TEXAS STRANGE, 9min. USA
Directed by Justin Eugene Evans
After two months on a distant planet, John Thurston returns to his ragtag crew of criminals and thieves. He expects a heroes welcome…instead they’ve held themselves a vote.

https://youtu.be/oxdTxgBC72A

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

I’m an inventor. I’ve invented a light. I call it Nairobi. It is a 6 inch cube that fits in your hand but can light three 30 story buildings side by side. I needed a project to prove its abilities. So, I created the short film, Texas Strange, to prove Nairobi’s abilities. It allowed us to shoot the film with only a 7 person crew.

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?

One year. 2.5 nights to shoot with a tiny team of 7 people. I did most of the post production myself on my laptop.

3. How would you describe your film in two words!?

Unexpectedly funny.

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?

I hired a professional visual effects artist from ILM, Brandon Miletta. I paid him in advance. He then disappeared for a year…completely held the film hostage. He claimed he was going through a divorce and was in a depression. Who knows what the truth was…in the end, he nearly wrecked the movie.

We had to complete all the visual effects ourselves. He never returned the money. And when he delivered our hard drive, he sent it in an unsealed, dirty sandwich bag.

He almost wrecked the film. He’s still credited in the movie because we’d already paid a motion graphics artist to do the closing credits. But, I hired two fantastic artists, Hussar Eissa and Annie Caps-Wightman. They worked incredibly hard to fix about 200 of Brandon Miletta’s mistakes and then finished all the visual effects. Their work is fantastic.

5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?

I’m grateful they enjoyed the film. I’m particularly happy when people understand it’s a comedy.

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?

I saw Star Wars as a four year old kid in Honolulu. But, the film industry is in a state of collapse…I’m not sure what its going to look like in five years.

7. What film have you seen the most in your life?

I cannot list them all. Wouldn’t even know where to start.

8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career?

You can’t. The festival circuit is broken. Hollywood is broken. But, hey…it is nice that some people saw my movie and enjoyed it!

9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?

It’s fine.

10. What is your favorite meal?

Excellent sushi. I live in Taipei. I eat sushi about five times a week. I’m also a fan of Teppanyaki.

11. What is next for you? A new film?

I begin sales of Nairobi in a few months. I might do another short film later this year. You can learn more about Nairobi at www.nairobilighting.com.