Hassan, a recently immigrated 2nd grader, struggles with his new life that only becomes more challenging when his dance teacher casts him in the class play.

Interview with Writer/Producer Natalie Newman and Director Becca Wolff

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

NN: The Statue is inspired by a true story that was told to me 20 years ago and it stuck in my head because I loved the ending so much. For the past two decades, I worked as a cinematographer filming for other people. It finally felt like it was time to sit down and write the script.

In the process of figuring out the dynamics of my main character (Hassan, played by Nikhil Gomez), I realized I was digging into the immigrant experience, referring to what it must have been like for my mother to move by herself to the US from Vietnam. In many ways, this film is a homage to her and other immigration stories.

BW: As a director, I want to redefine the outdated narratives that hold us back. This is more urgent today than ever. The political crisis in the US [and in liberal democracies around the world] seems intractable, but I believe that is a story we are telling ourselves. If we are to have a future, we must tell a different story. A story about people standing up and speaking out, struggling but striving to seize their power.

I was drawn to The Statue because of the characters brim with life and the burning desire for a place in the world.

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

NN: It’s a touching story but really fun at the same time. And we can all relate to the awkward feeling of being the new person in town, the fear of performing on stage, hoping that we do well and fit in somehow.

The majority of the cast were untrained actors between the ages of 7-9 years old. With guidance from theater director Becca Wolff, our two leads Nikhil Gomez and Ella Lee-Clark (playing Makai) create a magical authenticity that only children can bring. Aside from the cast, the crew was also diverse, with female and queer-identified people and people of color in the majority. The production was an extension of our commitment to breaking down cultural and economic barriers in the film industry so support diversity in film with your eyes!!

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

NN: Immigration discussions center around assimilation, cultural diversity, economic and political considerations. But the deep core of this film is the universal desire that we long for: to belong somewhere and to build relationships with people that support us. We can all relate to that.

BW: We made the film as it is written — with a light touch — for people (especially young people) eager for stories that acknowledge what they know: how lopsided, unfair and exclusionary our system can be, and the power of friendship in the face of that system.

The film tells an integral story.

It is personal: Hassan struggles to understand the world around him and to fit in. It is political: Hassan’s 1980s California public school suffers from misguided policies on ESOL education.

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

NN: I knew how the story ended but didn't know anything about the original protagonist – who was his family and why did they come to the States?

I knew my mother left her country seeking safety from the Vietnam War and the promise of opportunities that were not possible for women in her country at that time. While writing Hassan’s back story, I was surprised at how emotional I felt about his mother and father. They walked away from family, maybe careers they had built and had to start over here. I imagined the long hours they worked to pay rent and survive, their fears hoping Hassan would be accepted at school and make friends

Diving into these characters’ psyches drove me to tears while writing the screenplay as I began to understand my mother’s difficult personality and what caused her defense mechanisms.

We kept mulling over how we could connect to this back story more while still keeping the short format and not having to recreate Egypt in the 80s. Because we were also hoping to appeal to a younger audience, it made sense to incorporate animation to convey Hassan’s life before America. That was not part of the first drafts but it gives a fun twist to the film.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

NN: We’ve received a ton of positive feedback from our audiences! Our first screening was at the Bay Area International Film Festival in Oakland where a number of the young audience shared that they felt the same way on their first day of school in a new place.

Many older audiences, including members of our crew, relate to this experience as a newcomer from another country struggling to catch up with the language and customs of a new home.

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

NN: Much of the response has been really emotional which I wasn’t expecting but am grateful that audiences with immigrant roots can relate to Hassan and his struggle so it’s been a gift to honor their perspectives.

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

NN: We’d love for elementary schools to watch this film as a way to weave questions of immigration and assimilation by relating to universal coming-of-age challenges. A major goal of the film is one of cultural enrichment and heightened cultural awareness.

Hassan (Nikhil Gomez) has just moved to Oakland and has no idea how to robot dance.

