director

April 2019 – Read FILMMAKER Interviews

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19 Filmmaker interviews conducted by Matthew Toffolo:

Interview with Filmmaker Andre Sitolini (THE COOK AND THE CHEF)

Interview with Filmmaker Andre Sitolini (THE COOK AND THE CHEF)

Interview with Filmmaker Filippo Michele Guarna (MISTER EGG)

Interview with Filmmaker Filippo Michele Guarna (MISTER EGG)

Interview with Filmmaker Siqi Xiao (FARTMAN)

Interview with Filmmaker Siqi Xiao (FARTMAN)

Interview with Filmmaker Marco De Ornellas (THE DUCHESS)

Interview with Filmmaker Marco De Ornellas (THE DUCHESS)

Interview with Producer Rebecca Scotti (BUILD RAMPS NOT WALLS)

Interview with Producer Rebecca Scotti (BUILD RAMPS NOT WALLS)

Interview with Filmmaker Cynthia Hunt (ICE FLOW)

Interview with Filmmaker Cynthia Hunt (ICE FLOW)

Interview with Filmmaker Michael McCallum (LOVE IS WILD)

Interview with Filmmaker Michael McCallum (LOVE IS WILD)

Interview with Filmmaker Greg Tudéla (BREAKDOWN)

Interview with Filmmaker Greg Tudéla (BREAKDOWN)

Interview with Filmmaker Greedy Goons (Seth Scott™ – elxr Track3 v2 3)

Interview with Filmmaker Greedy Goons (Seth Scott™ – elxr Track3 v2 3)

Interview with Filmmaker Hadi Moussally (POSITIVE)

Interview with Filmmaker Hadi Moussally (POSITIVE)

Interview with Filmmaker Tim Jockel (HYPRA)

Interview with Filmmaker Tim Jockel (HYPRA)

Interview with Filmmaker Roisin Kearney (THE FAMILY WAY)

Interview with Filmmaker Roisin Kearney (THE FAMILY WAY)

Interview with Filmmaker Mahée Merica (A SIGN)

Interview with Filmmaker Mahée Merica (A SIGN)

Interview with Filmmaker Natacha Thomas (BLOSSOM)

Interview with Filmmaker Natacha Thomas (BLOSSOM)

Video Interview with Filmmaker Sashi Arnold & Stephen Gallacher (UNEXPECTED ITEM)

Interview with Filmmaker Erika Kramer (SHE’S MARRYING STEVE)

Interview with Filmmaker Erika Kramer (SHE’S MARRYING STEVE)

Interview with Filmmaker Camille Liu Nock (BO & MEI)

Interview with Filmmaker Camille Liu Nock (BO & MEI)

Interview with Filmmaker Daniel Montoya (HIM)

Interview with Filmmaker Daniel Montoya (HIM)

Interview with Filmmaker P.J. Norton (EXPIRATION DATE)

Interview with Filmmaker P.J. Norton (EXPIRATION DATE)

Interview with Filmmaker David Lykes Keenan (BODIES OF WATER)

Interview with Filmmaker David Lykes Keenan (BODIES OF WATER)


November 2018 – Read the best of Filmmaker Interviews

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Interviews by Matthew Toffolo

Touch the link and read 8 different interviews with the best of new filmmakers from around the world.

Dominic McCafferty (BOONDOGGLE)

Interview with Filmmaker Dominic McCafferty (BOONDOGGLE)

Bevin Hamilton & Rachel Murphy (INCALL)

Interview with Filmmakers Bevin Hamilton, Rachael Murphy (INCALL)

Marvin Nuecklaus (CROSSROADS)

Interview with Filmmaker Marvin Nuecklaus (CROSSROADS)

Max Mortl (ISLAND)

Interview with Filmmaker Max Mörtl & Robert Löbel (ISLAND)

Nick Dolinski (CLOUD COVER)

Interview with Filmmaker Nick Dolinski (CLOUD COVER)

