Amazon Prime 2020 – The Timepiece
The Timepiece tells the story of an unlikely friendship between two people from different cultures, different generations and different sexual orientations. When Sunny (Karan Choudhary), a young, straight guy from India, meets Larry (Bill Bateman), a middle-aged gay guy in New York, they discover their shared love of film, acting, life and each other’s company. But their friendship is tested when Larry’s prized possession goes missing and he jumps to a biased conclusion accusing Sunny of the theft. Will these newfound friends overcome their differences to forget and forgive? Only time will tell.
Interview with Writer/Director/Producer/Actor Karan Choudhary
Watch The Timepiece here:
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
Thank you so much. I think prejudice is a very big problem in our society today and I believe more stories about it will help to make people more aware of the problem. I think no matter where you live, it feels like we’re in a culture war these days about race, religion, age, sexuality and everything else. This film deals with several of these issues in a real-life way that's why I wanted to make this film.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
This is a much-needed film for people to watch. It is entertaining, it has a message, and it is done by a very passionate team of filmmakers who have the talent to show and hopefully be recognized somewhere for their talent. I want to encourage those people out there who can relate to the story and tell their own if they have been holding on to one. Prejudice is a very big problem in our society today and we need more and more stories like these to make people aware of the problem.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
The idea for the film came from my real-life experiences while living in New York City. This city is full of such a diverse group of people and so many cultures collide with one another. I came to the United States when I was twenty-two years old and I hadn’t lived or been to any western country before. I saw a huge cultural gap between the two countries and people living here. Those personal moments and themes inspired me to make this film and tell the story
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
Because the film is based on my personal experiences, there wasn’t anything in particular that I had to dig deep on. Research for this film was part of my day-to-day life living in New York City, hanging out with a diverse group of people, and noticing various things. But my co-writer, Michael Anastasio, did a fantastic job writing about the ’70s Aids epidemic crisis in New York and the true emotions of a gay character losing someone close to their heart. This was something I wouldn’t be able to do myself because I wasn’t alive in the ’70s and never been in a situation like that.
The film evolved enormously from writing to the post-production because I had such an amazing team of people and everyone was contributing their ideas and thoughts on every stage possible.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
The Timepiece has screened globally at twenty-seven film festivals so far and after receiving over a dozen nominations and multiple wins, the feedback has been overwhelming, in a positive way. A lot of people empathized with the story and shared their own similar experiences at the screenings and over the emails
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
It did surprise and challenge my point of view towards the story I was trying to tell. Overall it has been truly a great journey with this film. I have grown a lot, personally and professionally.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
As an indie filmmaker, it's hard to find a voice and promote yourself and your work. Being visible on www.wearemovingstories.com will help me more spreading the word about this film. I have had a good success rate with my last three films on the film festival circuit but I wish to have more audience to watch my film on Amazon Prime, leave valuable notes and maybe collaborating in future projects.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
Firstly, I do wish to find a producer because I believe this story has the potential to be turned in to a feature film. A right development team could help me tell this story to a wider audience and make a larger impact.
Secondly, I would love to find more journalist, media outlets like you who could write about it and provide me with a platform to spread the word.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I'd love to have more filmmakers tell similar stories because this problem is real in America right now. I'd also like to see people becoming more aware of the problem after watching the film and may change their point of view towards minorities and immigrants in this country.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
Immigrants are a valuable asset to this country, why aren't they treated equally and respectfully as other fellows Americans?
Would you like to add anything else?
I just wanted to mention something that resonated with me while making this film. I came to New York to study acting and make a career in one of the toughest professions out there. I never thought of making films or becoming a filmmaker. Now looking back, and specifically at this production, which was so hard to accomplish because of very limited resources and filmmaking experience. It just reminds me that sometimes things aren’t going to go according to the plan and you have to take what you got to make the most out of it. Being able to take this film to the finish line is a very satisfying feeling.
All my indie filmmaker friends out there, please help and support each other to tell the wonderful stories. Never give up!
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
I have been working on a new script nowadays. It's about dating and problems related to dating apps in our fast pace society. I hope to finish the film by the end of this year.
Interview: February 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
The Timepiece
The Timepiece tells the story of an unlikely friendship between two people from different cultures, different generations and different sexual orientations. When Sunny (Karan Choudhary), a young, straight guy from India, meets Larry (Bill Bateman), a middle-aged gay guy in New York, they discover their shared love of film, acting, life and each other’s company. But their friendship is tested when Larry’s prized possession goes missing and he jumps to a biased conclusion accusing Sunny of the theft. Will these newfound friends overcome their differences to forget and forgive? Only time will tell.
Length: 13:55
Director: Karan Choudhary
Producer: Karan Choudhary
Writer: Karan Choudhary, Michael Anastasio
About the writer, director and producer:
KARAN CHOUDHARY was born in Faridabad, India. He moved to New York in 2013 after being accepted to the famous Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre. In 2017, Mr Choudhary began making his own short films. His first film, a short documentary called Dedication, was very well received in Film Festivals globally. In 2018 he made a narrative short comedy called New York'd. In 2019 he made his third short film called The Timepiece. The film is shown at various film festivals globally and landed over a dozen nominations and wins.
MICHAEL ANASTASIO is best known as a writer for the films: New York’d, Dedication, The Timepiece and This Is Us: A Love Story. He is also an award-winning film producer of the documentaries Dedication, Greenwich Village: The Times They Are A Changin’ and Greenwich Village: A World Apart. Mr Anastasio is also an Associate Producer of the upcoming Documentary, Broadway: Beyond The Golden Age.
Key cast: Karan Choudhary (Sunny), Bill Bateman (Larry), Paul Pecorino (Brian), Becca Ballenger (Rachel), Kyle Mcilhone (Demian)
Looking for: journalists, film festival directors, distributors, sales agents, producers, buyers
Facebook: Karan Choudhary
Twitter: @karanmrmr
Instagram: @karanmrmr
Hashtags used: #LGBTQ #TheTimepiece
Website: www.karanchoudhary.com
Other: IMDb
Made in association with: Sky High Films
Funders: Self-funded
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? It's available to watch on Amazon Prime.