Big Apple Film Festival - The Man With The Western Hat
Anna encounters the handsome cowboy who appears to have stepped from the screen and onto the streets of Brooklyn. She soon discovers he may not be the hero she expected.
Interview with Writer/Director Cinder Chou
Watch The Man With The Western Hat here:
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
Thanks! I started with a basic concept a young woman who discovers that her cowboy crush from her favorite western is alive and walking the streets of Brooklyn. This was inspired by the universal experience of living in New York City. We have many strange encounters that end abruptly and serve no other purpose than to marvel at the absurdity of life. I wanted to take that experience and make it part of someone’s personal journey. By the time we started filming, I realized that it’s a story about a young woman going through a supernatural trial to find her strength.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
I’ve always loved films that can blend genres, dramedy, tragicomedy, comedy caper, you name it. There’s something for everyone in The Man With The Western Hat. If you like westerns (read as: hunky cowboys), comedies, adventures, thrillers, rom coms, LGBTQ subtext; it’s all in there.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
For Anna, matters of the heart are terrifying and at the beginning of the film, she is ill equipped to deal with them. Ultimately, she discovers that her courage and strength lie within herself. When she finds it, she becomes her own hero. On a universal level, strength is within each one of us and it can take adversity or the emergence of a villain to find it.
I’ve also been interested in ghost stories or stories with supernatural elements because it begs the question: is there more to life than meets the eye?
I was also exploring the idea of fluid sexuality. You can like a woman and also be aroused by a sexy cowboy pouring water over himself.
Lastly, what happens when you flip the script and objectify men through the lens of the female gaze?
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development and production?
Initially, I was debating whether I needed to show the cowboy on horseback to truly evoke the western genre. After watching early cuts of the film and being unable to find suitable, affordable stock footage, I decided to do second unit photography. I think it was worth the extra expense because I always imagined the slow motion close of up of the cowboy’s crotch while riding a horse to be humorous.
This was also the first time I worked with an editor and it was an amazing experience. Andrew Segovia, the editor, made choices that I would have never made if I’d edited the short myself, for example, the choice to use 80s style training music for the montage scene.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
We had our first screening at the 2016 Big Apple Film Festival, which played to a sold out audience. It was amazing to see the film with a live audience and people laughed at the intended moments, so that was a great feeling.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
The feedback has reinforced my point of view. Working with comedic material is difficult, because it’s hard to tell if the same joke has the same punch after multiple viewings. You never know how it’s going to play, so the fact that it played well is surprising, in a good way.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
Since we are just embarking on our festival run, we’re looking for more exposure. With so many great films out there, especially shorts, it’s hard to stand out. We would love to travel with this film to bring it to a wider audience.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
We would hope to engage film festival directors and journalists to amplify the film’s exposure. Our main goal is to bring the film to a wide audience.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
Our creative team is ethnically diverse and also comprised of all women. We would like to demonstrate that films by and about women have an audience.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
Does reality only end when we sleep?
Would you like to add anything else?
If you like what you’ve seen or read, check out my website at www.cinderama.com. I also take pretty pictures on Instagram: cinderblockade is my handle.
What are the key creatives developing or working on now?
Cinder Chou (writer / director): I’m currently writing a horror feature film, which would also have comedic elements, of course. I’m also hoping to film my next short, AM / FM, sometime next year, which was a quarter finalist in the 2015 Creative World Awards.
Stephanie Iscovitz (producer / actor / guacamole enthusiast): The film festival journey for The Man With The Western Hat as well as filming a VR short in Winter of 2017 that will be a female driven narrative thriller.
Interview: November 2016
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We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series and music video. 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 Man With The Western Hat
Anna encounters the handsome cowboy who appears to have stepped from the screen and onto the streets of Brooklyn. She soon discovers he may not be the hero she expected.
Length: 13 min 28 sec
Director: Cinder Chou
Producer: Melinda Ziyadat, Stephanie Iscovitz, Christina Choe, Stephanie Blackwood
Writer: Cinder Chou
About the writer, director and producer:
Cinder Chou (writer/director) is writer / director who is interested in the mundane and the surreal, and the intersection of these two worlds. She is also committed to making comedic material that is also visually interesting.
Stephanie Iscovitz (producer / actor / guacamole enthusiast): As a filmmaker, Stephanie is dedicated to advocating for a stronger female presence in all aspects of film and driving social change through storytelling. She is especially passionate about telling stories with underrepresented female characters, emphasizing triumph over adversity. Stephanie also has extensive casting experience as a member of the Donna Grossman Casting Agency team.
Key cast: Kerri Kenny, Carl K. Li, Stephanie Iscovitz, John Emmett Whitney
Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists): Film festival directors, journalists, producers
Funders: Self-Financed
Made in association with: Cinderblockade Productions LLC
Where can I see it in the next month?
We don’t have any screenings in the next month, HOWEVER, we are currently waiting to hear back from festivals. Follow our facebook page at to stay updated on future screenings. https://www.facebook.com/manwithwesternhat