Erik Bloomquist (SHE CAME FROM THE WOODS)

Interview with Filmmaker Erik Bloomquist (SHE CAME FROM THE WOODS)

Mark Howling (OBE: THE OUT OF BODY EXPERIENCE)

Interview with Filmmaker Mark Howling (O.B.E. THE OUT OF BODY EXPERIENCE)

Andres Passoni (3:32)

Interview with Filmmaker Andres Passoni (3:32)

Happy Birthday: Martin Campbell

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martincampbell.jpgMartin Campbell

Born: October 24, 1943 in Hastings, New Zealand

I like pre-production and post the best. I don’t like shooting at all. I find it grueling and tough, but I love post and the whole process of seeing the film finally come together. You start ironing out all the rough spots, and the really bad bits you just throw away. So from day one of post to the last day, you see nothing but improvements.

[on Daniel Craig] He’s a young Steve McQueen and I wanted to show that. As a first-time director I wanted to make sure I hired people who were good actors. That was really important, to make my life easier. Daniel is so on the cusp of becoming a big star, and I hope this is the catalyst.

GREEN LANTERN
dir. Martin Campbell
Stars:
Ryan Reynolds
Blake Lively
Casino Royale
2006
dir. by Martin Campbell
starring
Daniel Craig
Dench
Edge of Darkness Movie PosterEdge of Darkness
dir. Martin Campbell
Stars
Mel Gibson
Ray Winstone
GOLDENEYEGoldeneye
1995
dir. Martin Campbell
Starring
Pierce Brosnan
Sean Bean
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Happy Birthday: Ang Lee

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anglee.jpgAng Lee

Born: October 23, 1954 in Pingtung, Taiwan

Married to:
Jane Lin (19 August 1983 – present) (2 children)

I think you look like a fool as a director when you talk too much about what the actors are doing. You want them to listen to you, but personally speaking, I don’t want them to just follow everything I say without processing it. This is a problem for Asian actors. They are so polite, and they’ve been trained to smile and nod and agree with everything someone in power tells them. I’m not looking for conflict, but I’m not happy if someone is repressing their feelings either.

The Ice Storm
1997
dir. Lee
starring
Kevin Kline
Joan Allen
Sigourney Weaver
Crouching Tiger Hidden DragonCrouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
2000
dir. Ang Lee
starring
Yun-Fat Chow
Michelle Yeoh		 Crouching Tiger Hidden DragonCrouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
2000
dir. Ang Lee
starring
Yun-Fat Chow
Michelle Yeoh
MOVIE POSTERLIFE OF PI
dir. Ang Lee
Stars:
Suraj Sharma
Irrfan Khan
ConstantineBrokeback Mountain
2005
dir. Lee
starring
Heath Ledger
Jake Gyllenhaal		 The Ice StormThe Indigestible Hulk

Discussing Lee’s Hulk and the new 2008 version

 Take Me Home TonightTAKING WOODSTOCK
dir. Ang Lee
Starring:
Demetri Martin
Emile Hirsch
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Happy Birthday: Sam Raimi

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samraimi.jpgSam Raimi

Born: October 23, 1959 in Royal Oak, Michigan, USA

Married to: Gillian Greene (1993 – present) (5 children)

I love the Spider-Man character. And that’s what’s at the heart of it. That’s why I really love it. But there’s another fun thing that I never had before where you make your movie and a lot of people see it and they seem to like it. So it’s like oh my god, I’ve always been the nerd, lame ass guy on the side, but I made something that a lot of people like. I know that won’t last for long, and I’m obviously riding the Spider-Man thing. He’s a popular character for 40 years. So anyone who makes a Spider-Man movie gets to make a popular movie. But it’s fun to be popular, even if it’s a brief, lame thing, and even though I know it’s not important. I can’t help it. It’s really fun and I know how quickly things turn in Hollywood.

