Seattle Film Festival 2020 – 9 Full Moons
Frankie is an emotional train wreck, careening around the East Los Angeles music scene drinking and getting lost with strangers. Lev is a taciturn and tormented soul. He drives a limo and aspires to work in the music business. Meeting in an after hour seedy night club, they embark on a roller-coaster relationship exploring what love is like for two quiet people who may be damaged beyond repair.
Interview with Writer/Director/Producer Tomer Almagor
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
The film is loosely based on how I and my better half met. I wanted to explore how two damaged spirits, ride the trials and tribulations of a relationship while making amends with their troubled pasts and grow as individuals into a brighter future. It's also a love letter to Los Angeles and the subversive creative counter-culture that embraced me when I moved out here from the East Coast.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
We've all experienced passionate, unfiltered, relationships. The moons ride at its own pace, reflecting and musing on the universal state of being wounded to your core and trying to rediscover and heal yourself when love hits you at full speed.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
This is a personal film and many scenes in it were drawn from my personal experiences. At the same breath, love, pain are part of the universal music of life. Everyone have had similar feelings or experiences at one time or another in their lives, or maybe some are going through their own struggles at present. While on the surface, the film might project toxic passion, it is a story filled with hope, realizations and embracing individual growth.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
The story percolated in me for almost ten years, before I got in the right mindset and had the opportunity to write it in the form of a screenplay. Once I set down, I had a screenplay ready to shoot within three weeks. It must have been ready. Yes, the screenplay included a few scenes that did not make it into the final cut. Some beautiful, intimate and well-acted scenes, but when we were editing and finding the right inner beat of the story, simplifying instead of complicating became our modus operandi.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
The feedback is across the board, but in general people deeply connect with the film and they are moved by the nuanced performances from Bret Roberts, Amy Seimetz, Donal Logue and the rest of the cast. Some people hate the film with a vengeance, they typically disconnect or just hate the main characters. I get it. Sometimes it reminds them of their own actions, and it's ok that some people just dislike a film. Either way, it's exciting to see that even haters have a strong response to the movie.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
There was one review that talked about my choice to give both the main characters equal screen time. This was a conscious decision because it's not her story or his story, it's their story and how they change on an individual level when they meet and fall for each other. That said, it could have been interesting to explore each of them independently. Perhaps in the sequels. Ha-ha.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
Movies are made for people to watch them and I'm always hoping that more people will engage with 9 Full Moons and take something from 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?
We would love if more journalists will watch the film and review it. We're also always looking for more distribution opportunities for the film, either new streamers or in territories where the film was not sold yet.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
Hopefully, the film will connect with more people, and allow them an insight into their own addictions, pain, feelings and their sense of purpose.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
Do you love and understand yourself enough to embark or stay in your current relationship?
Would you like to add anything else?
Bad habits are slavery. Liberate yourself.
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
Our lead producer, Gabrielle and myself are currently working on a crime thriller titled Reciprocal Beat that we are looking to film later this year. We've got a powerful screenplay and exciting cast attached and we cannot wait to bring it to life on screen.
Interview: May 2020
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
9 Full Moons
Frankie is an emotional train wreck, careening around the East Los Angeles music scene drinking and getting lost with strangers. Lev is a taciturn and tormented soul. He drives a limo and aspires to work in the music business. Meeting in an after hour seedy night club, they embark on a roller-coaster relationship exploring what love is like for two quiet people who may be damaged beyond repair.
Length: 1:42:00
Director: Tomer Almagor
Producer: Gabrielle Almagor
Writer: Tomer Almagor
About the writer, director and producer:
Award-winning filmmaker TOMER ALMAGOR was born in Israel, served in the IDF and traveled extensively, before studying film in NY. Now based in LA, Tomer is an accomplished screenwriter, director and producer. He wrote, produced and directed the critically acclaimed 9 Full Moons starring Amy Seimetz, Bret Roberts, Donal Logue & Harry Dean Stanton. More recently Tomer directed the documentary King of Beast.
GABRIELLE ALMAGOR is an award-winning producer with experience in packaging, development, production, post supervision, deliverables, distribution, and festival strategy. Her producing credits have won awards, nominations, and critical acclaim. Gabrielle strives to produce emotionally moving and purposeful stories. She believes the story is everything and the art of filmmaking is both a creative process and a life journey. Raised in a 3rd generation Hollywood family, she spent her early years on sets, working alongside her father and learning from showbiz legends Dick Clark, Bob Barker and Chuck Barris.
Key cast: Amy Seimetz, Bret roberts, Foster Timms, donal Logue, Harry Dean Stanton
Looking for: journalists, distributors, buyers
Facebook: 9 FULL MOONS
Twitter: @9FullMoons
Instagram: @9fullmoons
Hashtags used: #9fullmoons #amyseimetz #love #music #arthouse
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? TUBI; YouTube; Google Play & iTunes