a mission, in a town full of soul, and Jermaine’s music emulates that, drawing inspiration from Marvin Gaye’s phenomenal soundtrack for the film Trouble Man. We wanted the audience to feel like they were going on an adventure with Dorothy, and the music really draws us into her operation to save her community. We love the music in the film. Plus, it also lent itself nicely to our dance sequence at the end!

T&T: Was there a point where you almost didn’t finish? And if so, what pushed you forward? AND/OR What’s been the most memorable response you’ve received thus far from anyone after seeing your film?

Rachael & Jeremy: Making a film about a pandemic, during a pandemic, is certainly challenging. And now, our film about the pandemic gets into Sundance, which is forced to go virtual because of the pandemic! We certainly are grateful for folks like Dorothy for helping us keep the faith in these relentlessly challenging times.

We kept our crew small (it was just the two of us), filmed outside whenever we could, and made sure to keep up with vaccinations and boosters ourselves. We wore masks while in production and Dorothy, the star of the film, did too. At first, we weren’t sure how well a film would work if the audience never got to see the protagonist’s full face, but for a film about COVID-19, it actually worked quite well. It clued you in to the moment in time and the issue immediately. It’s also amazing the way people compensate for the mask by making larger-than-life expressions with their eyes and body language; when Dorothy was masked, she really lit up the room. Later last summer, when COVID-19 numbers were dipping, we actually re-shot some of her interview outside without a mask, but we quickly realized that Dorothy was less expressive, so we decided to keep the original interview throughout. Masks also don’t hurt when you’re stitching scenes together in the editing room!

We’ve been absolutely blown away by the response to the film and how much Dorothy’s story resonates. It’s been so fun to watch people from across the country fall in love with her and be inspired by her story just as much as we were. Incredible folks like Margaret Atwood, Ibram X. Kendi, and Dr. Tom Frieden (the former director of the CDC during the Obama Administration) showered Dorothy with love online. She has been on MSNBC’s Morning Joe and The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell, and Dr. Fauci even gave her a personal address when she was presented USA Today’s 2021 Best of Humankind Award. One really sweet moment was during our premiere at the Sidewalk Film Festival. Dorothy was honored with the Spirit of Sidewalk Award during the closing ceremony and received a standing ovation. Everyone there saw all of the incredible work she was doing, and this was a moment where they could show her their appreciation.

T&T: Give a quick shout out to your creative team and anyone who helped get THE PANOLA PROJECT from an idea to Sundance 2022.

Rachael & Jeremy: There are so many people to thank! It takes a village. We’re so grateful to Dorothy, Ms. Jackson, and everyone in Panola who invited us into their community with open arms. Dorothy brought the same energy she used to get her town vaccinated to help make this film happen. She helped produce it in a lot of ways, because when Dorothy asks you to do something, you don’t say no. She was so committed to helping put all of the pieces in place to be able to share her story.

Huge shout out to our composer Jermaine “Maineframe” Fletcher, our re-recording mixer Dominic Bartolini, and our surround mixer Eric Masunaga. And of course, we want to express our deep gratitude to the entire video team at The New Yorker for believing in this project and helping us get it out into the world. Big thanks to The Brooklyn Filmmakers Collective and all of our friends, colleagues, and supporters who gave us feedback on the film, helped make connections, and kept us sane.

T&T: Name 5 of your favorite films which influenced your desire to be a filmmaker?

Mix of influences from both Rachael & Jeremy

Honeyland
Last Train Home
Midnight Traveler
Waking Life
Hedwig and the Angry Inch

DeCruz is the associate director of advocacy at the Boston University Center for Antiracist Research. She is working on her first feature, Nine, about the enduring bonds of friendship forged across generations and decades, and the power it gives two men to push back against an oppressive criminal justice system.

Levine is an Emmy Award–winning filmmaker, co-founder of the Brooklyn Filmmakers Collective, and an Assistant Professor at Suffolk University. His films explore race in a society in active denial of its own past. For Ahkeem, his last feature, is a love story set against the backdrop of the Ferguson uprising.

The Panola Project Website | Instagram: @ThePanolaProject @JeremySLevine @HeyReggie | Twitter: @PanolaProject @JeremySLevine @HeyReggie_D | Facebook: @PanolaProject @JeremyScottLevine @Rachael.DeCruz | Hashtags: #PanolaProject #DorothyOliver

5 Questions for Indie Filmmaker DANIA BDEIR Director of WARSHA (World Premiere)

Synopsis: Warsha is set in Lebanon, where construction workers are often underpaid, undocumented and overlooked Syrian immigrants. The film stars Khansa, a multi-disciplinary artist redefining masculinity in the Middle East. Warsha follows Mohammad, a Syrian migrant working as a crane operator in Beirut. One morning he volunteers to take on one of the tallest and notoriously most dangerous cranes in Lebanon. Away from everyone’s eyes, he is able to live out his secret passion and find freedom.

T&T: In a nutshell what was the main inspiration for WARSHA and/or the theme that is the heart of your film?

Dania Bdeir: It all started when, in 2017, I was sitting on my balcony in Lebanon overlooking all of Beirut and I saw a man standing on top of one of the tallest construction cranes. At first I was afraid thinking the man was going to jump. It all looked so dangerous and unsafe. Then as he kneeled down and put his forehead to the floor, I realized that he was praying.

