HollyShorts 2018 - Fill your Heart with French Fries
A short comedy about a woman who gets dumped by her girlfriend at a fast food joint, and, too sad to go home, just stays there for a week.
Interview with Writer/Director Tamar Glezerman
Watch Fill your Heart with French Fries here:
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
A few years back, I read a tabloid story about a young woman in China who had spent a few days at KFC after being broken up with. I thought it was hilarious and poetic and crazy relatable. So down the line, when I felt I had something interesting to say about heartbreak, I used that story as a premise and a structure. I made it to make people I like feel something specific and laugh. That’s pretty much my only non-financial reason for making things.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
It is very rude to look at your phone in the cinema and it’s hard to keep your eyes shut for 20 minutes.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
The film is basically a distillation of the five popular attitudes towards heartache that I’ve managed to discern through conversations with friends and family. It’s structured loosely on the five stages of grief. What’s more personal and universal than a broken heart?
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
Relatively, very little. The first draft of the script and the final cut of the film are very similar. I think that because it takes place in one location and progresses on a very clear trajectory, it was, compared to other projects, easier to write and execute.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
The film has been online for a year, in which it has gathered around 750k views and has been growing its viewership organically - winning Short of the Week’s Comedy of the year, and getting some love from blogs, tumblr and such. My favorite part is stalking the youtube comments; ranging from people expressing how they relate to the character and talking about their own crap and pain, to lengthy debates about how many free soda refills she could’ve gotten from FryBaby’s throughout the duration of her stay there.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
The online life of this film allows for a lot of fluidity; at this point, I’m just happy to see it reach more people through whatever means - festivals, press, twitter or any other platform. Specifically, I do think it would be cool to screen it on airplanes, because people get so emotional and weepy when flying. I personally can’t watch anything but sitcoms on a plane if I don’t want to straight up ugly cry. I think it’s air pressure related. I feel like Fill your Heart with French Fries could make for an excellent short mid-air weep.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I’ll take laughs over anything with tears a close second, but would also, if possible, like audiences to start getting used to characters being gay without that necessarily playing a part of the story. Some of the online comments on this film demand an explanation as to why the character is gay, to which the only reply can only be - for the same reason that that other character is straight. No reason. Existence without the need for legitimization. Repeat.
Would you like to add anything else?
Yeah, when you like a piece of art that happens to have gay characters, don’t start a comment with “I’m not gay but….” before you compliment the work. It’s fine, you can relate to a gay character without being gay because we’re all people. It doesn’t make you gay. And even if it did, you would probably survive some strangers on the internet thinking you’re gay, because being gay… isn’t any worse than being straight. So no need for a disclaimer. Unaware accidental homophobia isn’t a good look.
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
I have been developing a comedy pilot titled “The Universe Doesn’t lie”, as well as a couple of features. I have another short coming out this fall. I write and direct freelance, and am looking for more writing work hint hint.
Interview: July 2018
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Fill your Heart with French Fries
A short comedy about a woman who gets dumped by her girlfriend at a fast food joint, and, too sad to go home, just stays there for a week.
Length: 20 minutes
Who is being interviewed for this article?
Director: Tamar Glezerman
Producer: Chris Casey
Writer: Tamar Glezerman
About the writer, director and producer:
TAMAR GLEZERMAN is a filmmaker from Tel-Aviv, operating in the US. She writes and/or directs (mostly) comedy in the form of narrative, shorts, TV, music videos, branded & PSAs.
Key cast: Lindsay Burdge, Auri Jackson, Scott Friend, Alexis Powell, Sarah Ellen Stephens, Tom O'keefe and Finn Douglas.
Looking for: extending the reach of the film, as well as write films and episodes for others.
Facebook: Tamar Glezerman
Twitter: @TamarGlezerman
Instagram: tamar_glezerman
Hashtags you use: #fillyourheartwithfrenchfries
Where will it screen next: Hollyshorts Film Festival