Sarasota Film Festival 2020 – He Left Instructions
Two estranged sisters must follow their dead brother's final instructions.
Interview with Writer/Director/Producer Zeke Farrow
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
So many reasons. Mostly the story. An idea grabbed onto me and I couldn't let it go and it wanted to be a short film. There's a small group of actors who populate my imagination, playing all the parts. I'm lucky that they play the parts in real life too.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
I wanted to make a film with hardly any dialogue. I wanted to make a real-world drama using the same physical storytelling as someone like Buster Keaton. If that sounds interesting to you, then you should watch this film.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
I don't expect people to come to this film knowing my other short film work, but I have always thought of my shorts as a series of related stories. In the first few, I played a character who is a version of myself. I felt like it was time to move on and direct a film that I wasn't in, so I decided I would kill my character off in this film. It was a way to make narrative sense out of making a film that I'm not in. Thematically it's about my death and what I will leave behind and how that might affect the people who survive me. I'm very good friends with the cast, and I think it kind of crept up on them once they got on set, that I was asking them to explore a world without me in it, while I was directing them. Fun stuff.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
I'm obsessed with rejection letters and their many glorious forms. One day, I was having this macabre fantasy about how when I die and someone reads my emails, they'll come across a folder of rejection letters and they will see just how much rejection I've received in my life. Hundreds and hundreds of rejection letters - ranging from the painfully personal to the insultingly impersonal. They'll understand something new about me. The story of the film grew from that one kernel of an idea into a story that's about something quite different.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
The film just premiered in the online version of the Sarasota Film Festival, so I haven't really received any feedback yet. Some festival programmers wrote me very personal rejection letters saying how heartbroken they were that they couldn't find a place for it in their lineup because it is a film that they really love. Not one of them has found the humor or irony in that so far. I wish they would. I think it's hysterical. I've decided that the best rejection letter is one sentence long. I appreciate the pith. If someone is going to reject something I've written, it's best when they put thought into what they write in their rejection. Writing that one perfect sentence is hard. I was also selected to play in the Atlanta Film Festival which has been postponed until September. I like the AFF programmers. They don't reject my work.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
I'll let you know.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
We Are Moving Stories has been so supportive of all of my films. You always reach out about my new projects and invite me to talk about them. It is such a good feeling to have people out there who are anticipating what I make next. That feels like a big achievement. Few people take my work seriously so I love to have the opportunity to write about what I've made - I rarely get the chance.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
I need anyone who falls in love with my work to take an interest in what I want to do next. That can be anyone - not just from the film industry - anyone.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I want people to talk about it.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
If you left instructions when you die, what would they be?
Would you like to add anything else?
I am thrilled, as always that you've invited me to talk about my new work.
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
All of my feature and TV projects are on hold at the moment, so I've been making a series of short films while I'm in quarantine.
The cast of this film is brilliant. They work all the time and you will see why when you watch. I hope everyone finds something great to work on in the new world that emerges from this disaster.
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
He Left Instructions
Two estranged sisters must follow their dead brother's final instructions.
Length: 13:00
Director: Zeke Farrow
Producer: Zeke Farrow
Writer: Zeke Farrow
About the writer, director and producer:
ZEKE FARROW co-wrote and co-produced and won The Peabody Award for Best Kept Secret. Films he has written, directed, and or produced have played over 150 film festivals, including Sundance, Slamdance, SXSW, LA Film Fest, and BAM.
Key cast: Christine Woods, Kristin Slaysman, Arturo Ortiz, Dean Chekvala
Looking for: distributors, journalists, producers, buyers, film festival directors, sales agents
Facebook: He Left Instructions
Twitter: @Zekeness
Instagram: @zekeness
Hashtags used: #HLI
Made in association with: Zekeness
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? Sarasota Film Festival, Atlanta Film Festival