It was a beautiful sight and this is when I became infatuated with the mysterious world of crane operators. These little men who operate these gigantic beasts from these tiny cabins where they can see the world and no one can see them.

The more I spent time in construction sites speaking to engineers and workers, the more I was convinced that I wanted to make a film where the protagonist was a crane operator. Throughout my visits, I was overwhelmed with three main palpable aspects: That space is very masculine. It is very loud and the construction workers were all underpaid and often undocumented Syrians.

I was drawn to the idea that the crane operator, out of all these workers, was the only one who gets the chance to escape these three aspects when he climbs the dangerous ladder up towards the sky. Up there, there’s no noise, no judging eyes, no labels.

Soon after that, I had the chance to attend a performance by an amazing gender bending multi-talented artist called Khansa. After the performance, he and I talked for hours and I told him about Warsha. We started asking ourselves: what if what the crane operator is seeking up there in that cabin, is the space and privacy to break out of gender norms and express himself truly, in a way that he can’t in his daily life.

T&T: Tell us a bit about the music of your film? (who did you work with? what did you want to convey? or any other tidbits).

Dania: There’s only one song in the film and I always knew it needed to be there. The song is by the iconic Egyptian singer “Oum Kulthum” and it’s called “Al Atlal” (The ruins). The lyrics, which are also a poem by Egyptian poet Ibrahim Nagi say “Ah, your chains have bloodied my wrists. Why do I keep them when you’ve kept nothing of me. Why do I keep promises that you did not honor? Why remain a captive when the whole world is mine. Give me my freedom, release my hands. I have given you my all and I have kept nothing for myself.”

Considering the theme of the film, the aerial chains dance sequence and the backstory of the protagonist’s character, it was only natural that it would be this song to set him free and inspire his dream sequence. The words might as well have been pouring out of his own soul. Once he enters his dream sequence and breaks out of the cabin, the song transforms into a more modern rendition that was specifically created for the film in order to tell the story of Mohammad’s inner journey.

That remix was produced by the amazing Hello Psychalleppo, a Syrian music producer who’s created his own genre called Electro Tarab in which he mixes old classical Arabic music with electronic beats. Psychaleppo himself fled Syria because of the war and moved to Lebanon. He identified with the feeling of being both desired and rejected from Beirut which is an important theme in the film.

T&T: Was there a point where you almost didn’t finish? And if so, what pushed you forward?

Dania: There were many points where we almost didn’t finish. It’s not very common for a short film to take 4 years, require such ambitious special effects, security measures, all that budget and a team working together across Dubai, Beirut, NYC, Istanbul, Paris, Brussels, Marseilles and Strasbourg. Add to that a global pandemic, the Lebanese economic collapse as well as the Beirut blast that tore through the city, it was a very tough and challenging journey and there were many points along the way where I thought that maybe I should just forget this film.

What pushed me forward? I simply couldn’t let go. I believed in the film too much to give up on it. I wanted it to exist and I wanted it to get out of my head and for it to have its own life. I wanted to see it and that’s why I wanted to make it.

After every “almost giving up” moment, I’d pick it up again and keep going. Luckily my team would be right there by my side ready to fight for it with me.

T&T: Give a quick shout out to your creative team and anyone who helped get WARSHA from an idea to premiering at Sundance 2022.

Dania: Warsha is an international co-production between Inter Spinas Films (Nouvelle Aquitaine, France), Gogogo Films (Paris, France) and Né à Beyrouth (Beirut, Lebanon).

This film would not have been possible without the support and efforts of my incredible main producer Coralie Dias, founder of Inter Spinas Films. This was a very ambitious short film with a lot of challenges be it technical, financial and even socio-political but Coralie stuck by it and singlehandedly raised almost the entire budget by herself. She brought on incredible French partners like Planète Rouge (Marseille) for VFX and Innervision (Strasbourg) for post-production and they helped take the project to another level.

The film was also co-produced with Pierre Sarraf, founder of Ne a Beyrouth (Producer of Oscar nominated feature film Capernaum) and the team there was handpicked by Marie-Lynn Nasrallah based on people who identified and felt strongly about the film and its message. I think all that love and passion comes across in the final film and I could not be more grateful for this dream team.

A special shout out goes to KHANSA who poured his heart into his performance, the amazing DP Shadi Chaaban who’s responsible for the beautiful cinematography in the film and who was my backbone during the whole process and last but not least to my long time collaborator, the editor Ali Dalloul who nurtured my baby when I couldn’t see clearly and brought out the heart of the film.

T&T: Name 5 of your favorite films, which influenced your desire to be a filmmaker?

Le Fabuleux destin d’Amelie Poulain is the first film that made me realize that I wanted to be a director.
West Beirut is the film that made me realize that I wanted to make Lebanese films that were authentic, dramatic, humorous, human and universal.
A Separation is the film that made me understand the power of an excellent script and the skill it takes to distill a complex culture elegantly and get straight into the heart of the characters and their human experience in order to touch audiences worldwide.
City of God and Mother made me realize the importance of world cinema in creating empathy and in understanding each other.
Ladybird made me see the beauty in having a female writer and director write complex female characters with honesty and courage.

Dania Bdeir is a Lebanese/Canadian filmmaker of Syrian origins. She graduated NYU Film School in 2016, and her first film IN WHITE was selected for Clermont Ferrand IFF, BFI, Uppsala and won the Grand Prize at Curta Cinema Rio de Janeiro Short Film Festival, making it eligible for the 2019 Academy Awards.