5Q's w/Antonio Chavez Trejo "Resilience" Director
#1: Can you describe your movie and why somebody should see it?
It’s a deep and personal surrealist film about anxiety and depression with a positive message and tone, written and starred by someone who has suffered and fought them through her life.
#2: What do you want the Borrego Springs Film Festival audience to know about your film that isn’t obvious from its title?
This film took endurance by itself to be made because of its form and it's something we are amazingly proud of. The film was shot entirely on an iPhone X mostly as a way to shoot the film with the lowest budget possible but without taking away the production values by working hard with our team: the actress and the director.
Alone.
Melissa and I work hand to hand since the conception of it. She asked me if I wanted to shoot a script she had in mind, I said: "Give me a good script and we will see". I got a beautiful script and took a couple of weeks to figure it out visually. Then we went into a journey which took 11 non consecutive days during two months to shoot the whole thing, having days under water or walking 20 miles hike just to go and find that the location we wanted to shoot in was not going to work; sometimes a waterfall was dry, sometimes the weather. This film by itself was a test of resilience and endurance both mentally and physically. The story goes deep inside of the ghosts of Melissa herself, my lead actress and writer of the script. Her words inspired me to figure out a wonderful and surrealist way to tell the story and working together (and walking so much) we found beautiful locations to tell the story in the most visually compelling way possible.
To add more excitement to the behind the scenes, it is an unknown fact that more than half of the film, Melissa worked in it in front of the camera while suffering post concussion syndrome due to an accident she had during one of the first days in an underwater day. As I said this film was made with the idea of keeping the budget low (since we didn't have any) and looking amazing as if a full team was behind it and we worked very hard to make it happen this way with barely just a handful of collaborators later on. I was able to do this with her by doing the work of 20 people all by myself with only Melissa to help me when possible but trying to keep her focus on the acting side.
The film itself proof worthy of recognition and went to win it's first film award at the AT&T Film Festivals with a nice price of $5,000. The film cost us $500 to make it plus our hard work and time, so pretty much the film paid for itself, paid for its own full first year of festivals and we got some change in our pocket. We have loved sharing not only our film but the journey of it with audiences and we are thrilled to be back to Anza Borrego which is a very special place for us since we found in Borrego the perfect dessert we were looking for and it has become ever since our Oasis.
#3: What is your movie making background? Tell us about yourself.
I'm a narrative filmmaker and a writer. I have a Bachelors in Science of Communications in Mexico and I specialized in screenwriting in Madrid, also I have a Masters in Filmmaking by the New York Film Academy. I have worked directing and producing content for Television and Film. I also work in marketing and PR with the main company I am currently collaborating with. During my days in college I had the opportunity to meet my mentor, writer Guillermo Arriaga Jordan (21 Grams, Babel) and it was his teachings and advice who pushed me to try and achieve the impossible. I consider myself still to be a struggling filmmaker. Ha. I co-directed a feature film who is about to start its theatrical distribution in Kazakhstan and later hopefully in the US. My short films more and more have been winning awards worldwide but I am missing still that next step to get a bigger film. And the projects are there, at the end it all comes to the budget, and it's tough out there. So while the bigger projects come to place, I keep myself sharp making this amazing stories with no budget and wonderful scripts behind them.
#4: What was the biggest lesson learned in getting your film made?
Through this story I learn as a person and as a Director the ups and downs people who suffered from anxiety and depression goes through. I can say openly before it would be so easy for me to just say, try and smile and be happy; at the end of the day I am a very positive, practical and logical person. So I would've like to show a positive side to the person in need. I was naive, not lacking empathy per se, but not being able to convey a message in the best way possible for someone who is hurting, and most of the time not even in an obvious way. I learned to go deeper with the person and try and figure out a way if it's even for me posslbe to help or just be there. This film was a journey for both Melissa and I and I think we both grew by doing it and we love sharing it and it's message to try and show what we learned in the way of doing it and perhaps help more people who suffer from it. I also love that in a sense doing this film was also a cathartic experience for her as well. Résilience doesn't condemn nor condone any behavior, it doesn't criticize or try to push a simple solution. It's a story of acceptance to one's reality, to the need to let yourself let go sometimes and hit the bottom., but always keep moving forward no matter how heavy the burden is that we are dragging. There is always light to come.
#5: What does the future hold for your film and you?
The film ends it's first year in festivals on February and we couldn't be happier with the results. We will send the film for another year more into festivals. Also we are super happy because the film got theatrical distribution a month ago in France and we will try to secure more exposure through organizations devoted to mental illness. Melissa and I have a new short film written and we are trying to secure the budget to shoot in France, it's a dark comedy and a period piece taking place during the Nazi invasion in France during World War 2. Also we are working on a future script meant to be shot in France. I have a feature script which I am trying to get produced, a dark drama about family forgiveness and I am working on an action feature script intended to be shot in Norway. Many projects but finding the key elements is the tough part. Meaning money. That has never stopped me and I won't ever stop making movies since they are my passion and my eternal love.
