Whistler Film Festival - The death (and life) of Carl Naardlinger
When a mild-mannered IT specialist discovers that a man with the same name as his is missing, he goes looking for him in the Toronto ravines. But instead of finding him, he finds the missing man's identical twin brother.
Interview with Writer/Director Katherine Schlemmer
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
I made my film because I wanted to explore the age-old question: “Are we alone in the Universe?” And what role coincidence really plays in our lives, for better or worse.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
You should watch this film if you’re looking for a humorous, uplifting, artful comedy with intelligent ideas and characters about the meaning of life.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
Universal themes are centered on identity, faith, meaningfulness, and ego.
Personal themes center around “is my life a series of random events, or has it all been predetermined by fate?”
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development and production?
From first draft to shooting script, the story became something quite different than what I started out with. The story became simpler and clearer. Some characters where deleted from the script, while others were added.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
People laugh a lot in the same places. (The script made people laugh-out-loud, so it’s great to see that as well in the film.) But the story is also quite emotionally moving to some viewers. They connect with it, in particular the idea of a person running away from their life and returning to nature.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
I was surprised that people find a certain poignancy in the film. That they relate to what the central character is experiencing as he searches for the “missing him.” As well as being funny, the film has a lot of heart. And I was surprised at how the images of nature pull the viewer into the film in an almost hypnotic way.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible onwww.wearemovingstories.com?
I am hoping to get people out to the premiere screening – which is on Thursday, December 1st at 7:00. We only have one screening of the film, so it’s very important that the visibility we get encourages people to take a risk on an indie comedy art film. It’s very unusual to find comedies that are also art films, but this is one of them.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
All of the above! Because we only have one screening (and therefore no “word of mouth” that will help us fill the second screening) we need to fire on all fronts. Producers would be helpful to me for my second feature called “The Cat Tree” which I hope to shoot next fall. Getting the attention of producers with “Naardlinger” could make the next film easier to get off the ground if they have seen my calling card feature first on a big screen, with an audience.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I would like people to be thoroughly amazed at what I have been able to accomplish with the small budget that I had to work with. I’d like them to really see that as a filmmaker, I’m working with a definite style that sets me apart from other comedies.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
Meaningful coincidence has happened to many of us. I’m curious to know how other people feel about their experiences. Was it just random? Or was the Universe speaking to them; telling them something they should pay attention to. What do people believe?
Would you like to add anything else?
Women filmmakers need to have their work recognized, screened and promoted. Gender parity must become a reality. We are half of the world's population, and still underrepresented on our screens.
What are the key creatives developing or working on now?
I’m writing my next feature film.
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 death (and life) of Carl Naardlinger”
When a mild-mannered IT specialist discovers that a man with the same name as his is missing, he goes looking for him in the Toronto ravines. But instead of finding him, he finds the missing man's identical twin brother.
Length: 92 mins
Writer/Director: Katherine Schlemmer
Producer/Editor: Carl Laudan
About the writer/director:
Katherine started her writing career as an actress, playwright and director in Vancouver, performing with the feminist theatre collective “Ruby Slippers”. She went on to write the award winning plays “Iceberg Lettuce” and “Disposing of the Dead”, which played to great acclaim in Western Canada.
As a screenwriter, “Sheltered Life” was her first professionally produced feature film. Set in a women’s shelter, it featured an ensemble cast of fourteen women, and was based on a three-year stint working at a social services agency in the downtown east side of Vancouver. In 2008 “Sheltered Life” was invited to screen at the Cannes Film Festival, as part of “Canadian Perspectives”.
The absurdist feature-length comedy “The Death (and life) of Carl Naardlinger” marks Katherine’s debut as writer/director.
About the Producer/Editor: http://www.remonline.com/carl-laudan-real-estate-sales-rep-filmmaker/
Key Cast: Matt Baram as Carl Naardlinger, Grace Lynn Kung as Pam Naardlinger, Mark Forward as Don Beamershmiddle and Carl Naardlinger
Funders: Telefilm Canada, Cinéman Films Inc.
Release date: December 1st, 2016; 7pm at the Whistler Film Festival. Nominated for the Borsos Award for Best Canadian Feature.
http://festival.tsharp.xyz/en/whistlerfilmfestival/film/257/the-death-(and-life)-of-carl-naardlinger