THE EVIL DEADThe Evil Dead
1982
dir. Raimi
starring
Bruce Campbell
Ellen Sandweiss		 DARKMANDarkman
1990
dir. Sam Raimi
Starring
Liam Neeson
Frances McDormand
ARMY OF DARKNESSArmy of Darkness
1992
dir. Sam Raimi
Starring
Bruce Campbell
Embeth Davidtz		 Spider-ManSpider-Man
2002
dir. Raimi
starring
Tobey Maguire
Kirsten Dunst
Willem DaFoe
Spider-Man 2
2004
dir. Raimi
starring
Toby Maguire
Alfred Molini
James Franco		 Spiderman 3Spider-Man 3
2007
dir. Raimi
starring
Toby Maguire
Thomas Haden Church
Topher Grace		 DRAG ME TO HELL Movie PosterDrag me to Hell
dir. Raimi
Starring
Alison Lohman
Justin Long		 MOVIEEVIL DEAD II
1987
dir. Sam Raimi
Starring:
Bruce Campbell
Sarah Berry
MOVIE POSTERFOR LOVE OF THE GAME
1999
dir. Sam Raimi
Starring:
Kevin Costner
Kelly Preston		 MOVIE POSTEREVIL DEAD 2
1987
dir. by Sam Raimi
Stars:
Bruce Campbell
Sarah Berry
MOVIE POSTERTHE QUICK AND THE DEAD
1995
dir. Sam Raimi
Stars:
Leonardo DiCaprio
Gene Hackman		 MOVIE POSTEROZ: THE GREAT AND POWERFUL
2013
dir. Sam Raimi
Stars:
James Franco
Mila Kunis

 
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Happy Birthday: Spike Jonze

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spikejonze.jpgSpike Jonze

Born: October 22, 1969 in Rockville, Maryland, USA

As a feature film director you got to be a guarding dog of the whole production. You got to be able to hold 100 script pages in the head at the same time. If you miss a detail it’s wasted. I don’t know how the music video generation can affect the movie business, but I’m curious what feature films the English Chris Cunningham and the Swedish guy Jonas Åkerlund are going to make.

[on the origins of Her (2013) from his long-ago encounter with an artificial-intelligence computer program] For the first 30 seconds, I had that buzz, like, It’s responding to me! Then it quickly fell apart and you realize, Here are the tricks, here’s how this works. But what if I could sustain that forever? What would that be like? I wanted to take that idea as far as I could possibly imagine and feel.

Three Kings
1999
dir. David O. Russell
Starring
George Clooney
Mark Wahlberg
Ice Cube		 Being John MalkovichBeing John Malkovich
1999
dir. Jonze
starring
John Cusask
John Malkovich
Where the Wild Things Are
dir. Jonze
Stars:
Max Records
Catherine O’Hara
Forest Whitaker
MOVIE POSTERJACKASS PRESENTS: BAD GRANDPA
2013
dir. Jeff Tremaine
Stars:
Johnny Knoxville
Jackson Nicoll		 MOVIE POSTERTHE WOLF OF WALL STREET
2013
dir. Martin Scorsese
Stars:
Leonardo DiCaprio
PJ Byrne
MOVIE POSTERHER
2013
dir. Spike Jonze
Stars:
Joaquin Phoenix
Amy Adams
Adaptation
2002
dir. Jonze
Starring
Nicholas Cage
Meryl Streep
Chris Cooper
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Died Today (October 21st): François Truffaut (1932–1984)

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francoistruffaut.jpgFrançois Truffaut (1932–1984)

Born: February 6, 1932 in Paris, France
Died: October 21, 1984 (age 52) in Neuilly-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine, France

Was voted the 27th Greatest Director of all time by Entertainment Weekly. He is the highest ranking director on this list who was a film critic before he became a filmmaker.

Was rumored to be a contender to direct The Stunt Man (1980), and to have used elements from that film’s source, the Paul Brodeur novel of the same name, in the story of Day for Night (1973), but he strenuously denied these rumors in correspondence published after his death, claiming that inspiration had come instead from Singin’ in the Rain (1952), 8½ (1963), and The Bad and the Beautiful (1952).

