43rd Cleveland International Film Festival – The Wind Phone
A phone booth on an ocean cliffside brings together seven strangers whose seemingly different conversations are connected by one harrowing reality.
Interview with Director/Writer Kristen Gerweck and Producer Linda C. Riedmann
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
KRISTEN: During the last years of my Grandmother’s life, I found myself in a difficult transition both personally and in my career. I made plans to visit her, but there was always a reason the visit needed to be postponed. In my mind, I would be able to reconnect with her when the time was right. The right time turned into a few years, and just weeks before I was scheduled to visit with her she passed away. When a weekly reminder to “Call Grandma” popped up on my phone that Sunday evening, my heart dropped. I had programmed the weekly alert before her death, and I didn’t always call. But in that moment, I decided to speak to her anyway and tell her all the things that I wished I could have told her.
Some weeks later, I was cleaning out my desk and stumbled upon an article I had filed almost a year earlier. It recounted an astonishing story surrounding a mystical phone booth on an ocean cliff side in Japan. The “Wind Phone” was resurrected by a private citizen and opened to the public after the Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami in 2011. Despite there being no connecting line, thousands of survivors flocked to this booth for the chance to say those last words, share confessions, or even discuss the mundane details of their lives with those loved ones lost in the disaster. When I initially discovered this extraordinary story, I did not feel I had the emotional resume to pursue it as a filmmaker. But now that I was longing for my own Wind Phone after my Grandmother’s death, this story spoke to me with a heightened level of emotional clarity. The visitors of The Wind Phone had found a bridge to talk to those on the other side. I was intrigued by the emotional realities that could emerge in this metaphysical grieving space and so began my journey to translate this beautiful story to screen.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
KRISTEN: This film will resonate with anyone who has experienced the death of a loved one. The final words we would like to share with someone passed often elude us. Over the course of this film, we have the chance to hear the introspective words of five individuals who are all haunted by the loss of a family member. Each individual’s emotional reflection is different in nature, but yet connected by the same underlying current. Audiences may find themselves provoked to reflect on a loss they have experienced and or muse on who they would call if they had the chance to visit The Wind Phone.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
KRISTEN: Grief is a universal human emotion, but how it manifests itself is very personal. The Wind Phone explores this concept by taking audiences on a journey with five individuals who are all grieving the loss of a loved one - each in a very distinctive way. While one caller is in denial, another is delusional and angry. In that sense, each form of grief is thematically unique. Though their realities initially seem disconnected from one another, in the end we realize that they are actually connected by the same tragedy and are essentially part of one collective grieving experience.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
KRISTEN: Since the film is in a foreign language, a strong collaboration with its native Japanese cast was crucial to development. After immersing myself in a study of Japanese culture and film, I wrote the script in a form of English that was reflective of what I had observed. I knew that my actors would bring additional clarity to dialogue choices and that I wanted to be open to receive that feedback during the creative process.
During rehearsals, we first focused on the emotional story at hand. Once we hit the threshold we were striving to meet, the actors translated the dialogue back into Japanese. It was important to me that the dialogue feel “spoken.” I encouraged the actors to alter any pieces of dialogue that didn’t feel organic and to personalize other details if it helped connect them to the character. We also had a translator on set to consult with both the actors and myself on dialogue choices and keep us all on the same page. Although I could not translate the exact words by ear, I knew what point of dialogue they had reached in a scene based on their emotional barometer. Foreign language was not an obstacle, but more an opportunity to grow as a director. The process required a heightened level of emotional precision and a deep relationship between myself and each actor. As a filmmaker, I feel very grateful for the experience.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
KRISTEN: The feedback has been extremely positive and moving. Some viewers confided that the film spurred them to think of a loved one who has passed and the things they would want to say if they had the chance to visit the Wind Phone. Others were surprised to learn of this grieving phenomenon and the scale of human loss resulting from the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami in Japan. I had hoped the film would raise awareness about this tragedy and it was great to hear so many viewers express that they were motivated to learn more about the disaster. I was excited to hear that viewers from so many different walks of life were able to connect with the film and have an emotional reaction to it. A few viewers even shared which character’s story felt most relatable to their own experiences of grief. The powerful nature of this story transcended language/culture and that was my biggest hope for this film. Of course it is wonderful to hear that your film is poetic, beautifully shot and acted. But for me, the most important thing is to hear that someone had an emotional experience that took them somewhere for a few minutes or changed his or her perception of something in the world.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
