REDLINING, 18min., USA
Directed by Jason Stuart
REDLINING is about a black & white family who live on the same property during the 1970s in the Georgia REDLINING era. The film explores the themes of generational wealth, prejudice, homosexuality, women’s rights and the legacy of discrimination in the American South. Who gets to live where? What happens when the parents pass? Who gets the house? And why?
https://www.instagram.com/thejasonstuart/
Get to know the filmmaker:
1. What motivated you to make this film?
I’ve always created my own work alongside acting in TV and film. This time, I wanted to make something quiet and visually contemplative, in the spirit of Terrence Malick or the film “Tender Mercies”. The subject of “Redlining” drew me in because it gets at something fundamental about how America has systematically separated people by race, religion, and sexuality and I wanted to tell that story.
2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
Six months was the gestation. I wrote the film by myself first and felt that I needed more structure to the story and I asked my friend actress Lee Garlington, who is a wonderful writer to read it and she said that she’d love to work with me on the script so we co-wrote the finish project together.
3. How would you describe your film in two words!?
Beautiful and tragic.
4. What was the greatest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
Money its always money. I have a reputation for taking the work seriously and not taking myself seriously. So I gathered friends and they gathered their friends and all these wonderful artists came together and made a film that I’m really proud of.
5. There are 5 stages of the filmmaking process: Development. Pre-Production. Production. Post-Production. Distribution. What is your favorite stage of the filmmaking process?
I have to say rehearsal. Which would be preproduction. The creativity in creating a character as an actor and the behavior of the person you’re playing, the voice the way you move is always exciting for me to develop. And as a director, I love to guide an actor to do their best work. Make them feel safe so they can create something that they’re proud of and that they enjoy doing at the same time.
6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?
I don’t think there was a time that I didn’t ever want to be a part of the process of making a film. When I’m cast a film, I always think of how can I fulfill the Director and writers vision of what they wanted the film to be. That’s always exciting to me to create the previous circumstance for the character, the way they move, the way they speak and what affects them emotionally. As a long time character Actor, I believe that’s my job to tell the story for my performance to support the execution of the film.
7. What film have you seen the most times in your life?
I would say the film that made me want to be an actor and not just somebody who was funny and successful. Was “Ordinary People”. The simplicity of the story and the way it was photographed and interacted was heartbreaking and Mary Tyler Moore performance was one of the most shockingly original characters I ever seen on the screen a mother who was unlikable and in such pain she couldn’t love her child and it was played by a woman who was known as America’s sweetheart that really interested in me and made me want to be a character I can play different roles. And at the time I wanted to be like dustin hoffman and go from playing a street person in “Midnight Cowboy” to Lenny Bruce and the Film “Lenny” to “Tootsie” he was just Brilliant and seem to have such love for what he did. It really maybe fall in love with the work. And it’s been a love affair since I was a teenager..
8. In a perfect world: Who would you like to work with/collaborate with on a film?
This is a very long list, but I’ll give you some of my heroes in filmmaking Martin Scorsese, Spike Lee, Jane Champion, Yorgos Lanthimos, Host Safdie, Paul Thomas Anderson, and so many more. And of course Sean Baker again who I did “Tangerine” with a 10 years ago
9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experience been working on the festival platform site?
FilmFreeway is honestly one of the easiest platforms I’ve used, and I’m grateful for that. I remember the days of filling out endless paper submissions with “Out Of The Box”. That said, I’d love to see the experience feel more personal. There’s often very little communication between curators, programmers, and filmmakers, and I think that’s worth addressing. For those of us who’ve spent decades in this industry, it would mean a lot to be seen as colleagues rather than just entries in a queue.
10. What is your favorite meal?
Chocolate cake always! incredible bread and great cheese
11. What is next for you? A new film?
I have several independent films that I’m acting in. One would be a drama about a little girl who has Williamson syndrome where I play basketball coach called “I Got Next”, the horror film “Blackwood” that I play that creepy guy down the road that everyone thinks is the killer. And a few others. Right now I’m playing a self involvedHollywood Producer in the romantic comedy “Only Bears”. Most will end up in Film Festivals hopefully and will be set for streaming on multiple platforms.
