Q&A with BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD director Benh Zeitlin.
Q: The film is based on a one act play by Lucy Alibar, how did you go about translating it for the screen?
> We treated the play like it was a greek myth to translate and draw from. In the play, there was a much more mythological apocalypse, and these huge larger than life characters. We took those pillars, and the emotions the underpinned them, and attached them to real places, and real people. We translated the apocalypse into real life environmental issues that are attacking South Louisiana, and translated the characters through our amazing cast who were all from the region. They helped us give this myth a grounding in reality.
Q: What was the casting process like?
> Our casting team had come directly from working on the Obama campaign and brought the type of grassroots organizing they did in 2008 to our casting process. We spend 9 months knocking on doors, going into churches and schools, and ended up looking at 4000 kids in order to find Quvenzhane Wallis.
Q: How has the experience been so far with the film and its growing popularity?
> Its been beautiful. I've gotten to travel the world and see how the film translates across the planet. Its also been a great experience having a lot of the people and filmmakers I idolize watch the movie and respond to it. It feels sometimes like theres this groundswell movement behind the movie and that's an incredibly thrilling feeling.
Q: What did you think when President Obama told Oprah Winfrey to watch your film?
> It was completely shocked. I'm not one to go on about films being able to change the world, but when people who actually have the ability to change the world sit down for 93 minutes with your perspective and your principles, you feel pretty fucking proud.
Q: Do you have anything in the works right now?
> I do, but it's a secret!
To coincide with the band’s February 2014 tour of Australia and New Zealand, The National front man Matt Berninger will appear at a number of special Q&A screening events for the documentary MISTAKEN FOR STRANGERS....[more]
More than once you’ve attempted to institute a social media blackout to prevent seeing spoilers on Twitter and Facebook. And more than once you’ve failed. No more, thanks to Spoiler Shield. The new app for iPhone...[more]
Fairfax Media is conducting a major poll to find the best New Zealand films of all time. They don't want to be too prescriptive about what counts as a Kiwi film, but generally it is anything that features New Zealand people...[more]
With the New York Film Critics Film Circle unveiling its winners on its Twitter account, the awards-giving season is officially in full swing, and with it comes the annual deluge of Top 10 lists. It's easy to get caught up in...[more]
The feature film Antarctica: A Year On Ice by New Zealander Anthony Powell is gaining acclaim at festivals across North America. So far the film has won: Grand Jury Selection Best Film Laughlin International Film...[more]
The Wellington Film Society will host a rare live cinema event next Monday with local musicians performing a live soundtrack for The Joyless Street. The Wellington Film Society has commissioned five Wellington musicians, known...[more]
A single short film took both the major prizes in the second annual NZIFF New Zealand’s Best Short Film competition announced at Auckland’s Civic Theatre tonight. The Madman Entertainment Jury Prize, a cash prize of $5000 for...[more]
Chilean actress Pauline García will attend the New Zealand International Film Festival to support the Civic Theatre screening of her film Gloria. Gloria is a Chilean/Spanish co-production that tells the story of a divorced woman...[more]
We had fun in Auckland but we are going to have a ball in our home town! Yes, Simon, Kailey and Dan are bringing New Zealand's favourite movie podcast to our nation's capital on Wednesday 31st July - recording the show live...[more]
The Office of Film and Literature Classification have classified a New Zealand International Film Festival film to Festival-only screenings, restricting it from further release in New Zealand. Maniac, a serial killer horror...[more]