An Americanized Russian immigrant battles his overbearing family for the right to undergo the ultimate rite.
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What inspired you to make this piece?
I came to New York from the former Soviet Union at the age of ten. The main character in the film is played by a Jewish-Hungarian relative of mine, who did the same thing at the age of 22, when he emigrated to then Western Germany.
Briefly tell us how you made your film or video: what camera and format did you use to shoot your piece, and what system did you use to edit it? What is your working process? Did you use any special techniques to make this work?
It was a two and a half day shoot. We shot the dream scene on a Bolex for half a day in October 2005. Then we spent two days in January shooting the interior scenes in a Columbia University student hall. The interiors were shot on DVCpro50, using the Panasonic SDX900 camera. I cut it on FCP Pro. I deleted a good two and a half pages of the script in post production. I love cutting stuff out.
Do you have any interesting behind-the-scenes stories about the making of this particular work?
The grandma in the movie is my real grandma -- and the reason she acts so naturally is because that's how she is. I filmed her alone in the room; she and I said the lines back and forth to each other, like some sort of Meisner exercise. I edited her in to seem like she's talking to the other actors. I'm very happy to have her on film.
What films/videos and makers have inspired you or influenced your work? And why?
Woody Allen, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Wong Kar Wai, Cohen Brothers, David Cronenberg
If viewers are interested in obtaining copies of your work for rental or purchase, whom should they contact and at what address and phone number?
Interested parties can contact the producer, Frederick Bouchady, at
fbouchardy@yahoo.com or 917-689-0691.
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