THE 400 BLOWSThe 400 Blows
1959
dir. Francois Truffaut
Cast
Jean-Pierre Leaud
Claire Maurier
JULES AND JIMJules and Jim
1962
dir. Truffaut
Starring
Jeanne Moreau
Oskar Werner		 MOVIE POSTERTHE 400 BLOWS
1959
dir. Francois Truffaut
Stars:
Jean-Pierre L�aud
Albert R�my
Close Encounters of the Third KindClose Encounters of the Third Kind
1977
dir. Steven Spielberg
DAY FOR NIGHTDay for Night
1973
dir. Truffaut
Starring
Jacqueline Bisset
Valentina Cortese
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Happy Birthday: Mike Judge

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mikejudge.jpgMike Judge

Born: October 17, 1962 in Guayaquil, Ecuador

[on the characters in ‘Silicon Valley’] These type of people, had they been born 200 years ago, would not be the wealthiest people in the world. You look at whoever the richest person in television is today, and they probably spent 20 or 30 years just working their asses off, staying up until three in the morning, writing episodes. And then you look at the Tumblr guy who’s a billionaire. There are these guys in college who were smart but introverted people who suddenly have a billion dollars, and they’re still socially awkward. That’s just great for comedy.

Office Space
1999
dir. Judge
Starring
Ron Livingston
Jennifer Aniston
EXTRACT Movie PosterExtract
2009
dir. Judge
Starring
Jason Bateman
Krista Wiig
Ben Affleck		 MOVIE POSTERIDIOCRACY
2006
dir. Mike Judge
Stars:
Luke Wilson
Maya Rudolph
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Happy Birthday: Steve McQueen

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stevemcqueen.jpgSteve McQueen

Born: October 9, 1969 in London, England, UK

[on how similar the world of art is to film] Film is way different. When you’re twenty feet tall on a massive screen and you’re seeing people’s lives played out on it, it’s different from a nice painting. Film is important; it can be more than reportage or a novel – it creates images people have never seen before, never imagined they’d see, maybe because they needed someone else to imagine them.

 

SHAME
dir. Steve McQueen
Stars:
Michael Fassbender
Carey Mulligan
HUNGERHUNGER
dir. Steve McQueen
Starring:
Michael Fassbender
Liam Cunningham

MOVIE POSTER12 YEARS A SLAVE
2013
dir. Steve McQueen
Stars:
Chiwetel Ejiofor
Michael Kenneth Williams
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Happy Birthday: Guillermo del Toro

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guillermodeltoro.jpgGuillermo del Toro

Born: October 9, 1964 in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico

Married to:
Lorenza Newton (1986 – present) (2 children)

I remember the worst experience of my life, even above the kidnapping of my father, was shooting Mimic (1997) [del Toro’s first Hollywood feature, in 1997, which was severely compromised by producer interference]. Because what was happening to me and the movie was far more illogical than kidnapping, which is brutal, but at least there are rules. Now when I look at Mimic, what I see is the pain of a deeply flawed creature that could have been so beautiful.

CRONOSCronos
1993
dir. del Toro
starring
Federico Luppi
Ron Perlman
HELLBOYHellboy
2004
dir. Guillermo del Toro		 BREACHPan’s Labriynth
2007
dir. del Toro
Starring
Ivana Baquero
Sergi López
MOVIE POSTERPACIFIC RIM
2013
dir. Guillermo del Toro
Stars:
Idris Elba
Charlie Hunnam		 HELLBOY IIHellboy II
Directed by del Toro
Starring
Ron Perlman
Selma Blair
BLADE IIBlade II
2002
dir. del Toro
Starring
Wesley Snipes
Ron Pearlman
TV CONTESTSUBMIT your TV PILOT or TV SPEC Script
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