Marfa Film Festival 18 - The Good from the Bad
An outcast combat veteran living amidst the desolation of the South Texas border country finds common ground with an undocumented immigrant fighting for her life on the migrant trail.
Interview with Writer/Director Edward Tyndall
Watch The Good from the Bad here:
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
We made The Good From the Bad to draw attention to the ongoing migrant death crises in South Texas as well as the struggles faced by combat veterans who suffer from PTSD that have don’t have access to systemic support structures.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
The Good From the Bad is an important film because it adds to the larger dialogue surrounding migrant and veterans issues from a unique perspective. Now, more than ever, it’s important to consider these issues from as many perspectives as possible.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
The themes of compassion, tolerance and the individual vs. society operate very strongly in The Good From the Bad. These themes are played out through the film's simple but powerful plot structure. The setting of the South Texas brush country also plays a very important role in conveying these themes.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
The script is an adaptation of the feature script Falfurrias, winner of the Denver Film Festival.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
The film has played at several festivals throughout the Southwest and Southeast and the audience feedback has been very positive. The film has won and been nominated for awards at the majority of festivals it has been screened at.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
Many audience members had entrenched and simple conceptions about the issues surrounding South Texas border and immigration issues. The cultural, socio-economic and political issues in the area regarding border culture are incredibly complex. I was glad to see that the film sparked increased curiosity in many audience members to learn more.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on wearemovingstories.com
Life beyond the festival circuit is always a big question for independent films, especially shorts. My experiences with distribution on other shorts has shown me how meaningful such support systems can be. I’m hopeful that We are Moving Stories might be a good fit for the project, and that it could help the film reach a broader audience.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
We have a feature length version of the film that has had a lot of success as a screenplay. The script has won and been a finalist/semi-finalist at places as the Denver Film Festival, Oaxaca Film Festival, Austin Screenwriters Conference, Sundance Screenwriters Lab and more. We’d like to see the larger film made but also hope the short incarnation of the story in The Good From the Bad can continue to reach audiences through film festivals and online programming when the time is right.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I’d like the film to encourage people to learn more about both migrant issues and veterans’ issues, but also add to the idea that a larger dialogue based on compassion and tolerance can span across issues that often seem unrelated and compartmentalized. We often find it in our hearts to support those in need, but too often the beneficiaries of that compassion are limited to very specific groups traditionally aligned with political factions. I hope the film can inspire compassion for both veterans and undocumented immigrants.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
How can we see past the large and impersonal policies of nation states that so often dominate our discussions? We need to ask ourselves how we can immediately support those who are marginalized even if the scope and nature of that marginalization falls outside our normal comfort zones.
Would you like to add anything else?
Film is essential because of its incredible power to move us to empathy and to see issues from different perspectives. Festivals like the Marfa Film Festival make it possible for us to reach live audiences in exciting and engaging environments. We’re forever grateful.
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
We are currently finishing a short documentary on Cheech Marin and his Tejano Art collection with score by Grammy Nominated ‘El Dusty’. The film will tour with a live music event by ‘El Dusty’ to raise money for the Arts. The film is in the final stages of post and will premier this fall. We are also finishing a short documentary on attempts to identify and repatriate migrant remains in South Texas. This film was done with the gracious cooperation of Operation Identification. It will also premier this fall.
Interview: July 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
The Good From the Bad
An outcast combat veteran living amidst the desolation of the South Texas border country finds common ground with an undocumented immigrant fighting for her life on the migrant trail.
Length: 17 minutes
Director: Edward Tyndall
Producer: Jason Flynn
Writer: Edward Tyndall
About the writer, director and producer:
EDWARD TYNDALL's award-winning films and screenplays have been curated by top international film festivals including the Tribeca Film Festival, The Starz Denver Film Festival, and The BFI London Film Festival. Edward is the lead programmer of the South Texas Cinémathèque Screening Series, and is a founding member of the production company Mobius Films. He is an associate professor and the Media Production Program Coordinator at Texas A&M- Corpus Christi, where he works as a media artist and teaches film production.
Key cast: Araceli: Crystal Costadoni Ira: Christopher Lee Herod
Looking for: film festivals, journalists and buyer
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/migranttrail/
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? Austin Revolution Film Festival in Austin TX and UFVA No Borders Conference in La Cruces NM.