40 Bucks
While driving away from a robbery gone awry, a remorseful thief gets a chance at redemption.
Interview with Writer/Director/Producer Amy Quick Parrish
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
I was on the plane home from the Austin Film Festival and I had the incredible fortune to be sitting next to Danny Rubin, screenwriter of Groundhog Day. He was very nice and really wanted to talk, so we chatted for quite a while. I mentioned I had just gone back to teaching high school and he mentioned it’s really hard to write longer scripts while teaching and recommend I try what he has his students do: write an eight page script every week for eight weeks. So I tried that.
Around week four or five, the well was starting to dry up so I took two minor characters from my novel and created a scene for them. The scene evolved into what eventually became 40 Bucks. I showed it to Mike Vera and Robert Murphy, both of whom I had worked with before on a web series, and they were interested, so voila: green light!
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
It’s a ghost story with a Donnie Darko-style twist and it’s something we can relate to: did you ever feel so bad about something you wished you could just go back and have a do-over?
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
I think many people have felt haunted by their guilt. “If only” is a universal want. It’s fun to have the fantasy that you could go back and re-do something.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
I didn’t set out writing Christina as Asian – the actress, Sonya Nguyen, simply was the best actress for the role. Before we shot the film we made a few changes to locations and the type of car – working within a budget, we had to cut back on some of the SFX shots I had wanted. Also, the actors brought their own voices to their roles.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
It has been positive! Dennis Cahlo of the Cary Allen Picture Show podcast called it “gritty” and told me he was shocked it was written and directed by a woman, which is a compliment to me. When I started writing, I felt too girly to be commercial. I think I have probably swung the pendulum too far in the other direction on this, but it works. Also, people really appreciate the Asian representation – that Christina plays against a lot of stereotypes and that her character added a lot of the film.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
Well, I think now that I have proved to myself I can be “gritty” which has been a long term goal, maybe I can move on and be myself, which is a much better long term goal.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
I would like to see it have a wider audience beyond the festivals where it has screened and get more exposure for the actors, who worked hard on the film.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
Anyone who enjoys watching it.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
Any reception is welcome! I just want people to be able to see it.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
If you could change one moment and it would make all the difference, would you do it?
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
I’m working on the third novel in my YA series, The Thunderbird Chronicles. I just finished a feature script that was a Finalist in the Oaxaca Film Festival and I’m working on a new feature. Robert Murphy is working as a cinematographer on several features and shorts in LA.
Mike Vera is working on a feature film in Austin.
Sonya Nguyen is playing violin in a band called Big Blue Thumb based in Houston, Texas and eagerly awaiting the release of Alita: Battle Angel to find out if her background scenes made it into the final film.
Interview: November 2018
We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. 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
40 Bucks
While driving away from a robbery gone awry, a remorseful thief gets a chance at redemption.
Length: 5:31
Director: Amy Quick Parrish
Producer: Amy Quick Parrish/Robert Murphy/Mike Vera/Sonya Nguyen
Writer: Amy Quick Parrish
About the writer, director and producer:
AMY QUICK PARRISH the author of Amazon bestseller Into Dust - The Thunderbird Chronicles, a screenwriter and a filmmaker. She teaches Spanish Film and Conversation at the high school level.
ROBERT MURPHY is known for films like Meet Me in Montenegro and the Cassavetes award-winning In Search of a Midnight Kiss, for which Robert was singled out for his cinematography by both Roger Ebert and Anthony Lane of the New Yorker.
MIKE VERA is an actor based in Austin, Texas known for his role as Oscar in Into Dust Web Series and for his work on Last Girl Standing.
SONYA NGUYEN is an actress, singer and musician and a member of the Houston-based band, Big Blue Thumb.
Key cast: Sonya Nguyen as Christina Ngo, Robert Murphy as Dal McMurray, Mike Vera as Eddie Salvador
Looking for: producers, buyers, distributors, journalists
Facebook: 40 Bucks film
Twitter: @amyquickparrish
Instagram: @amyq.p
Funders: self-funded
Made in association with: Flying Cactus Productions
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? Online