Sarasota Film Festival 2020 – Darkness in Tenement 45
After the threat of a biological attack during the Cold War leaves the residents of a NYC tenement building trapped inside, a troubled teenager must fight against the self-appointed leader in order to save the tenants.
Interview with Writer/Director/Producer Nicole Groton
Watch Darkness in Tenement 45 on Vudu, Prime Video and Google Play
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
Darkness in Tenement 45 started way back in 2012 when I was inspired by my complicated relationship with my often opposite-minded family to write something centered around a power struggle. I envisioned an aunt and a niece trapped in a tenement building during the Cold War. I knew that the niece Joanna would be hiding some volatile dark desire inside of her and I knew that her aunt would do everything to gain power herself. But without much else, I shelved the project and waited for inspiration to hit. Then the 2016 election revved up and these ideas of power, dark desires, and generational frustrations all seemed to come to the forefront in a new way. I whipped out my script and quickly revised it to reflect these undeniable themes.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
Watching this film will allow audiences to connect with an eerily timely story about a quarantined residence while still being able to step out of reality and enjoy the surreal and psychological elements of it. With the coronavirus crossing borders into the states, this film has never been more relevant. Our film explores how people react when a mysterious disease may or may not be outside their doors and the paranoia that ensues. In a lot of ways, the effects of coronavirus feel very similar especially when happening in an election year. In our film, we watch the tenement building as they make DIY biohazard suits and masks meanwhile the CDC is asking healthy Americans to not purchase face masks as they’re in short supply. The residents in our film question every bit of their day-to-day life based on whether or not it might get them sick and I see people all around me having the same daily fears. The film asks how are we equipped to handle such a crisis, who can we rely on to lead us and keep us safe, and ultimately what matters most to our survival? The world is simultaneously beginning to ask these questions and the film serves as a relevant exploration of human nature in crisis.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
Darkness in Tenement 45 is a film that explores what happens when two people, who should not be leaders for vastly different reasons, try to take control.
In a time of “fake news,” “alternative facts,” and party lines that have become more and more divided, the idea of giving power to a single person is becoming harder to bear. How do we decide who should receive power? What if an individual is hiding specific demons? Or what if their demons are displayed proudly, but no one seems to care? It’s these ideas and questions that propelled me to explore the themes in Darkness in Tenement 45. Acknowledging that we all have demons, the film explores power and how it can draw a flawed individual closer to corruption. Both Joanna and Martha start the film in a relatively stable place but, as the struggle for power grows, they both spiral to an unthinkable low.
I hope the film will teach viewers the importance of placing power in the correct hands and help them see what the repercussions could be in an alternate world. I know many feel as frustrated in our current system as I do, and I hope the film will give audience members the opportunity to step away from real life for a moment while still experiencing the themes that are important to our daily lives.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
Initially, the script’s theme was entirely based around religion, but I lost the inspiration halfway through writing. Then when the 2016 election started revving up, I saw these themes of power and corruption resurface but in a completely new way. A way that I found interesting and exciting. I pulled out my old docs and completely rewrote the story to focus on these two characters who were both vying for power. Many things in the story changed along the way in order to fit our budget or scheduling restrictions. Mostly some minor characters were eliminated. The crux of the story focusing on a power struggle between an aunt and her niece was always consistent.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
We live in a crazy time right now and our film has a lot of eerie similarities so most of the feedback we’ve received has been on that correlation. Viewers are surprised that a film set in the 1950s about a tenement building hiding inside from a mysterious “disease” could somehow now be so timely. Beyond that, we’ve gotten some great feedback on the look and style of our film. Our production designer Caitlin Nicole Williams deserves a ton of credit for creating such a perfectly decrepit tenement building while our composer Logan Rees has gotten some shout outs for his minimal but powerful score.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
The most surprising thing throughout this whole process has been how it’s only become more and more relevant with the rise of coronavirus. Much of our feedback has focused on this as well.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
The delay of film festivals has thrown such a wrench into everyone’s plans. I think our film is poignant in this extreme climate and just want to share the story with as many people as possible! It sucks that we aren’t able to share the film this month at Sarasota Film Festival as expected but I think keeping our community in touch with the filmmakers who have been affected by this extreme situation is important. I also hope that our female-driven cast and crew will inspire those who are feeling understandably down at the moment. We’ve all overcome a lot and will continue to do so, we just need to stay strong together!!
