5Q's w/Dylan Chant "Reunir" Director

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

Tony Rios fights to overcome his drug addiction and reunite with his mother before it’s too late.

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

I want people to know that the subject of the film, Tony Rios, was able to meet his grandchildren for the first time, after finishing filming. As his son and daughter raised their own children and longed for his presence in their life, Tony never got the chance to be a a father or grandfather as he battled drug addiction on the streets of Orange, CA. At 59 years old, Tony was able to share precious moments with family members that he had been longing for himself.

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

After high school, I initially thought I wanted to go into the medical field and become a doctor, nurse or EMT. I was actually lucky enough to travel abroad, in Argentina, and volunteer at a Children’s Hospital where I shadowed various doctors and medical professionals. During my time there, I also brought my little Sony film camera everywhere I went, and filmed everything I observed. As I shadowed medical personnel and gained medical experience, I realized that I felt most myself when I turned on my camera and captured what I observed each day. Ironically, that medical volunteer trip abroad ultimately led me to becoming a documentary filmmaker.

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

The biggest lesson I learned while making Reunir was that, while it’s important to capture moments with a camera in order to tell a story, it is just as important to gain trust and insight into a character for a film, without a camera. While making this film, I spent three months following Tony through the streets of Orange, often in the middle of the night. I didn’t bring my camera until I started to develop a relationship with him and meet his friends and really gain trust from him. As I introduced the camera, he knew what my intentions were and the film we made together ended up reflecting the genuine relationship we built from the time we spent together.

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

I believe Reunir has the potential to really help people that are in similar situations as Tony. I have always had a hard time walking through cities and observing the amount of people who live on the street or struggle with addiction and not knowing how to help. These people often don’t feel like anyone believes in them and I wanted to show, through this film, the humanity of people living with addiction and homelessness and that we as a society can believe in them and actually help them.