Culver City Film Festival 2018 - 88 Cents
After losing five years behind bars, a young man begins his new life in San Francisco, eager to find a job, a home, and a second chance.
Interview with Writer/Director/Executive Producer Tyler Pina
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
Thank you! I was inspired to make 88 Cents after living in San Francisco for four years. It's a beautiful place. In fact, it's the wealthiest city in the United States. But, at the same time, it has the highest rate of homelessness. Thousands of people are struggling to survive on the streets, and each one has their own story. My goal was to create a film that sparks a conversation and shines a light on this community that I believe has been overlooked by society.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
This is a story that has not yet been told. It isn't a feel-good film, but it's an important and moving story that's well worth the watch. After seeing 88 Cents, I think audience members will leave the theater with opened eyes, a new perspective, and a fire burning inside.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
The film focuses on a young man as he descends into homelessness after being released from prison. Hundreds of thousands of Americans have fallen down this path. It is not an uncommon story, but it also isn't talked about much either. I wanted the audience to connect with our main character Thomas. Although, many of the conflicts throughout the film are between him and society, him and nature, or him and other characters, I focused on his internal struggle. We're all just people at the end of the day, and I think telling the story this way allowed it to be more relatable and leave a stronger impact.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
The story actually all started with the last scene. The climax of the film is something that I witnessed while living in San Francisco. I thought to myself, "what could have happened that led a person to this point?" I started working backwards from there. I did a lot of research in the beginning. It was very important to me that the film was authentic and accurately portrayed this character. Once I started writing, the script just poured out of me. And, it was a very fast process from that point on. We had all of our pre-production completed within a month. We shot the film in a week, and wrapped up post-production in a similar timeline.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
I'm very grateful that the film has received such positive reception. 88 Cents has screened at dozens of festivals, not only across the U.S., but all around the world. And, the feedback has been synonymous across each of these demographics, which is all I could ever ask for.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
I created 88 Cents with one goal in mind: to encourage empathy and spark a conversation. The film covers difficult themes of homelessness and life after prison. We've won around sixty awards so far, but what's really encouraged me are the personal responses that I've that I've received from individual audience members. We've been screening for almost a year now, and I still receive emails. Almost daily, people tell me how moved they were by the film, and they ask me how they can help. Seeing such compassion and kindness from so many people across the world has been a very humbling experience. Of course, I always hoped the film might leave some kind of impact, but I did not realize to what extent. This has been the greatest motivator for me to stay on this path and keep telling stories.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
This is an incredible platform with such a large audience. I hope that the visibility here will bring more attention to our story to create an even greater voice for this community.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
Right now, we're looking for journalists to write about the film and distributors to help us reach an even wider audience and amplify our message.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
My hope is that 88 Cents continues to reach a wide audience and further a conversation about homelessness and life after prison.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
If you had to start your life over again with no resources, no family or support system, where would you go? What would you do to survive?
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
Lead actor Matthew Weitz has begun pre-production in New York on a short film titled "How Do We Talk With Our Mouths Full" with producer Alasandro Fenston. Writer/director/executive producer Tyler Pina is currently working the script for a feature-length film set to begin production in 2019. And, associate producer Anastasia Eliopoulos is currently working on the CBS show S.W.A.T. in Los Angeles.
Interview: December 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
88 Cents
After losing five years behind bars, a young man begins his new life in San Francisco, eager to find a job, a home, and a second chance.
Length: 38:00
Director: Tyler Pina
Producer: Tyler Pina, Alasandro Fenston
Writer: Tyler Pina
About the writer, director and producer:
Tyler Pina is an Emmy Award-winning filmmaker and owner of Neon Flamingo Films. Currently based in LA, 88 Cents is his first short film.
Key cast: Matthew Weitz (plays the main character Thomas)
Looking for: buyers, distributors, sales agents, journalists
Facebook: 88 Cents movie
Instagram: @88centsmovie
Website: http://88centsfilm.com
Funders: Neon Flamingo Films
Made in association with: Dolby Laboratories (color, DCP, and dolby vision grade)
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? We'll be playing at the Haryana International Film Festival in India this upcoming January, World Music and Independent Film Festival in Florida this February, and North Hollywood Cinefest in March. Upcoming screenings will be listed on our website.