HollyShorts / Rhode Island Film Festival - Blue Borsalino
When his first and only client wakes from a coma, a retired private investigator reveals a secret that has cast a shadow over his life for close to fifty years.
Interview with Writer/Director Mark Lobatto
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Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
Having not met neither of my grandfathers, I'm drawn to ageing male characters. I wanted to tell a story that explored the life of an individual that had been informed by one moment years ago. We really aimed for a dream-like noir journey into the mind and memory of such an ageing character, hopefully achieving a level of intrigue and tangible feelings of time and place along the way.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
Watch it to experience a film that nods to the traditional cinematic storytelling not always explored in the short form. The colours are rich, the design is textured and alive and the performances from the whole cast are top notch. This includes Emmy winning actor David Warner (Tron, Time Bandits) and Olivier nominated actress Margot Leicester; as well as their superb younger counterparts Bart Edwards and Laura Dale.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
It is a mysterious drama that unfolds as you discover the reality of Ernie's life, but ultimately it is a redemption story and one of hope. It looks at the chasm that can arise between the past version of someone and the present version. I think themes of guilt and searching for forgiveness are relatable regardless of your background.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development and production?
The script was written in a month or so with some development work shortly following. The production itself was only possible due to a crowdfunding campaign which we ran on Kickstarter for a month. We raised our full budget of £23,000 due to the support from over 300 backers from around the world. The whole experience was really rewarding and it meant taking our little community of supporters along on the ride of the production. Definitely the film is true to its initial intentions, and gratefully people are responding to that.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
The feedback continues to be encouraging. Festivals, industry folk and audiences alike seem to particularly enjoy how different it is to many short films seen at the moment. This is a reflection of the team's talents and hard work for sure.
So far we've been selected for 17 festivals and received 5 awards and a couple of other nominations/accolades along the way. We're very proud.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
Nothing too surprising, I believe audiences see the film for what it is. Occasionally there's been questions as to whether we intend to make a follow-up feature film for it, which happens to not be the direction we are going in.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
WeAreMovingStories is a great platform to be introduced to new films and filmmakers that are currently being screened in worthwhile festivals and alike, so to be a part of this conversation is great. As you say it's the visibility and awareness of our film that is what we are after.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
For this film we'd love it to find even more audiences, be that on festivals around the world to eventually getting its online premiere on an established platform. All of the above is of course useful, particularly journalists, and film festival directors regarding this short film - and then producers to discuss projects going forward.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I hope on a base level that they enjoy the experience of the film, but also to walk away with a sense that everyone has their secrets and mistakes that haunt them from he past, and that it is never too late for forgiveness.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
'How much do we become the mistakes we made in the past?'
Would you like to add anything else?
Just that we'd love you to see our film on the big screen at festivals if you're able to.
For updates on the film, our social media is:
F - facebook.com/blueborsalino
T - @blueborsalino
W - blueborsalinofilm.com
What are the key creatives developing or working on now?
Our writer/director Mark Lobatto is in pre-production for his next short film STEALING SILVER which has some exciting actors attached. He is also developing feature scripts.
http://www.marklobatto.com
We were lucky to have some truly talented creatives on this film, so they have all continued to be busy in their fields in feature and TV filmmaking. Here are links to some of their recent work:
Cinematographer - Eben Bolter - http://www.ebenbolter.com
Production Designer - Daniel Vincent - http://www.daniel-vincent.com
Editor - Dave Silver - http://davesilver.tv
Makeup & Hair Designer - Alexa Seabourne - http://www.alexaseabourne.com
Costume Designer - Jeffrey Michaels - http://www.jeffrey-michael.com
Composer - David M. Saunders - http://www.davidmsaunders.co.uk
Interview: August 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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BLUE BORSALINO
When his first and only client wakes from a coma, a retired private investigator reveals a secret that has cast a shadow over his life for close to fifty years.
Length:
16m 27s
Director:
Mark Lobatto
Producer:
Annabel Wigoder
Writer:
Mark Lobatto
About the Writer / Director:
Mark's previous short SILENT TREATMENT starred Hollywood actress Lily James. It was screened worldwide at festivals, on airlines and on US TV. He is in pre-production for his next short whilst developing his feature screenplays.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2533938/
About the Producer:
Annabel is a BAFTA Crew Producer with credits on shorts, music promos and theatre, as well as script development credits on several feature films. She is currently a producer at Endemic Shine Beyond.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3764575/
Key cast:
David Warner, Margot Leicester, Bart Edwards, Laura Dale, Amanda Drew
Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists): Ideally all
Funders:
Over 300 funders through crowdfunding
Made in association with:
Awake At Night Pictures
Release date:
September 2015
Where can I watch it in the next month?
August 12th - Flickers' Rhode Island International Film Festival - 'Into the Darkness' Program (9pm)
August 16th - HollyShorts Film Festival - 'Golden Age' Program (230pm)
August 20th-27th - CEBU International FILM Festival
September 15th-18th - El Dorado Film Festival
AWARDS & NOMINATIONS
Winner - Best Short - Victoria TX Independent Film Festival (2016)
Winner - Founders Award for Best Drama Short Film - North Carolina Film Awards (2015)
Winner - Platinum REMI Award for Original Fiction Film - Worldfest Houston (2016)
Winner - Certificate of Excellence Award - Rincon International Film Festival (2016)
Winner - Jury Award - AVTAR Film Festival (2016)
Special Jury Mention - 'Short of the Year' contest - Promofest (2015)
Nominated - Crossroads Award - Victoria TX Independent Film Festival (2016)
Nominated - Best Short Film Score - Reel Music Awards (2015)