Cannes Short Film Corner - JC
Love. Marriage. Death. "JC" is the daring new vision of William Shakespeare's political thriller "Julius Caesar". JC is about the dynamic and powerful Portia racing to uncover her husband Brutus's secret plot to assassinate his friend Caesar. The film mixes documentary footage, with narrative photography and cutting-edge organic visual effects realized by two-time Academy Award-Winner Jon Meier. Led by powerhouse performances by stage and screen luminaries Francesca Manzi and Charles Porter, "JC" drills deep into the complexities of marriage, friendship and politics, duty to country. Adapted for the screen, directed, edited, produced and co-DPed by multiple award-wining writer/director Matt Boatright-Simon, this action-packed, sexually charged retelling of the Bard's timeless classic couldn't be more timely.
Interview with Writer/Director Matt Boatright-Simon and Producer/Actor Francesca Manzi
Main photo: (L to R) Charles Porter, Brad MacDonald, Chris Moss, and Jim Round
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
MBS (Matt Boatright-Simon) -Thank you. Happy to be talking with you. I made “JC” for two main reasons. One, is that I heeded the advice of a filmmaker I deeply respect who said “find the stories only you can tell and then go and tell them”. And as odd as it might seem at first blush, this version of William Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar” is a story that only I could tell. I’m confident of that, and I think when folks see the film and consider my position they’ll agree. I’ve done something that’s never quite been done before, and so I feel really humbled and alsovery proud of that.
FM (Francesca Manzi) - As an actress, I jumped at the chance to a) make a classic Shakespearean story come to life in a fresh way, and b) to play a strong woman who is centralized in the story.
The other reason I made the film is because I’ve been fascinated with Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar” for about 20 years. It’s a profound piece of work where my appreciation and understanding of it deepens as I evolve. I’ve been drawn to the rendering of the relationship between Portia, this utterly fascinating photo feminist who’s caught in a bad situation, and her husband Brutus. I’ve never seen the relationship, with all the complexity and nuances of a full-blown marriage, get its proper “day in court”. And more to the point, I’ve never seen Portia get her due. She’s complex and powerful, and yet dies off stage. Doing her and that core relationship justice was really the impetus for this piece.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
MBS - You should watch JC because you’ll be moved. I promise you, you will think, and feel something afterwards. The film is bold, it’s daring, and if you care at all about what’s going on in the world currently, it will resonate. The performances the lead actors turn in are of a very high order, and me and my core team of collaborators pulled off some things, cinematically, that I’m confident you’ve not seen before. We mix classic text, with visual effects, documentary footage and original photography that I think is pretty seamless. You’ll go on a journey and be challenged.
FM- For a fresh, modern take on a time-honored story that, hopefully, makes the original themes that Shakespeare wrote about resonate with a modern audience in a new & interesting way.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
MBS - The universal themes of friendship, duty, honor, loyalty William Shakespeare wrote into the original text are all there. And I really focus on those things in relation to marriage. Personal themes of struggle, the search for truth and integrity are central to the film.
FM - I think we’ve covered the current political climate pretty well, ha! Power struggles, misunderstanding, ignorance, fear for starters, as well as the personal themes of love, loss, commitment, betrayal & jealousy that permeate every single person’s experience in life, in some way.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
MBS - Without giving too much away, I’ve been thinking about this project for 15 years, but couldn’t find a way to do it right, until certain things and people aligned properly. Of course, rewriting the film in the edit is always a revelatory experience. Shifting a clip one frame can make a huge difference.
FM - Matt had a very keen way of working with the text. When we first started rehearsing, the script in hand was a bastardized version of the original text with some of the key visual components left out. Once Matt was comfortable we shifted into the original verbatim text. It was really interesting to see how powerful that language is, still, when paired with a completely modern viewpoint. The film has been through various stages of VFX and editing, going from a 22 minute piece to a 15 minute piece! So all the fat has been trimmed off.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
MBS - Amazing. It’s been humbling and quite inspiring. People are responding in the ways and to the degrees I had hoped they would; sometimes even more. That’s been cool.
