Chris Eska's August Evening: The Little Indie That Could

by Kyle Rupprecht | Published September 5, 2008

It seems that every year a low-budget independent film emerges, seemingly from nowhere, that strikes a chord with audiences all over. What these films lack in name actors or fast-paced narratives, they more than make up for in relatable and sometimes heartbreaking human emotions. This year the little indie that breaks out of the pack could very well be August Evening, writer-director Chris Eska’s poignant feature film debut.

Winner of the 2008 Spirit Awards’ John Cassavetes Award (given to a feature film made for under $500,000) and the Best Film Awards at the Los Angeles and Woodstock Film Festivals, August Evening is steadily acquiring buzz. Stephen Farber of The Hollywood Reporter credits the film as, “Perfectly honed, naturalistic acting and visual lyricism.” August Evening will open in limited release September 5 and roll out on more screens in October.

The multi-generational Texan tale follows the moving relationship between undocumented farm worker, Jaime (Pedro Castaneda) and Lupe (Veronica Loren), his young, widowed daughter-in-law. Castaneda, who was a computer network installer and had never acted prior to the film, was nominated for a Best Actor Spirit Award in 2008 alongside such veterans as Don Cheadle, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Frank Langella.

In anticipation of the film’s theatrical release, MM spoke with writer-director Chris Eska about his experience making August Evening.

Kyle Rupprecht (MM): You returned to your hometown in south Texas to find inspiration for your debut feature film. Would you consider August Evening autobiographical? If so, how?

Chris Eska (CE): Every film you make should be autobiographical. Even if it doesn’t directly relate to your life, the emotions certainly should.

Parts of August Evening come from my own family, but it also comes from stories I’ve heard about friends’ families from Mexico, Japan and India. I like that the characters don’t sound exactly like me on paper, but that they’re going through the exact same emotions I experience. My previous film was set in Japan and my next film might be set in India. It might sound naïve, but I want to make films that show the universality of the human experience.

MM: How did the story for August Evening arise? Is this a film you’ve wanted to make for a long time?

CE: I only decided to make the film a few months before we started shooting, but there was a long process leading up to it. After film school I crashed on a futon for a year and a half just watching three DVDs every day and taking notes. I was frustrated by my inaction until it boiled over, so I finally decided to make a change. I went to Sundance in 2005—without a film—and ended up walking out of one of the most critically acclaimed and hyped films there because it was so terrible. My friends thought we could do better and convinced me to make a film after that experience.

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Comment by Dusty Clark on 10/24/08 at 1:21 pm: I like the article it motivates me but everytime I stop watching DVDs I realize” oh yeah you need money to make films.” Dang it. My short films take half a year to get off the ground I can not imagine a feature.
Comment by igor on 11/22/08 at 11:44 am: Kyle Rupprecht very interesting, thanks
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Comment by Myltfilms on 1/09/09 at 8:57 pm: Human amotins its really veru good for cinema. We must true in cinema life, an dall be is ok! 100% i trust!