LA ShortsFest - Goodbye Charm City
A mother must decide whether she wants to encourage capital punishment upon the man who murdered her son.
Interview with Writer/Director Christian Grier
Watch Goodbye Charm City here:
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
My film was inspired by my mother who runs a beareavement center in Baltimore, MD. Thanks to her, she introduced me to 4 mothers who each lost their sons from gun violence in the city. They all had different perspectives about what went down, their process in grief, and seeking the why in the matter.
Three out of the four women were documented for a mini web series promoting the short film.
You can find it here: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ERgAQm0ZywI
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
This film opens the perspective of not only grief, but also gun violence in inner city communities. It's in your face and puts in you in a place to ask if there has been solution for it.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
The question of forgiveness vs. revenge plays majorly in this film as the mother has to decide whether she wants capital punishment on the man that murdered her son.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development and production?
There was about 17 drafts of this script. At first, the script was majorly paying homage to Thelma & Louise but as the script was being rewritten over and over, it started paying homage to To Kill A Mocking Bird in a very modern way.
When shot, we actually ended up with a 40 minute film, but we needed it to be a short. So we removed 5-7 scenes and majorly tightened the rest, ending it with a 18 minute film.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
Overall, everyone believes that not only did the main characters do a phenomenal job but the piece is moving from beginning to end.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
It has honestly surprised me, given from the amount of scenes that we've taken out and tightened.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
More excitement and more awareness to see this film.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
Film festival directors, journalists, and buyers!
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
More self-awareness to inner city violence and the need to provide more solutions to grieve for the underprivileged.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
Is capital punishment the answer to justice?
Why? Why not?
Would you like to add anything else?
How can bereavement centers reduce inner city violence?
What are the key creatives developing or working on now?
We're in the workings of a feature film. All I can say for now is that it's a psychedelic horror, and it will trip you out and blow your mind.
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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Goodbye Charm City
A mother must decide whether she wants to encourage capital punishment upon the man who murdered her son.
Length:
18 Minutes
Director: Christian Grier
Producer: David E. Munz-Maire, Zach Hasselbring, Nicolette Moreno
Writer: Christian Grier
About the writer, director and producer:
CHRISTIAN GRIER is a recent graduate in NYU. Before then, he was known as a boy that was raised in a funeral home in Maryland.
DAVID E. MUNZ-MAIRE, Cosmopolitan in nature, is a Bilingual International Baccalaureate Diploma recipient, and an alumnus of NYU.
NICOLETTE MORENO was born and raised in Burbank, CA. She currently works at Paramount Pictures, building her knowledge of the entertainment industry.
Key cast: Nikki Martin; Francesca Reale
Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists): All
Funders:
90 people from Kickstarter
Made in association with:
AireBedd Productions
Release date:
April 2016
Where can I watch it in the next month?
TBD