FM - This will be our first public screening, and Matt and I have been very tight-lipped about rolling it out to people other than trusted colleagues, all of whom have responded incredibly well.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
MBS - Being that I’m doing Shakespeare, which has i’s inherent challenges, I’ve been surprised that Shakespearean neophytes have responded so positively to the piece. I worked hard to yield a cinematic rendering of his incredible text and it seems to be working well. Seeing as though this is the first time a larger group will be seeing the film, I look forward to more feedback.
FM - Being that we’re in Los Angeles, and the Bard’s work isn’t often mounted stateside, it’s been fantastic to see Americans take to the piece.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
MBS - I want to find a production entity to help me mount a feature version of this piece. Distribution for the short film is also a goal.
FM - The opportunity for the film to reach a wider audience, be it through festival screenings or articles written about it.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
MBS - All of the above, in varying stages and to varying degrees.
FM - I’d say festival directors & journalists would be most helpful
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
MBS - A profound one. This piece is timeless and in our charged and confusing political times, it’s never been more timely. I am going to translate the profound truth’s of this text to the largest palette of the big screen. I want people’s hearts and minds to be moved.
FM - I’d personally like people to see the parallels that one of the oldest stories in English Literature has to life today, politically & personally, and to find the way we chose to tell the story bold & exciting.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
MBS - What do you think of the American President?
Would you like to add anything else?
MBS - This film is the realization of 15 years of work. It’s my most humble and yet my most bold attempt at telling a complex story and building and expanding a “universe”.
What are the key creatives developing or working on now?
In addition to a strong on-camera and voice over career, Francesca is working on her next feature film. Lawrence Werber is rocking the stage and screen in the U.K. and I believe will doing another play this summer. We had the pleasure of working together at the Edinburgh Fringe last summer and I can say with clarity that Lawrence is a crown jewel of the UK. I (Matt) is working on a feature version of JC. Another feature with long-time collaborator Barry Levy (screenwriter of Vantage Point). A third feature based on an award-winning internationally-acclaimed play, five television projects, two iOS apps, and a couple very, very cool VR project. Getting phase two of my production company, Boatright-Simon Picture+Sound off the dock. Oh and work life balance.
Interview: May 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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JC
Love. Marriage. Death. "JC" is the daring new vision of William Shakespeare's political thriller "Julius Caesar". JC is about the dynamic and powerful Portia racing to uncover her husband Brutus's secret plot to assassinate his friend Caesar. The film mixes documentary footage, with narrative photography and cutting-edge organic visual effects realized by two-time Academy Award-Winner Jon Meier. Led by powerhouse performances by stage and screen luminaries Francesca Manzi and Charles Porter, "JC" drills deep into the complexities of marriage, friendship and politics, duty to country. Adapted for the screen, directed, edited, produced and co-DPed by multiple award-wining writer/director Matt Boatright-Simon, this action-packed, sexually charged retelling of the Bard's timeless classic couldn't be more timely.
Length: 15 minutes
Director: Matt Boatright-Simon
Producer: Francesca Manzi, David Waite, Jim Round, Jon Meier, Matt Boatright-Simon
Writer: Matt Boatright-Simon, adapted from William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar
About the writer, director and producer: Multiple award-winning stage, Television and and Film writer/director/producer/editor/DP Matt Boatright-Simon has worked with Oscar Winners, Nobel Laureates, music legends including Mick Jagger, BB King, Michael Jackson, and many other interesting humans. He’s the founder of Boatright-Simon Picture+Sound, and award-winning internationally acclaimed content creation company based in Los Angeles.
Key cast: Francesca Manzi, Charles Porter, Brad MacDonald, Jim Round, Chris Moss, with Barack Obama
Looking for (producers: for feature, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists):
Social media handles:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JCbyMattBoatrightSimon
Twitter: @PicSoundProd
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/picandsound/
Other: http://www.picandsound.com/jc-afilmbymattboatright-simon
Funders: Boatright-Simon Picture+Sound
Made in association with:
Where can I see it in the next month? Cannes Court Metrage Short Film Corner May 26th – Palais F – 11am