An alcoholic father returns from rehab determined to give his young daughter a gift.

Interview with Cinematographer/Producer Harry Lipnick

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

"There is unwavering love from family waiting for you when you can overcome addiction and conquer fear."

Unwavering love - it's the foundational place from which everything stemmed while making "Birthday". We wanted to tell a story of an imperfect protagonist. Walt is coming home from rehab - not for the first time and, probably, not the last. We refused to be reductive of Walt's humanity. He's got his challenges, but he wants what we all want - love from his family and another chance to do right by them.

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

Whether we've got addicted people in our own lives or not, we all know what it is to strive towards overcoming stubborn challenges. I hope everyone can see themselves one way or another in Walt.

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

The script for "Birthday" only got stronger as more voices from the team came on board. Post was a reflection of script development - we honed this small, simple story to inch ever-closer to the truth of Walt's experience.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

I don't generally like to make people cry - but the the film has brought so many people to tears. Catharsis is important for all of us - and I think a wide swath of audiences can see themselves, or someone they love, in Walt or May; in a family full of struggles that is, nevertheless, full of love

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

I'd love to get more audiences a chance to see our little film by playing in more festivals around the country.

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

Should a person be judged by their worst traits? How can we see beyond someone's chief struggle to see the whole version of them?

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

Each core member of this team of AFI filmmakers has wrapped production on their thesis films at the conservatory and are excited to share those projects over the next year!

Interview: November 2021

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

Birthday

Length:

2:53

Writer

Harry Lipnick & Daniel J. Egbert

Director

Daniel J. Egbert

Producer

Céline Bava-Helms

Key cast:

Michael Mahon (Walt), Zoe McLane (May)

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/hlipnick/

More info:

http://harrylipnick.com/projects/birthday

Made in association with:

AFI Conservatory