5Q's w/Suzana Norberg "Libertyville" Producer, Writer, Actress

#1: Can you describe your movie and why somebody should see it in less than 140 characters?

A little girl contends with her grandmother’s tyranny as the family makes their weekly pilgrimage to picnic on Grandpa’s grave.

#2: What do you want the Borrego Springs Film Festival audience to know about your film that isn’t obvious from its title?

LIBERTYVILLE is a true story. My Serbian immigrant grandmother made us go to the cemetery every weekend to visit Grandpa. Her tyranny, plus the heat and humidity made me miserable, but I could appreciate the unintended comedy of my family, so I always wished I had a movie camera. Forty-eight years later, I remedied that. LIBERTYVILLE is my first screenplay and first time producing.

#3: What is your movie making background? Tell us about yourself.

I’ve been an actress for over 30 years while wrangling a day job as a marketing copywriter. I’ve done voice-over, industrial films and been in other people’s short films, but the pandemic gave me the downtime I needed to finally make my own film.

#4: What was the biggest lesson learned in getting your film made?

Lesson 1: Have amazing friends. Without Director Devin Scott and his connections to the best crew in San Diego, I would not have had the resources to make this film. I met Devin and his wife Jeanne (the co-producer of LIBERTYVILLE) over 30 years ago as a voice talent on one of their projects. So by the time I wrote LIBERTYVILLE, I knew Devin well enough to know that the humor and heart of my story would be in perfect hands. He also made it all happen in just three days of filming. Three magical days during the pandemic.

Lesson 2: Trust the universe. I needed actors who were fluent in Serbian, and the universe delivered a miracle. Additionally, as Devin pointed out, “Usually everything that can go wrong on a shoot does go wrong, but this time everything worked perfectly. Even the smoke from the California wildfires created a beautiful exterior light.”

#5: What does the future hold for your film and you?

Continuing to meet amazing creative kin from around the world at film festivals, securing funding for the full-feature version of LIBERTYVILLE, and being cast in BRIDESMAIDS 2 or any film starring Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, or Sandra Bullock.