KRISTEN: I am definitely surprised by the film’s reach. Again, it was a hope that the story would transcend language and culture, but you never really know how things will be received. It is not a traditional narrative and a film that you really have to give focus to if you want to truly absorb the emotional journey of these characters. I was overwhelmed to hear that so many people personally connected to the film and how each viewer’s experience of the story was so unique. I had dreamed that viewers would personally reflect the way our characters do in the story - it was thrilling to know that the film elicited that type of response from audiences.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
LINDA: We love your mission of bringing powerful stories with a message, created in large part by and about minorities, to an audience. The Wind Phone, despite at the core being about the universal nature of grief, is a film set in Japan, in Japanese language with an all Asian cast. Behind the scenes, it was made by a team headed by women and crew members from countries as diverse as Japan: Singapore, Taiwan, Vietnam, Peru, Austria, Mexico, the US and more. We are so incredibly proud not only of the story we are telling, but also the talented people who made it possible for us to tell it. We are thrilled to be recognized by www.wearemovingstories.com, a platform that helps us bring the film to audiences who care as much as we do about diversity, representation, unique perspectives and a genuine, powerful message.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
LINDA: The Wind Phone just started its festival run, and we would obviously be thrilled for many more festivals to find a slot for it in their programming. We are further working with a festival agency, aug&ohr, but don’t yet have a sales agent or distributor to help us determine the film’s life beyond festivals. We’d love to find a suitable partner on that front. Lastly, one of our priorities is partnering with a PR agency that can help us enhance the film’s public profile, which of course also ties in with our need for more journalists to cover the film.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
LINDA: First and foremost, the film encourages us to remember the roughly 19,000 lives lost in the tragic tsunami and earthquake that devastated Japan in 2011. Of those, over 2000 are unaccounted for, leaving their loved ones in limbo, unsure whether to grief and move on or to uphold hope. The regions most affected further continue suffer from the fallout, with rebuilding efforts still underway. We hope that the film can inspire people to take an interest and to take action to support those efforts.
On a thematic level, it shows us that we are united as human beings by our emotions - grief, love, resentment, guilt, hope. Thereby, we hope that The Wind Phone can contribute to bridging the gaps often created by race, ethnicity, gender, religion, age or sexuality, and encourage us to find our own truths in the characters’ raw conversations.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
LINDA: “Who would you call?” It is a question we have been using as our tagline, because it simultaneously highlights how universal and yet how personal this film is. Every single one of us has someone they miss; someone who left their lives unexpectedly - for various reasons - whom we wished we would have had a chance to say those last words too.
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
LINDA: We are in early preparation on our next short film, which taps into the #metoo conversation. We’ll be shooting in New York City, a new challenge we are excited to take on. In addition, we are developing a character-driven feature drama that tackles a misunderstood condition in a way that it has never previously been explored. Kristen is collaborating on the script with the original writer, and we are looking forward to taking it to potential partners and investors very soon. Then, of course, there are the dozens of ideas not yet fully formed that are just bursting to be realized...
Interview: March 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 Wind Phone
A phone booth on an ocean cliffside brings together seven strangers whose seemingly different conversations are connected by one harrowing reality.
Length: 15:52
Director: Kristen Gerweck
Producer: Linda C. Riedmann
Writer: Kristen Gerweck
About the writer, director and producer:
KRISTEN GERWECK's first short East Ramadi screened at the 2016 Cannes Emerging Film Showcase and was distributed by A Contracorriente alongside Land of Mine. Subsequently, she received a development deal with Fullscreen for an original series that she was also attached to direct. Kristen is represented by Artists First and holds a J.D. from UCLA Law School.
LINDA C. RIEDMANN's credits include Missisiippi Requiem, starring James Franco; Flesh & Blood, which sold to short film distributor ShortsTV; and music videos for dark pop artist Saro. Originally from Austria, Linda holds a MFA in Producing from the UCLA School of Theater, Film & Television and works for the features department at Aggregate Films.
Key cast: Megumi Kabe (Eiko), Hitoshi Masaki (Reo), Linda Chung (Chie), Yukina Takase (Mayu), Akari Harada (Akari), Miho Ando (Suzuki), Hiroshi Watanabe (Kaito), Natsuko Aoike (Miho)
Looking for: distributors, journalists, film festival directors, sales agents, buyers
Facebook: The Wind Phone
Instagram: @windphonefilm
Other: IMDB
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? 43rd Cleveland International Film Festival - April 3 & 4; 8th Julien Dubuque Int'l Film Festival - April 24-28 (exact date tbd); 10th New York City Independent Film Festival - May 5-12 (exact date tbd)