Two brothers must repay a debt owed to a local mob boss by committing a heist before he destroys their family.

Interview with filmmakers Kristopher Nielsen and Luke Pellizzari

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

As cliché as it is to say, it has always been a dream of mine to make a film. And I have been fortunate to meet a great number of talented people in the industry over the years and we all kept saying, “It would be great to work together”, mostly because we all want to work! And I figured rather than wait around for it to happen, why not make it happen.

I worked with Luke on a few films and as we were completing one, he asked if there were any ideas I had that I wanted to work on. I had this heist story about two brothers kicking around in my head with the idea that I could fill one of the roles, and offered that up as a vehicle to collaborate on. I was lucky that he embraced the idea and vision so readily and helped push it forward from there. And it just grew as everyone else came on board. Everyone was so eager to work together, tell a story together and learn as we went. While I certainly have learned from my mistakes along the way, I’m hard pressed to figure how the process could have gone better.

Fall of Night - The getaway car waits in the darkness.

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

Well, you are already at the theatre and “Fall of Night” will be on the screen, so you may as well stay and watch! Haha! Seriously though, you don’t see many heist, crime dramas in the short film format. The story told here will take the audience on a ride with some twists and turns that will keep them entertained right to the end, leaving the viewer questioning what they would do and hopefully that will stick with them long after they’ve left the theatre.

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

I feel the story really explores the notion of how we all help and hurt our own family, and how the helping and hurting can sometimes happen simultaneously. In the moment it can be difficult to be sure which one it even is. It’s easy to look at a situation in the abstract and think, Oh I would definitely do this. But until you are actually faced with it, there is really no way to know.

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

Again, we were very fortunate that this project became a large collaboration. Everyone really took ownership of their contribution and it gave everyone an opportunity to explore a genre and type of story that all of us enjoy, but don’t necessarily get to be a part of. This allowed the unnecessary parts in the original draft to be cast off and allowed us to better explore the heart of the story.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

We were truly so privileged to have such a patient and generous cast and crew that all gave such helpful feedback even in the midst of filming. And I believe that willingness to share and adapt as we went, while staying true to the overall vision, very much improved the final version of the film.

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

We have been encouraged by the early feedback we have received. People seem to want more and that shows that they were invested and interested in the story and characters. That’s good, right? Always leave them wanting more!

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

Every step of filmmaking is truly a collaboration and if I felt I knew that before, I understand that even more fully now. This is a hard business with very long odds, and to get anything seen by people other than your immediate family requires a ton of support. And what an awesome support WAMS is to help promote stories and films. This film was in many ways a labour of love, but we didn’t make “Fall of Night” to put it in a drawer; we want to share it with as many people as possible!

Fall of Night - Filming an tense moment between Garrett Black and Emma Barratt

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

Haha! Can I say any or all of the above? The more the merrier.

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

I hope this is a film that shows that even in a short amount of time we can tell a gritty story that anyone can connect with. But most of all, we hope it’s engaging for the audience.

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

With our film we really tried to invite the audience to ask the question, “What would I do if…” and then look at each character and try and put themselves in their place. I don’t believe there is a clear-cut, right or wrong answer, especially as we tried to have it land in a moral grey area. Even though we hint at those consequences, hopefully we’ve left the door open for the audience to ask what if things had been different, would the outcome change.

Fall of Night - Wrap photo with some of the cast and crew

Would you like to add anything else?

We are just so grateful to have had the opportunity to work with everyone on “Fall of Night” and we can’t wait to share it with people.

Interview: April 2017

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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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Fall of Night

Two brothers must repay a debt owed to a local mob boss by committing a heist before he destroys their family.

Length: 13 minutes, 18 seconds

Director: Kristopher Nielsen

Producer: Kristopher Nielsen and Luke Pellizzari

Writer: Kristopher Nielsen

About the writer, director and producer:

Kristopher Nielsen is an actor and filmmaker based out of Vancouver, BC.

Luke is an editor and cinematographer in Vancouver, BC.

Key cast:

Garrett Black

Emma Barratt

Neemish Parekh

Kristopher Nielsen

and

Dean Barrett

Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists): Would be wonderful to get into contact with any or all of the above for “Fall of Night” or for future productions.

Social media handles:

Twitter: @FilmFallofNight

Where can I see it in the next month?

Hopefully at a festival near you very soon.