5Q's w/Kristen Gerweck "Wind Phone" Director
#1 Can you describe your movie and why somebody should see it?
The film is a visually poetic take on how to work through grief in a unique way that will resonate with anyone who has experienced the death of a loved one.
#2: What do you want the Borrego Springs Film Festival audience to know about your film that isn’t obvious from its title?
The title has a literal sense, but it also has a powerful metaphorical meaning that can only be discovered by watching the entire film. It may not be obvious from the title that this story lives in both the tangible world and an ethereal metaphysical reality.
#3: What is your movie making background? Tell us about yourself.
Despite knowing that I am an artist at heart, I started my professional life as a lawyer in NY and CA, following the same pressures many of us feel. Yet, the job made me miserable, and I eventually found the courage to transition into entertainment through studies at the Beverly Hills Playhouse and at UCLA. I made my first short film, EAST RAMADI, in 2016. It ended up screening at the Cannes Emerging Filmmaker Showcase and was picked up for distribution in European theaters alongside LAND OF MINE (2017 Oscar Nominee). This instant, and very unexpected, success showed me that I had made the right decision. I have since been working full-time as a writer and director.
#4: What was the biggest lesson learned in getting your film made?
Directing THE WIND PHONE showed me the importance of building a strong connective tissue among cast and crew during pre-production. On short films, you don’t have days for cast and crew to warm up to one another. They have to be ready to collaborate very quickly. I was so grateful that I focused on nurturing these relationships very early in the process. When we all arrived to set that first day, we already felt like one big creative family. This allowed us to effortlessly dive right into our respective duties and function as one connected animal. As a result, this set had amazing energy, and at the same time was extremely efficient.
#5: What does the future hold for your film and you?
THE WIND PHONE qualified for 2020 Oscar consideration, and the awards campaign has been our main focus over the past few weeks and will be until the Shortlist is announced in December (and hopefully thereafter, if we make it on). In addition, despite having already been accepted to 50+ festivals, we’re only a few months into our festival run and expect to continue it through 2020.
As for me, I had a development deal with Fullscreen for an original series I created, wrote and was attached to direct before the service sadly folded. I have since expanded the series into a one-hour prestige drama that I am about to take out. In addition, I am working on a commissioned feature script, am developing several other feature and television projects, and plotting my next short film with my producer.
Instagram: @windphonefilm #windphonefilm
Facebook: www.facebook.com/windphonefilm
