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Independent Spirit
Independent moviemakers explain the inspirations behind their most recent films.
“Vanaja was my Master’s thesis at Columbia. I decided to use Sophie’s Choice as inspiration and started from the moment of mother-child separation. But as I began to write, I found that the story began to meander, taking on elements of caste and class hierarchies and boundaries that still infuse rural Indian Societies today.”
—Rajnesh Domalpalli, writer-director, Vanaja
“It deals with the ideas and the meaning of family. The sense of duty between generations. It’s a bittersweet outlook on life that I feel represents my own experience. These are the people I know, as opposed to what I’ve seen in most films, which is so far removed from the reality that makes life worth living.”
—Chris Eska, writer-director, August Evening
“It’s a personal connection to the motherland, since I was born in Vietnam. I think there are a lot of contemporary stories to be told and a lot of interesting stories that could be told in the big city (Saigon). It’s important because it’s a movie about humanity, about normal folks opening themselves up to strangers. It’s a new look at Vietnam.”
—Stephane Gauger, writer-director, Owl and the Sparrow
“Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead is a portrait of three very obsessed men who cannot shake off their obsessive behavior, even though they know they’re going down the tubes. So I think, in that sense, it’s kind of a unique story and a unique kind of movie. I’ve heard people say it’s about the malaise of the middle-class or the modern man and his difficulties with consumerism, but I have to tell you that none of that was really in my mind when I was writing it!”
—Kelly Masterson, writer, Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
“It’s a family story which everyone, from every walk of life can relate to… not really a story that’s specific to Native Americans. It’s about family dynamics, dealing with grief and recovery. Especially my character, Mary. People either were a Mary, loved a Mary, had a Mary as a mother, or had a Mary as a daughter. Everybody knew this woman and that was the greatest gift—to be able to share her with so many people.”
—Tamara Podemski, actress, Four Sheets to the Wind
“My father was an AM radio DJ in the mid-late 1970s and ended up taking a job at a record company as a producer doing a very similar job to that in the movie. He went into it thinking he was helping people at first, but very quickly realized it wasn’t a legitimate thing. And I thought that was a fascinating concept for a movie—this idea that you think you’re giving people a chance and the realization that you’ve been scammed into being a scam artist.”
—Craig Zobel, writer-director, Great World of Sound
To find out what these moviemakers and others have to say about the current state of independent film, pick up a copy of MovieMaker‘s Spring 2008 edition.
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COMMENTS | POST A COMMENT 
- Comment by Catherine on 8/13/08 at 7:08 am
I like this post. It is really interesting to find out all the sources of inspiration. It gives a new depth to your viewing when you watch the films.
- Comment by Asus Netbook on 7/02/09 at 9:42 pm
I agree Catherine! Like song lyrics, it’s better for me to know the inspiration or the meaning behind the words. Same thing with movies. A like the deeper thoughts and info about films. Cheers!
- Comment by Cheap Disney Netpal on 7/02/09 at 9:46 pm
I have to repost. I think it’s great about what Chris Eska said about August Evening. A brilliant film and now I can think back on it with his thoughts on the script. Cheers!!
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This story was published in the Spring 2008 MovieMaker Magazine. The headline was:
Independents' Day
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