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
We want this film to reach as many viewers as possible! We’re looking for buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists, and all of the above to get involved!
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
My hope for this film’s impact has changed dramatically since COVID-19 started. Initially (and still) I wanted viewers to question those in power and start conversations about who in our film should have actually been in charge. But now, with the film’s sudden connections to coronavirus, I also hope people focus on the companionship and support between the characters in the film and watch how it helped the building. I hope viewers will see the light at the end of the tunnel and be able to relate to the film while still taking a break from our own reality.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
Whom can we really trust to lead us during a catastrophic time?
Would you like to add anything else?
We’re incredibly proud of the women behind the movie and were excited to collaborate with so many women on a project. For many of us, this was the first time in our careers where the crew was evenly split by gender, let alone where women outnumbered men in every department. Hiring these talented females happened very organically. We called on people we were excited to work with and who shared our passion for this labor of love. The attitude on set was one of mutual respect and collaboration which led to a positive and conducive environment to create a film. It was incredible to work with so many talented women from pre-production through post-production.
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
There are two projects that I’m excited to be developing right now. The first is a surreal drama set in Florida’s hurricane season that follows one woman who discovers an extraordinary plant growing in her home that magically provides her with assistance. When the situation in her cul-de-sac gets desperate, her neighbors’ greed threatens to destroy the very thing that could save them. The second script is a tap-dancing psychological thriller that’s a mix between Black Swan and All That Jazz.
Interview: March 2020
We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, 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
Darkness in Tenement 45
After the threat of a biological attack during the Cold War leaves the residents of a NYC tenement building trapped inside, a troubled teenager must fight against the self-appointed leader in order to save the tenants.
Length: 1:35:16
Director: Nicole Groton
Producer: Crystal Collins, Nicole Groton, Simone Lapidus
Writer: Nicole Groton
About the writer, director and producer:
NICOLE GROTON is a writer/director living in Los Angeles. She produced, directed, and edited the feature documentary The Melting Family (2015), which made its world premiere at DOC NYC. She has written and directed two short narrative films. Her narrative feature film debut Darkness in Tenement 45 is currently in the festival circuit. She was a quarterfinalist at Storypros Screenplay Contest and the Script Pipeline Screenwriting Contest as well as a semifinalist at the Creative World Awards. She won Best Feature Screenplay at the Orlando Film Festival and Second Place for Best Comedy Screenplay at the LA Screenplay Contest.
SIMONE LAPIDUS is a producer and writer based in LA. She started her career working for producer Ed Saxon before working for United Front Design and FLEX Creative Inc. where she wrote and produced TV promos and web series. Lapidus co-produced the feature documentary The Melting Family, which made its world premiere at DOC NYC. Additionally, she has had various experience with television networks such as DreamworksTV, AwesomenessTV, College Humor, and Comedy Central.
CRYSTAL COLLINS is a producer and director in LA. In pursuing her passion for storytelling, she has produced short films and features, as well as directed web series and commercials. Collins has worked with companies such as Disney XD, Red Bull Media House, ESA Foundation, and numerous independent artists. Most recently, she has produced and directed two seasons of the series Away from Keyboard, now streaming on Red Bull TV.
Key cast: Nicole Tompkins (Joanna), Casey Kramer (Martha), Keyon Bowman (Walter), Anthony Marciona (Horen), Tracie Lockwood (Shannon,) Melissa Macedo (Isolina)
Looking for: distributors, journalists, film festival directors, buyers
Facebook: Darkness in Tenement 45
Twitter: @Tenement45Film
Instagram: @tenement45film
Hashtags used: #Tenement45Film
Website: www.tenement45film.com
Other: IMDb
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? Sarasota Film Festival/Sarasota, FL. - TBD