A young man's need for control in life leads him to form a passionately twisted friendship with a talking tortoise.

Interview with Writer/Director Stephen Cervantes

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

I made Tortoise only with the support and encouragement of my producers, Sarey Martin and Jason Kirkland; otherwise, it would have remained just a writing exercise taking up space on my desktop along with several other PDFs. But as the film began to take shape over the course of production, I saw that I was able to use it as a vehicle for taking some of that which I hate most about myself and redeeming it for the purpose of inviting others with similar issues into my struggle: that, in order to begin to be known and understood in any relationship, I cannot force others into my own spasms and frenzies of toxic emotional vulnerability.

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?

People should watch my movie because there's a possibility that they could see a bit of themselves in either of the main characters. But even if it doesn't resonate with people on an emotional level, the film is about a live-action tortoise with speech capabilities. How neat is that?

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

While the points I'm trying to make in the film are concrete for me, I think a lot of the themes in Tortoise are widely open to interpretation because the tortoise itself offers so many opportunities for meaning to be projected onto it. Whether it's the tortoise's shell and Dennis' emotional armor, or even the tortoise's slow pace and Dennis' desire to progress more quickly into emotional maturity, I think there's a lot that can be communicated implicitly through the relationship between the two main characters. There's more to it than just those metaphors, though; you just have to watch the movie.

"Shabby" the African Spurred Tortoise plays the titular role of the film

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?

The film evolved the most during post-production. I found that a lot of what we shot simply couldn't carry the weight of the film as it began to settle into its identity. Over time, I saw a 17-minute cut of what I thought was the final round of edits melt away into an 11-minute short film. Each scene in the film was either cut or reduced to its very essence. The end result was a movie about a boy and his tortoise and the problems they create for each other.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

So far, the feedback has been mostly positive. It's hard to gauge, though, as the reception really depends on the audience. Some crowds sort-of laugh at certain parts of the movie, while other audiences will have strong, consistent reactions throughout. The kindest feedback I've received so far has to do with the sincerity of the film and the characters, who offer an un-ironic glimpse into their emotional lives.

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

The feedback has encouraged me to keep trying to make shorts, which is a difficult and costly endeavor for a simple man like myself. I think what challenges me most is when people take away things from the film – good things – that I had not accounted for and wish I could take credit for.

Jordan Michael Blake as the handsome-but-disturbed "Dennis".

What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?

Similar to attending film festivals, any good opportunity to possibly connect with other filmmakers or just viewers in general – to exchange work and to foster filmmaking community in any capacity – is extremely worthwhile to me.

Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?

I have no clue, but whoever can help us finish our festival circuit strong is welcome aboard!

What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?

Overall, I want people to enjoy Tortoise. But if they take anything away from it, I hope it's that you can take just about any ugly thing in your life that is bothering you and use it as fuel to create good work.

What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?

"How do you define true love?" I've asked people that before and it always gets ugly!

"Big Red" the Iguana hangs on the back of producer/extra Jason Kirkland

Would you like to add anything else?

Thank you for the good questions and the opportunity to be more visible.

What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?

At the moment, we're developing a short that we'll be shooting locally and a feature that's set in Panama.

Interview: August 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

Tortoise

A young man's need for control in life leads him to form a passionately twisted friendship with a talking tortoise.

Length: 11:27

Director: Stephen Cervantes

Producer: Sarey Martin, Jason Kirkland

Writer: Stephen Cervantes

Key cast: Jordan Michael Blake as "Dennis", Shabby the Tortoise as "Tortoise", Kaaren Zar as "Aleks", Sonja Inge as "Candy", Big Red the Iguana as "Iguana"

Facebook: Tortoise Short Film

Funders: Crowdfunding through Indiegogo