An elegant ladies lunch reveals the dark side of privilege with no conscious.

Interview with Writer/Director Gail Gilbert

Main image: The American guest CYNTHIA saying "Gracias"

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

I was an editor for 25 years and wanted to write and direct my own film. So I was trying to come up with an idea that was in a single setting and would be relatively minimal in production scope. I thought of a story my mother told me repeatedly as a child. Little did I know that it would take me 2 years to pull it off.

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

Everyone has a moment that changes his or her life. This was that moment for my mother. It is an impactful blip in time that hits you hard. People from all over the world have told me after watching this film, “I have sat at that table.”

Lunch In Lima - A Peruvian guest chatting

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

LUNCH IN LIMA is a personal story that happened to my mother, but it speaks to a universal theme surrounding the value of every human individual.

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

I spent a year writing and re-writing the script – trying to capture the idea of many on-going conversations in two languages going on at the same time. When I showed my mother the script, I was nervous but she looked me straight in the eye and said, “That was exactly how it happened. They were just awful people.”

What type of feedback have you received so far?

People from all over the world have told me after watching this film, “I have sat at that table.”

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

It has given me great satisfaction that such a small film can have so much power.

Lunch In Lima - Privilege without conscience at a ladies luncheon.

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

My film has been in several festivals, but I would like it to reach a wider audience to make even more people step back and think about being more thoughtful and inclusive.

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

I would love your help in answering this question – I have not idea where a 4-minute movie can go from here.

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

Many times I get questions about life in Peru -- or what revolution happened after this lunch. My goal is to have viewers understand that this is a universal commentary on privileged classes across the entire globe and their inability to see the people who aid/wait on them as equal human beings.

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

How well do you know the people who work for you? Do you take privilege for granted as a way to keep others down?

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

I wrote, directed, produced and edited LUNCH IN LIMA, so I am the key creative. Currently I am pursuing an MFA in Writing for the Screen + Stage at Northwestern University. I have submitted a full-length play, FAMILY FIRST and several short plays to various competitions. I am writing two feature screenplays, a TV comedy pilot and recently created a web series, HOLY SHIT BELINDA. The first 3 episodes are on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/228499229

By next June, I hope to be employed as a writer on Daniel Silva’s upcoming series based on his novels about Gabriel Allon.

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

_______________________________________________________________________________

LUNCH IN LIMA

An elegant ladies lunch reveals the dark side of privilege with no conscious.

Length: 5 min.

Director: Gail Gilbert

Producer: Amber Narvaez

Writer: Gail Gilbert

About the writer, director and producer:

An editor of many award-winning TV commercials, Gail Gilbert has written/directed two short films. Currently she is pursuing an MFA in the Writing for the Screen/Stage at Northwestern.

Key cast:

Rengin Altay

Adrianne Cury

Julie Greenberg

Susannah Kavanaugh

Amelia Lopez

Daniela Lopez

Isabel Quintero

Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists): Producers, distributors, etc. for future feature projects.

Social media handles: http://www.cerisefilms.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lunchinlima/

Twitter: @cerise_films

Instagram: cerise_films

Funders: CERISE FILMS, INC.

Where will the film screen in the next month?

Saturday, 28 October 2017 at 9:30pm at the Citizen Jane Film Festival as part of the Fests Like Us program.

https://citizenjanefilmfestival.org/films/?film=56

The Silicon Valley International Film Festival. December 13-16, 2017

http://siliconvalleyfilm.com/index.html