Boston International Kids Film Festival - Spaghetti
A fantastical tale of an 8 year old boy's explosive reaction to meeting a new girl at school.
Interview with Writer/Director Peter Nizic
Watch Spaghetti on Vimeo on demand
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
We wanted to make a film depicting one of the ultimate joys in life, first love and the awkwardness that can ensue when you don't really know how to deal with those emotions. We wanted to make a film that was light at heart and relatable on a lot of levels. And on top of all of that, we wanted to get a bit silly and ridiculous.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
Because everyone loves Spaghetti. And everyone loves love.
And 2 words... Spaghetti. Cannon.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
Spaghetti explores the difficulty of containing your emotions and the overpowering nature of first love.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development and production?
The film started out as one character, Eddie Spaghetti. My wife and co-creator of Spaghetti, Shannon Wong-Nizic, also doubles as a primary school teacher. The inspiration for Eddie came from one of her students. We made up scenarios that "Eddie" got himself into and, in a way, reverse engineered the story around those moments, giving him motivation, supporting characters and a location.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
The feedback has generally been very warm. Although not a typical "laugh out loud" comedy, the film's heart seems to resonate well with audiences. Kids in particular can relate to the relationships in the film and they love the ridiculous situations Eddie gets into. The overall tone and sincerity of the film is quite well received.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
The feedback has surprised me somewhat in that I didn't expect so many people to enjoy it so much. As filmmaker, you do your best to make a film to the best of your ability, planning and planning... and planning. And there is always a little trepidation when you put something of yourself out there for others to view and judge. Working with such tight budgets, you don't have the luxury of time on set, so, as we tell our now 3 year old daughter, "You get what you get and you don't get upset". We had to make some tough decisions on set, but ultimately, the film still came together really well and despite some of the hiccups, we made a film that we are all really proud of. I really have to commend the whole cast and crew for their tireless work on set and in post production.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
We want your eyeballs! Ultimately, we make films for people to see them. If this article influences people to go out to a festival and catch the film, or maybe directs a buyer or agent in our direction, then we'll be eternally grateful. It's about getting as many eyeballs as we can.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
At this point, we are about halfway through our festival run. We'd love to get in touch with sales agents, buyers and distributors to discuss the future of the film and where we could take it next. We'd also love to chat with festival directors and journalists to help promote the film further.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
With this film, we are just interested in giving the audience a cute, entertaining story... if they laugh or connect to the characters in some way, then we've done our job and I'll be satisfied.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
Is there anyone you would share your spaghetti with? Like, really SHARE your spaghetti... You know?
What are the key creatives developing or working on now?
I have recently completed filming on my 2nd short, "Falling", which is currently in post-production. It is a much darker drama, dealing with much more adult themes.
www.thefunktion.com/falling
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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Spaghetti
A fantastical tale of an 8 year old boy's explosive reaction to meeting a new girl at school.
Length: 12min.
Director: Peter Nizic
Producer: Peter Nizic, Matthew Pearson and Shannon Wong-Nizic
Writer: Peter Nizic
About the writer, director and producer:
Writer/Director/Producer: Peter Nizic
Born in Sydney, Australia in 1981. Studied Digital Media at The University of New South Wales. Peter’s first short film has won him multiple awards, including Best Director and Best Comedy. It is currently being screened at film festivals around the world. He has worked primarily in post-production VFX and is currently Creative Director in a boutique production studio in Sydney.
Key cast: Noah Wiseman, Eloise Joo, Gyton Grantley
Looking for producers to potentially develop into a feature length adaptation. Sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors.
Funders: the funktion. Pozible crowdfunding supporters
Made in association with: the funktion (www.thefunktion.com)
Release date: January 2016