An adolescent girl comes of age against the backdrop of Ted Bundy's execution in 1989.

Interview with Writer/Director Laura Moss

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

Thank you. I made the film as my thesis project for NYU's graduate program. My co-writer, Brendan O'Brien and I came across the setting of the movie, a real-life tailgate party across the road from Ted Bundy's execution, while researching a feature screenplay about masculinity in an era of serial killer celebrity.

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?

In addition to the true crime aspect it's also a very personal story about an important moment in the life of a teenage girl, a moment that I think will be relatable to women who have been through their teenage years.

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

I'm interested in how our environment impacts us and seeps into our personal decision-making, and it was important to me to make sure the story of this girl is in conversation with the execution celebration that is going on around her. Juxtaposing a budding romance against radio chatter detailing Ted Bundy's murders leaves the audience in the position of connecting how these things might inform each other, and hopefully as the movie progresses, the intersection between the larger world and the personal world becomes more clear.

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?

The short (Fry Day) has really impacted the feature script (Gordon). We were able to play in the time period of the 1980s, experiment with tone and shooting style, and it led us to refine our feature script.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

The movie has been well-received. We premiered at SXSW, and then were able to screen for our cast and crew in our hometown during the Tribeca Film Festival. We have been touring with the film, and recently won the Grand Prix at the Melbourne International Film Festival, which qualified us for 2017 Oscar consideration. The movie has been received differently in Europe, where most questions are less about our protagonist and more about capital punishment.

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

I am personally against the death penalty, and our original script spent more time framing the execution and looking at the tailgate party with a more critical eye. It was in the edit we discovered that in order to tell the personal story we wanted to, we needed to stay with Lauryn, and so some of that fell away. I don't regret it; the backdrop is so rich here and there are so many different stories one could tell with it.

What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?

We'd love to generate interest in the feature. We are also beginning to explore avenues of distribution for the short, which has not yet appeared online.

Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?

We'd love to talk to journalists, buyers, distributors and festival directors.

What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?

I would be happy if it touches an audience and makes women who have gone through experiences like the one in the film to feel less alone.

What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?

What does violence look like when it's not physical, and how does it manifest in our everyday lives?

What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?

Gordon, our feature screenplay, is about a misdiagnosed sociopath trying to date women without killing them. It straddles the line between horror and comedy. We are currently in development.

Interview: October 2017

_______________________________________________________________________________

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

_______________________________________________________________________________

Fry Day

An adolescent girl comes of age against the backdrop of Ted Bundy's execution in 1989.

Length: 16 minutes

Director: Laura Moss

Producer: Brendan O'Brien, Valerie Steinberg

Writer: Laura Moss, Brendan O'Brien

About the writer, director and producer:

Laura Moss: Laura's work has screened at SXSW, Tribeca, MoMA and Hollyshorts. She was recently named one of Filmmaker Magazine's 25 New Faces of Independent Film.

Brendan O'Brien: In addition to 'Fry Day', Brendan has co-written the featurette 'Rising Up', which toured the horror festival circuit and was distributed on Sony's platform, Crackle.

Valerie Steinberg: Valerie Steinberg is a NYC-based producer. She previously produced 'Everybody Dies' (dir. Frances Bodomo), which premiered at SXSW in 2016.

Key cast: Jordyn DiNatale, Elizabeth Ashley, Jimi Stanton, Paul Pontrelli, JJ Condon.

Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists): Buyers, distributors, Film festival directors, journalists.

Social media handles:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/frydayfilm

Twitter: mslauramoss

Instagram: msmoss774

Website: frydayfilm.com

Made in association with: NYU Graduate Film, The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, The Davey Foundation

Where will the film screen in the next month? Denver Film Festival, CO, Indie Memphis Film Festival, TN, Miami Short Film Festival, FL, Cucalorus Festival, NC