Late at night, deep in the woods, a woman cries in her car. A light flickers through the trees. At the edge of her headlights' reach, she can just make out the shape of a man. He's coming closer.

Interview with Writer/Director Shane Bannon and Producer/Actor Celina Bernstein

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

SHANE: I came up with and wrote the whole script in 15 minutes at 4 AM one night when I couldn't sleep. Three months later, we were all done with it. No time to really think about the "why". I guess I should dedicate the film to my sleep-paralysis demon.

CELINA: Shane's idea also came at a time when we were ready to get out there and make something again. He and I had just finished writing our first feature together, and the idea of diving head first into an impulsive fever-dream short was exciting!

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?

CELINA: It's short, tense, and twisty! Also, if you're a fan of the 1976 Mercedes 230s, you're gonna have a ball!

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

SHANE: A lot of horrors is about finding the monstrous in everyday things. A beach, a clown, the dark. I'm interested in finding humanity in the grotesque. In my life, I try to be a forgiving and open-minded person whenever possible, and I believe I am happier for it. My work comes out of that perspective.

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?

SHANE: We went into production so quickly after the story's conception that we didn't have much time to tweak anything. Particularly with shorts, I tend to think through the sequence of shots as I'm first writing. The movie is surprisingly close to that initial idea I had in my head.

CELINA: The entire team was aligned with Shane's vision. That's part of the magic of working with trusted collaborators: you already have a common language that allows you to achieve what might otherwise be impossible.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

CELINA: Dances With Films is our World Premiere, so we're excited to finally invite in an audience and all of their thoughts!

But feedback is also an important part of the creative process. Especially during post-production, it can be necessary to see your work through a fresh pair of eyes. In our case, it helped us refine the film's pacing. But you also have to remember that you can never please everyone. At the end of the day, you have to trust yourself and your vision as a filmmaker.

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

SHANE: As our DP (Matt Kleppner) and I were creating the shot list, he really pushed me to get specific in describing the film's emotional turning point. I'm very driven by instinct, but when I take the time to translate my intuition into something I can communicate to my collaborators we're all able to do our best work.

Behind the scenes of The Perfect Place to Cry - Director Shane Bannon talking Jesse & Kevin through their stunt

What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?

CELINA: We want people to get psyched to see our little movie! In all seriousness, we're very proud of The Perfect Place to Cry. It can be so hard to make work that is creatively fulfilling, especially as an actor. This is an opportunity for us to show the world who we are, what we can do, and what we care about.

Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?

SHANE: We're at the very beginning of our film festival run, and would love to connect with more festivals that might be interested in our empathetic horror short. Speaking with journalists will allow us to showcase our film and ourselves, presenting it as a calling card for everyone involved. Our goal is always to make genuine connections with like-minded people, whether they be producers, festival directors, journalists, or representatives.

Behind the scenes of The Perfect Place to Cry - DP Matt Kleppner surveilling the set

What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?

CELINA: We just hope that it finds its audience! We love to create a community with everything we do, so meeting people who appreciate our vision is incredibly important.

What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?

SHANE: Does horror still work when it comes from a perspective that aims to empathize with all parties involved? I'm always curious about this question. For that reason, I've long had a hard time categorizing my shorts as horror. But as I've been told many times, if there's blood, it counts!

What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?

CELINA: Right now we're really focussed on writing. Shane and I co-wrote our first feature screenplay in 2022. It was a huge (and wonderful) surprise to both of us when it won first place at Filmquest 2022. Now we're waiting to hear back from more competitions, writing our next scripts, and slowly working towards producing our first feature.

Interview: Junly 2023

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

The Perfect Place to Cry

Late at night, deep in the woods, a woman cries in her car. A light flickers through the trees. At the edge of her headlights' reach, she can just make out the shape of a man. He's coming closer.

Length: 6:30

Director: Shane Bannon

Producer: Celina Bernstein

Writer: Shane Bannon

About the writer, director and producer:

SHANE BANNON is a Writer and Director based in Los Angeles by way of San Francisco. His work focuses on characters who seek connection in a world that encourages isolation. His first short, Only Strangers Sleep in my Bed had its online premiere with Alter, and has over 200,000 views across platforms. His first feature screenplay, co-written with Celina Bernstein won First Place at Filmquest 2022.

CELINA BERNSTEIN is an actor, writer, and producer from Paris, France based in Los Angeles. As an actor, she has starred in dozens of short films and appeared in live performances in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. Upcoming projects include Ride Baby Ride (in partnership with MovieMaker Magazine) which Celina starred in and produced. Her first feature screenplay, co-written with Shane Bannon won First Place at Filmquest 2022.

Key cast: Celina Bernstein (Lyla), Kevin Owyang (Dan), Jesse Howland (Colin)

Looking for: journalists, film festival directors, producers

Instagram: @pptc_film

Website: shanebannon.com

Other: Vimeo

Funders: Self-funded

Where can I watch it next and in the coming month?

Dances With Films/Los Angeles, CA - 11:45PM July 1st;
Deep in the Heart Film Fest/Waco, Texas - July 20-23