Idyllwild Film Festival - The Song of Sway Lake
A young jazz collector plots to rob his wealthy grandmother of a rare 78 record, but his plan is derailed when his accomplice falls for the glamorous matriarch.
Interview with Writer/Director/Producer Ari Gold
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
Thanks! Spending summers in the Adirondack Mountains as a kid, I became fascinated by this giant swath of wilderness that seemed to exist outside of time. In the lakes was the history of the decline of the graceful American royalty, giving even the sunny days a tinge of melancholy. The "real sway” of the past was always out of reach. I knew that this sense of lost grace was something that could come alive cinematically through characters who are stuck in the past, bewitched by music and beauty. I also loved the notion of a young Russian man falling in love with an American woman in her 70s.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
You will be transported to another time, an endless summer on a beautiful lake, where you will feel the cool water on your skin. This is what a film can do in a different way than TV or a book - it is a full dream, with music and color and sound. And it’s got the best soundtrack since 1942!
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
Most personal themes are universal. The more personal and specific you are, the more universal the story. In my case, I discovered that all of the characters in this film have an unhealthy relationship with the past. Ollie wants to change the past, Nikolai wants to borrow Charlie's past, Charlie wants to stop time itself. When we let go of what’s not ours, and the water flows with the truth. We become alive again.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
The theme I described above was what I discovered during the making and editing of the film. I knew that it was about love, death, friendship, memory, and forgiveness, but the specific story about our relationship with time was something I found over the course of making the movie.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
It’s amazing to say that at every screening, somebody tells me it’s their new favorite film. I think that for those who are moved by the film, it touches something deep in their dream life. Older audiences are being called back through the music of their parents; younger audiences are captured by the rambunctious but confused younger characters. I know also that the music (by EthanGold.com) and cinematography (by Eric Lin) are huge elements of the film’s ability to affect people.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
I was terrified to present the film. I didn’t know if people were going to believe that the Sways existed, that the song of Sway Lake was a real song from 1942, etc.. It’s a testament to the power of cinema that despite knowing it’s fiction, audiences consistently believe that it is based on a real family.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
I love that you are promoting real stories, human stories. These days, it’s almost a political act to do so. I’m proud to be part of a tradition of human storytelling.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
Journalists who understand the film are my favorite ally; ultimately it will be their help getting the word out that will be helpful.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
What I’m already having is this: people at festival audiences consistently saying it’s their “new favorite movie”. That is very gratifying, after spending years making a labor of love, to find that the film is connecting with people.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
When is our relationship with the past unhealthy?
When is it necessary to remember the way things were?
Would you like to add anything else?
Please follow me at @AriGold and the film at @SwayLake, and most importantly please join my mailing list at AriGoldFilms.com.
For independent artists without advertising budgets, being able to reach people directly is a lifeblood to being able to continue making interesting and necessary films.
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
I’m pitching an adventure TV series with ecological themes, and producing a documentary about the last all-night candy store in New York and the Iranian immigrant who’s been running it for decades (pretending to be Puerto Rican), and editing a film about the filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky’s suggested “psychomagic act” that I performed to process my mother’s death.
Interview: March 2018
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We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTIAQ+, scifi, horror, world cinema. 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 Song of Sway Lake
A young jazz collector plots to rob his wealthy grandmother of a rare 78 record, but his plan is derailed when his accomplice falls for the glamorous matriarch.
Length: 94 min
Director: Ari Gold
Producer: Michael Bederman, Zak Kilberg, Allison Carter, Ari Gold
Writer: Ari Gold, Elizabeth Bull
About the writer, director and producer: Ari Gold - Ari Gold is a student-Oscar-winning writer, director, and artist whose films are linked by musical and environmental themes. He also directed the cult comedy "Adventures of Power" ("One of the funniest films in recent years" - NY Magazine).
Elizabeth Bull - Elizabeth Bull is a fiction writer and screenwriter who's written several films and television projects, most recently co-writing a pilot for Radical Media in NYC. Her fiction has appeared in numerous lit journals, and she currently lives in Brooklyn, NY, where she’s working on a novel and a new screenwriting project.
Key cast: Rory Culkin, Robert Sheehan, Mary Beth Peil, Isabelle McNally, Elizabeth Peña, Jack Falahee, Brian Dennehy
Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists): Film festival directors, journalists, fans
Social media handles: Facebook: @SwayLake, @AriGoldFilms Twitter: @SwayLake, @AriGold Instagram: @SwayLake, @AriGold
Funders: Made in association with: Social Construct Where can I watch it next and in the coming month?
Garden State Film Festival, Sonoma Film Festival, Roswell Film Festival, and join us at SwayLake.com for screening info.