DC Shorts Fest - Unmoving Derelict
When a man notices a defunct metal utility with a weird shape in his neighborhood he can't figure out why it's there... and realizes it's not just one, but identical relics are all over the city invisibly ignored by most people. This film follows him as he tries to figure out what they were, what happened, and why they're still here.
Interview with Director/Producer Steve N Bradford
Main image: The film focuses on these structures all over Washington D.C.
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
I’ve lived in DC for almost a decade, and I kept seeing these callboxes around, although I didn’t know that's what they were. All I knew was there were these odd metal things sticking out of the ground. When I found out about them, and I found out about the push to turn them into street art I knew I wanted to tell that story. Almost like a love letter to a side of Washington DC that most people never get to see.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
It's fun. I might talk a good game about how much the film means to me, or what it says about our communities. But it's also just a sorta silly, if heartfelt, little story. If other audiences are to be believed, you’ll laugh, and come out knowing a little bit of history that you would have never come across before.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
The idea for the film led to almost a year of research. When I started, it really was just chasing the question “What are these things?” But as I learned about them, it became about community for me, and really turned into a way to try, in my little way, to make DC a little bit of a brighter place.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
We had a standing room only crowd at our first festival screening, and have had a lot of people who have told me they enjoyed the film. It's resonated with a lot of people all over the world and country. As a story about something very local, you can never be sure that you’ve struck a chord that works for people in other places, but people have been very welcoming of the film and its message.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
The biggest thing that has surprised me is how people from around the country and even the world are connecting to this very local story. I thought that it was a unique story, but everywhere I go people have been telling me about something just like the callboxes where they are from, some sort of art in expected places that the film made them remember.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
I’m hoping that by making more people aware of the film, particularly just ahead of a festival, we might be able to get more people out to see it in the theater, but beyond that getting the story out to people can only help.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
The next two things this film needs are more festival screenings, and journalists to help inform community groups about it. The real work is empowering those communities to take action and renovate the callboxes in their neighborhoods.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
The impact I’m hoping for is very direct and concrete. I want people to go out and turn forgotten relics in their communities into something beautiful. I think that the best way to make that happen is to get the film out to festivals and in front of people.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
Rather than a debate, I hope it sparks people to question what things they have been ignoring in their cities. The callboxes Unmoving Derelict is about have been here for a century and most people walking by them never even register that they’ve seen one. How many other things are invisible to us just because we don’t think about them?
Would you like to add anything else?
For anyone in the Washington DC area, your next opportunity to catch the film is coming up in early September: http://festival.dcshorts.com/films/unmoving-derelict/
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
I’ve always had a fascination with the lives of inanimate objects. Unmoving Derelict was an exploration of that as much as many of my narrative films. So I suppose its not too much of a surprise that my next film is an animated short about two telescopes falling in love. If you want to hear about it as its being worked on, and see my other projects the best place to watch is
Interview: September 2017
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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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Unmoving Derelict
They may not do anything anymore, but they definitely have a purpose.
When a man notices a defunct metal utility with a weird shape in his neighborhood he can't figure out why it's there... and realizes it's not just one, but identical relics are all over the city invisibly ignored by most people. This film follows him as he tries to figure out what they were, what happened, and why they're still here.
Length: 9 Minutes
Director: Steve N Bradford
Producer: Steve N Bradford, Sara Kirwin, Christina Russo
Director and producer:
Steve N Bradford has been a filmmaker and puppet maker in Washington DC for the last decade.
Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists): Journalists, Film Festival Directors
Social media handles: GuyLoki Films
Facebook: facebook.com/GuyLoki
Where can I see it in the next month?
DC Shorts Film Festival