Big Apple Film Festival - The Suitor
October 30th, 1938. During Orson Welles' infamous radio broadcast of War of the Worlds, a lonely man tries to bond with a panicked young woman as they fearfully wait for the end of the world together.
Interview with Director Alvaro Congosto
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
Thank you! I’m a big Orson Welles fan and I’ve always been fascinated by the War of the Worlds radio broadcast from 1938. We’ve all heard many “true stories” of people panicking that night thinking the world was going to end but this one is quite unique. Thanks to the broadcast, Abe, the protagonist of the story, gets to spend the night with a woman that otherwise he could have only dreamed of.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
If you are familiar with The War of the Worlds broadcast, this is a great opportunity to revisit that night from a completely new angle. If you are not, the movie is a great opportunity to travel to that moment in history. In only 12 minutes the movie takes you on a full emotional journey. There is romance, there is comedy, there is fantasy and there is a lot of truth in it.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
Even though the movie is set up during the night of the War of the Worlds broadcast, this is just an excuse to facilitate an encounter between two human beings.
After all, The Suitor is just a love story that reflects on how media affects people’s lives. Media has served as a vehicle to gather people together during many times in history. In this particular case, Abe and Irene get to know each other while they listen to the radio and wait for the world to end.
The Suitor is a film about loneliness and how media can bring two people together. I consider those themes quite universal.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development and production?
The film has evolved a lot from the script to its final version. For example, Abe killed himself in the first version of the script, which didn’t seem right. I wanted to send the audience a more hopeful message and the screenwriter was very receptive to all the changes I proposed. Then the actors brought a lot to it as well. They kept every scene fresh by making constant adjustments that forced the other actors to be permanently alert to what was actually going to happen.
I consider filmmaking a living process and I’m always ready to make changes until the very last minute.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
Audiences seem to be hooked to the film from the very first frame. The full spectrum of emotions and how the movie is able to change its tone as the story progresses are some of the things that people like the most. There is nothing more rewarding as a filmmaker than sitting in a dark room with your audience and hear them laugh, scream and feel for the character throughout the movie.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
The audience’s response has far exceeded all the expectations I had on the film, and I did have high expectations. I always knew it was a very touching story, but seeing how well people connect with Abe still surprises me.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
It is incredibly hard to obtain visibility with a short film. Based on the audience reactions I know this movie is something quite special, so I’m just hoping this opportunity will lead to more chances for the film to be seen.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
First, Film Festival directors for sure. I know this film can be a great fit for many film festivals, the problem is that sometimes directors and programmers do not even get to watch it because the film gets lost among all the submissions they receive.
Second, producers. We have a feature version of the story that takes place on a tenement building in New York City and we are looking for producers and investors that are willing to join the project.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
The movie seems to leave a strong impact on everyone that watches it but unfortunately short films are not as accessible to broad audiences as we filmmakers wish. All that I hope is that this film will lead to more opportunities to continue making more meaningful work.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
Does Media connect or separate people? Can a period piece reflect contemporary life?
Would you like to add anything else?
Please visit thesuitorfilm.com for more info about the movie and please share with us any comment, thought or question you may have.
What are the key creatives developing or working on now?
After the success of the short film we are developing a feature film version of it with 5 different stories that happened during the Orson Welles’ broadcast.
Interview: November 2016
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We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series and music video. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
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The Suitor
October 30th, 1938. During Orson Welles' infamous radio broadcast of War of the Worlds, a lonely man tries to bond with a panicked young woman as they fearfully wait for the end of the world together.
Length: 12 minutes
Director: Alvaro Congosto
Producer: Michael Callahan
Writer: Samuel Laskey
About the writer, director and producer:
Director: Alvaro Congosto, winner of the New Filmmakers from Spain 2016 contest, has screened his shorts at Montreal World Film Festival, Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival and a hundred others.
Writer: Samuel Laskey recently won the ScreenCraft’s Comedy contest and is represented by Circle of Confusion, an LA based Management Company.
Producer: Michael Callahan started his career as a content producer and editor in education. Since then, he has produced for domestic and international clients ranging from financial services to biotech companies.
Key cast: Bates Wilder, Courtland Jones, Eric Lutes.
Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists): Agents, management companies, Producers, distributors, film festival directors and good stories.
Funders: Patric J. Arnold and 174 more backers on Kickstarter.
Where can I see it in the next month?
November 12 and 13 will be playing in Utah at the Red Rock Film Festival,
November 15 and 18 at the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival in Florida
November 20 in Miami at the Olympia Theater as part of the Recent Spanish Cinema program.