Black coffee or iced frappuccino with sprinkles?
Black cold brew! I’ve been a cold brew connoisseur for the past ten years or so. I remember getting hooked on it right before I made my first film FAULTS back in 2013 and thank God because I would not have survived that shoot without the stuff. My favorite thing (which is also always a little embarrassing) is when I’m in Europe in the Winter and I ask for cold brew. The baristas always look at me like I’m insane.
Your movie „Dual“ premiered in January of this year. What was your inspiration behind the story?
The short answer is that I wrote a short years ago that I never made that had the lead character confronting themselves at the end of it. I still really wanted to play with the visual of an actor acting opposite themselves. At some point I came up with the idea that in this alternate universe you could have yourself cloned if you knew you were going to die- and eventually I asked the question, “What happens if you go into remission?” Of course the answer was, “Well you would have to DUAL your clone to the death to determine who will continue living your life.” After that realization, I knew this was the next film.
There seems to be an ongoing martial arts theme in your movies, what makes that topic so special to you?
You noticed, haha? I’ve been training Brazilian jiu jitsu for over nine years now and it’s something I do at least five days a week so it’s impossible for me not be thinking about it constantly. THE ART OF SELF-DEFENSE was a more literal (albeit highly exaggerated) interpretation of what it feels like to start something new like martial arts while in DUAL, the fight training was more of a necessary element of Sarah learning how to duel.
You have been nominated for several awards throughout your career, including for the best short film at the „Sundance Film Festival“ and best screenplay at the „BloodGuts UK Horror Awards“. What do awards mean to you?
So despite the fact that these two nominations are listed on my imdb, they aren’t real nominations. When you play a festival “in competition” you’re technically up for the grand jury prize. So while these little mentions are cool, I don’t put too much stock in them. I think the recent nomination DUAL got for best indie film at the Saturn Awards this year was the first real nomination I’ve ever gotten. Feels great but awards are definitely not something I put too much stock in.
We saw you attend lots of film festivals in 2022. How come so many?
I actually don’t think I attended all that many this time around, especially when compared to my first two films. I think it’s a symptom of covid still keeping some festivals virtual and the festivals that are up and running are still finding their footing post-covid so they aren’t flying everyone out for them. In the states the film came out shortly after our premiere at Sundance so unfortunately that meant we only got to attend a few festivals before our theatrical release. Hoping to do more festivals for film number four!
Are film festivals pleasurable networking events or a necessary evil to you?
I don’t know that it’s either honestly. Festivals are just fun. If you’re proud of your film it’s incredibly fun getting to show it to audiences and festivals usually have great film loving crowds. I think my favorite part is getting to hang out with other filmmakers. A good festival experience is like grownup Summer camp.
The movie industry is being shaken up by streaming services. What has changed and what is your prognosis for the future?
So far, while a lot has changed since I started making features, not a lot has directly changed for me and my process. I’m still making the things I want to make and I’ve been lucky to have small theatrical releases for all three films. One area that is sort of different is knowing that you’ll likely get most of your views once your film lands on it’s steaming home. Not sure what’s going to happen going forward but one thing we’re already seeing is that there are only two types of movies now- small movies and big movies. There are no more mid-range films save for a few outliers. It’s unfortunate but I don’t see this changing.
You are from Texas, America’s leading state in gun sales, but with a declining gun ownership rate. What’s your take on the topic?
Oof ok a gun question. Firstly, I think I should clarify that I’m from Austin, Texas which is about as liberal as it gets so that should give you a sense of my upbringing and political inclinations. All I’ll say here is that there is a real problem with guns in the United States and while most citizens agree in common sense gun laws, the politicians working for the gun lobby have such a stranglehold on our government that it’s going to take a completely new plan to actually enact any change. Our system is irrevocably broken if elementary school students can be executed with assault rifles and the pro-gun lobby can still say stuff like, “guns aren’t the problem.”
Where do you currently live and what does that place mean to you?
I live in Los Angeles and have for almost 17 years now. I love this city and my friends that live in it and don’t see myself leaving any time soon. I hope to buy a home here someday but I make indies and the housing market is a rollercoaster, so I don’t see that happening any time soon.
On the picture you’re wearing a really nice Armani Suit. You told our editor in chief it was your only one. Did somebody gift it to you, is there a story behind that suit?
Thank you! I was on the jury this year at Munich Film Festival and traveled with only one suit. One of my fellow jurors, Sibel Kekilli insisted that I needed to wear a new suit to the closing awards show. I really didn’t want to impose but she is such a sweet person and wouldn’t take no for an answer. She put me in touch with her friend Julia Hoefner at Armani and they sent me several suits to try on. I went with the one in the photograph and couldn’t have been any more happy with how it looked and felt. Thank you again to Sibel, Julia and the folks at Armani for helping me look a lot better than I normally do!
Are you a feminist?
Yes. Being a feminist means you believe in equality. Too many people out there have skewed the word and tried to make it sound like a bad thing. If you’re a man and you can’t call yourself a feminist, you’ve got some issues to sort through.
On your instagram you post some really interesting and artistic pictures. Are you into photography and if yes, what is your ambition in terms of that?
Photography, specifically film photography, is a hobby of mine, particularly when I travel. I have no aspiration in that department though other than a fun way to document life and play with visuals outside of the context of filmmaking.
How do you relax?
This is going to sound crazy but I relax by training jiu jitsu. Practices can be hard and you get beat up a lot but I’ve never done something so mentally and physically fulfilling. Laying on the couch and watching a movie is nice and all but I’d rather be at the academy getting better. A good beer with friends is fun too!
How is your love life going?
I think the word “non-existent” is apt here. And I’m 100% ok with that.
Do you still enjoy traveling or would you rather spare yourself the trouble if you could?
I absolutely adore traveling, especially for things like film festivals where someone else covers the price of the plane ticket and accommodations. But every once in a while I don’t mind spending money on a trip of my own just to get away and see new places and meet new people. Not traveling during covid was depressing. I feel like I’m the best version of myself when I can step away from real life every once in a while.
What projects do you have coming up in the near future?
I’m not able to talk too many specifics right now but I’m attached to direct a pilot for a show that just sold. If that goes it’ll be my first TV job which is exciting. In the meantime, I’m working on the story for my next film now and hopefully will have that written before the end of the year. I’d also like to do another short film but only if I have the right idea.
Interview: Bernard Werkmeister
Mitarbeit: Oliver Schweden
