Queens World Film Festival / Hollywood Comedy Short Film Festival / Astoria Film Festival 2019 – Drip
A leaking air conditioner incites a white Manhattanite to accidentally murder his neighbor and journey across town in broad daylight to dispose of the body.
Interview with Writer/Director Jillian Cantwell
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
I wrote Drip after a whole summer of my neighbor’s air conditioner dripping on my window sill. After many sleepless nights and visions of murdering my upstair’s neighbor this story was born. The real catalyst, however, was when my partner came home with four racks of ribs he received from a friend in a white force flex trash bag that he brought home via the city bus. On his way home with the bloody meat weighing down the white bag, stretched thin, he was worried that other passengers might be alarmed by the grotesque sight, but alas no one bothered or questioned the young white man. White privilege is a concept that many white Americans are currently confronting, or should be. This film is a response to what it means to have that privilege and how one’s whiteness influences those around them.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
The story line many people can relate to. The feelings of anger/resentment that we feel when something is out our control and to be able to play out that behavior, what we wish we could do or say in the heat of the moment is pretty cathartic. Also, it sheds light on exactly what privilege, which many white folks need a reminder of, including myself.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
A theme that I have noticed in most of my work is society’s role in shaping personal identity, specifically dealing with gender, race, and class. These are the big boxes that everyone is forced to check and they really have nothing to do with one's nature, but they create the environment in which others experience us. These assumptions are the privilege that some are born into and some are not and it’s fascinating to look at how they shape our psyche and the world around us and how they are externally reinforced.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
My original idea for the film was just a man riding a bus with a dead body in a trash bag in NYC. I was in love with the image of a basic white guy casually sitting there on the bus, no questions asked. From there I fleshed out the world in which this could happen, which unfortunately is pretty similar to the one we currently live in. I was lucky enough to workshop the script with my film collective, Filmshop, which was awesome to have such diverse feedback in the development period.
The film really didn’t change once I locked the shooting script. I wasn’t sure that was going to be the case as a lot of the shots we stole. We didn’t get any street permits and I wasn’t sure if we’d be able to shoot on the bus. I nearly rewrote that scene, but because it was the seed of my original idea for the film I decided just to take the leap. We shot it early on the crosstown bus on a Saturday and funny enough a cop was sitting beside our DP for our final take and said nothing—camera, bloody trash bag and all.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
We have gotten really warm and positive responses to the film. Many folks have said they don’t see an end coming, which is such a testament to how privilege is such an invisible force.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
Not really...
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
As a newer filmmaker I am looking to build an audience and a wider online presence.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
I would love to reach festival directors and distributors. Especially with short content, it can be challenging to find an audience without help.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
My goal is to try and create a more productive conversation around race in America and a good start to that conversation for white America is acknowledging and understanding their privilege.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
How has the privilege or lack of privilege impacted your life and your decisions?
Would you like to add anything else?
Thanks!!
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
Currently, I am developing a sci-fi horror feature that addresses privilege and class. We will be shooting a proof of concept later this year!
Interview: March 2019
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
Drip
A leaking air conditioner incites a white Manhattanite to accidentally murder his neighbor and journey across town in broad daylight to dispose of the body.
Length: 9:04
Director: Jillian Cantwell
Producer: Stephanie Iscovitz
Writer: Jillian Cantwell
About the writer, director and producer:
JILLIAN CANTWELL is a writer/director from Las Vegas, NV. She has pursued her passion for film and television in LA and NYC, both in front of and behind the camera. She is passionate about women making genre films, serial killers, and the desert.
STEPHANIE ISCOVITZ is a New York-based award-winning actor, writer and producer. Originally from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, many of her personal projects have screened at film festivals internationally and have been distributed through various platforms. As a filmmaker, Stephanie is dedicated to advocating for a stronger female presence in all aspects of filmmaking (Sleeping With Earrings On had a cast and crew of 22 women strong) and driving social change through storytelling. She is especially passionate about telling stories with underrepresented female characters, emphasizing triumph over adversity.
Key cast: Julian Gavilanes (John)
Looking for: distributors, film festival directors, journalists
Facebook: Jillian Cantwell
Twitter: @jillian_cant
Instagram: @dripthemovie
Hashtags used: #horrorcomedy #womeninfilm #shortfilm #nycfilm #indiefilm #womeninhorror #femalefilmmaker
Other: IMDb
Funders: Self-funded
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? Queens World Film Festival (March 29th) Queens, NY; Hollywood Comedy Short Film Festival (April 19-21) Hollywood, CA; Astoria Film Festival (May 18) Queens, NY.