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

NN: We are seeking distribution and journalists to help share this story on a wider level. We hope to work with a sale agent or distributors that are especially experienced with educational and international markets.

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

NN: We hope the film becomes a tool in expanding understanding and tolerance towards different cultures and the more personal implications of the immigrant experience.

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

NN: What is your family history? Where have your great grandparents lived, your parents, you? Were there other cultures where they lived and where you live now? How has your lineage made you who you are? How do you and your cultural experiences contribute to where you live, how you live, and who you meet?

Behind the scenes of The Statue - The talented young actors of "The Statue" perform the robot dance.

Would you like to add anything else?

Some fun facts about the film:

- The sound designer, Drew Campbell, knew the real-life Hassan and was in the play. Drew composed music for the film and has also produced numerous songs for SNL, including Emmy-nominated Motherlover.

- Since the animations were from the imagination of Hassan’s mind, the illustrations for the animated segments were drawn by talented artist Nanji MacArthur when he was seven years old.

- The dance teacher is modeled and named after Natalie’s dance teacher in high school, Ms Jacqueline Burgess.

- Much of the props for Hassan’s home and mother were items that Natalie’s late mother had saved from the 70s and 80s.

- The hip hop song from the film was inspired by the song "New Rap Language" and the fantasy dance sequences are playing off of rap videos of 1982. The robot dance song's intro of quirky mechanical sounds is mimicking a song from Natalie's grade school dance class.

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

NN: I am in development for a short about a female soldier who moves home to be a caretaker for her difficult tiger mom who is dying of cancer. Believe it or not, there’s actually quite a bit of comedy in it.

BW: We just had a workshop over the summer developing Truly the Ego Never Rests, My Beloveds. This play is an exploration of the things that make us susceptible to the things we never imagined we'd be susceptible to. The show is inspired by my and Atosa Melody Babaoff (my collaborator) respective cult histories, the psychology of power and the power of the second-person-present-tense.

Interview: October 2019

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 Statue

Hassan, a recently immigrated 2nd grader, struggles with his new life that only becomes more challenging when his dance teacher casts him in the class play.

Length: 10:15

Director: Becca Wolff

Producer: Natalie Newman

Writer: Natalie Newman

About the writer, director and producer:

BECCA WOLFF is a California-based director, writer and teacher of film and theater. She has collaborated with writers such as David Milch, Dorothy Fortenberry and Sarah Gubbins. Her live performance projects have been presented at the Getty Villa, the Public Theater and Summerhall @ the Edinburgh Intl. Fringe Festival. Her work has been named to Best Of lists in the SF Chronicle and LA Weekly. Awards and nominations for her work include Princess Grace, Outstanding Solo Show & Outstanding Musical at the NYC Fringe, Ovations (Los Angeles), Theatre Bay Area and Bay Area Critics Circle. She teaches at Berkeley City College and Pixar U. MFA, Yale School of Drama.

Natalie Newman, writer/producer of The Statue, is a cinematographer of 20 years based in the San Francisco area and every so often she makes her own films so she can do it her way. She has shot dozens of documentaries and shorts for both large commercial entities and independent productions, as well as Emmy-nominated for her work as an aerial photojournalist. Natalie hopes that soon the industry will be a place where women can gain equal ground no matter the job title.

Key cast: Nikhil Gomez (Hassan), Ella Lee-Clark (Makai), Olivia Dunn (Ms. Burgess), Mohana Rajagapal (Hassan's Mom)

Looking for: sales agents, distributors, journalists

Facebook: The Statue

Instagram: @thestatuefilm

Hashtags used: #thestatuefilm #diversity #inclusion #culturalrepresentation #immigration #familyfriendly #cinemamafilms

Other: IMDb

Made in association with: Cinemama Films

Funders: Individual funders

Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? Lady Filmmakers/Beverly Hills, CA - 9/22/2019; Catalyst Content Festival/Duluth, MN - Oct 9-13, 2019