Sundance / Flickerfest - The Driver Is Red
Set in Argentina 1960, this true crime documentary follows the story of secret agent Zvi Aharoni as he hunted down one of the highest ranking Nazi war criminals on the run.
Interview with Writer/Director Randall Christopher
Watch The Driver Is Red here:
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
I read an article in early 2016 related to Adolf Eichmann and went down the proverbial rabbit hole and became more and more fascinated by the story. The spy angle really hooked me. An entire team of secret agents covertly entered a hostile country to carry out an operation. It had secret cameras, disguises, forged documents, and ingenious ways of hiding their tracks.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
It’s a fascinating true story about a Nazi war criminal who escaped justice and who had fled to the end of the earth, a desolate patch in Argentina, only to be discovered fifteen years after the end of the war. The music (Spencer Rabin) and acting (Mark Pinter) are really great. It was an honor to work with them. The drawings by me look pretty cool if I can say that.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
The protagonist in the film lost almost every family member in the genocide and he would cross paths many years later with one of the main perpetrators of the genocide, and on the other side of the world. Both individuals in a sense stand for the two larger narratives - the six million murdered and the millions of people who carried out or supported the murders.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
In the development I was devouring books and documentaries on the subject and the larger history. Even though the film is only 15 minutes long it really packs in tons of history. It’s really dense. An example would be the extensive reading and watching of numerous documentaries on the single subject of Treblinka which in the end distills down into only two lines in the film. The whole film is kind of like that. Every line represents huge amounts of research concentrated down.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
I lost objectivity on the quality of the film long ago (ha ha), but it has been cool to hear so many people describe how much they love the film.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
It has surprised me how much people like the film. I like it and think it’s good, but I’ve made lots of things I like a lot and no one else does.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
I hope people get interested in the subject. World War II was the most catastrophic event in human history and it scares me how so many people, particularly leaders seem to be forgetting the lessons we should have learned from it.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
I really hope educators will pick this thing up.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I’d love for people to come away from the film wanting to learn more about the history behind the story.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
There was a place which journalist Vasily Grossman referred to as "a vast executioner's block—an executioner's block such as the human race has never seen, from the time of primitive barbarism to our own cruel days. An executioner's block, probably, such as the entire universe has never seen.” Have you ever heard of Treblinka?
Would you like to add anything else?
Recognize the seeds of war. And speak up.
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
Producer Jared Callahan always has new projects going on (https://www.peoplepeoplemedia.com/). Composer Spencer Rabin is making art and albums (http://spencerrabin.com). Actor Mark Pinter always has cool gigs happening (https://www.markpinter.net/). I hope to make some art this year as I think about my next film project (http://randallchristopher.com).
Interview: April 2018
_______________________________________________________________________________
We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTIAQ+, scifi, 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
_______________________________________________________________________________
The Driver Is Red
Set in Argentina 1960, this true crime documentary follows the story of secret agent Zvi Aharoni as he hunted down one of the highest ranking Nazi war criminals on the run.
Length: 15 min
Director: Randall Christopher
Producer: Jared Callahan, Randall Christopher, Spencer Rabin
Writer: Randall Christopher
About the writer, director and producer:
Randall Christopher is an award-winning filmmaker and artist best known for his cartoon project Kleeman and Mike and the experimental YouTube animation series "Skate Sketch.” His newest film, The Driver Is Red, was selected for the 2018 Sundance Film Festival and was hailed as “an artistic triumph” by The Independent. In addition to his animated film projects, Christopher has been a college professor of art in his hometown of San Diego since 2005.
Key cast: Mark Pinter
Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists): Yes.
Social media handles:
Facebook:
http://facebook.com/thedriverisred
Instagram:
@thedriverisred
Funders:
Crowd fund Indiegogo
Made in association with:
People People Media