Vancouver Asian-American Film Festival - Godlike
When Alex loses his mother he finds solace in competitive gaming.
Interview with Writer/Director Mickey Finnegan
Watch Godlike here:
Why did you make your film?
I’ve been directing professionally for almost ten years and playing video games all my life. Over the last few years I have religiously followed the esports scene, LCS in particular, and was inspired by some of the pro player stories/experiences I’d heard about. There was something so relatable and interesting about their journeys; handwork, dedication, perseverance, the kind of themes that you hear about traditional atheletes going through to succeed. Once I got the idea in my head, I felt like I had to make it, after all this gave me the opportunity to bring together two of my passions: film and gaming.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
We are at a turning point in the types of media and entertainment we consume. More and more content is moving online and gaming is at the forefront of that. It won’t be too long before people start to see competitive gaming on the same level as other traditional sports. This film is about that ever growing culture but told through an intimate human drama. You’ll want to watch because one day when you’re throwing your Super Gaming Bowl party you’ll be wondering how we got here, and this film will maybe help you understand that.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
On a personal level this is a film about escapism, loss, grieving. On a macro/universal level it is about change vs. tradition.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development and production?
We knew we wanted to do something within the world of esports, but from a production standpoint knew that it was going to be hard to capture the types of crowds that are currently at esports events. So we had to adjust the scale of the movie accordingly and found that an intimate drama within the scene would work best.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. We’ve had so many people reach out to us telling us how much they connected with the film and how it touched them emotionally.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
It hasn’t challenged our view point in any way, if anything it has encouraged us to want to do more in this space and expand the idea into a feature.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
We would really like to continue the story and expand upon it. The short merely scratches the surface of the themes and story we would like to share. Hopefully by attracting more press we can get more eyes on our short and find like minded filmmakers who can support us by expanding it into a feature.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributers, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
Honestly, all of the above. We really believe there is a place for this film in a feature space and support from all of those roles can help us get there.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I want people to see the world of gaming in a way they haven’t seen it before. These pro-players are as hardworking and dedicated as any other professional. When gaming is a from of entertainment as large as music, film, theater, sports, why does it has such a negative stigma towards it? Maybe that is because you only hear the negative stories within gaming but never the positive ones, and there are a ton of positive ones. On top of that, I see Godlike as also an Asian-American story. I would like the film to have a positive impact on the Asian-American community in its representation.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or being a conversation about this film?
Who are we as a society to define what we deem a respectable hobby or career?
Would you like to add anything else?
Thanks for the interview and we truly hope you enjoy our film!
Interview: September 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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Godlike
When Alex loses his mother he finds solace in competitive gaming.
Length - 24:35
Director - Mickey Finnegan
Producer - Jennifer Khoe
Writer - Mickey Finnegan
About the writer, director and producer -
Writer/Director - Mickey Finnegan is a Writer/Director best known for his music video and commercial work. Born in San Mateo, California, Mickey graduated from the University of Southern California Cinema Television school is a member of the DGA and currently resides in Los Angeles.
Producer - Jennifer Khoe is a film producer born in Vancouver, British Columbia. She moved to California in 2001 where she studied at the University of California, San Diego.
Key cast - Major Curda, Jenny Soo, Elizabeth Sung, West Liang
Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists)
Release date - 8/30/2016
Where can I watch it in the next month?
We will be at the Vancouver Asian-American Film Festival in October and you can view the full length short on our youtube channel “Godlike.” Or check out www.godlikethefilm.com for future screening dates.