Director's Cut

>> I work with runaways, so I know what you're going through. I can help you get home. And I can keep you out of trouble. >> I don't know what help you think I need, but I don't need it. >> Ruth, when we were at the beach, I think you got the wrong idea. Ruth, listen. I think when we were at the beach, you got the wrong idea. >> It's Red! >> Okay. >> Why are you following me? >> I'm not following you. I'm protecting you. I've been watching out for you since you arrived. Do you really think that a little girl like you could survive out here alone without someone to watch over them? See, I want to take care of you. I want you to have everything you want. I feel that much about you. >> What are you talking about? >> I want you to feel that way about me, too. >> Hi, welcome to the annual Wisconsin Film Festival edition of Director's Cut. I'm Pete Schwaba. As a Wisconsin filmmaker myself, I'm thrilled to have an entire hour to talk to fellow Wisconsin filmmakers and see some great clips from this year's lineup. I have no doubt that after seeing them, you'll do everything in your power to attend the festival, which takes place April 11-18, right here in Madison. Here to tell us more about this year's festival is Director of Programming Jim Healy. Jim, welcome back to Director's Cut. >> Thanks for having me. >> So, this festival seems to get bigger every year, and there's some changes this year. You want to talk about the changes? >> Right, the festival, in terms of numbers of programs being offered is about the same as last year. But we've stretched out the festival over a full eight days. Normally, we've gone four or five days. This year, we're a full eight, going from the 11th to the 18th, from Thursday to Thursday. We're going to be on four screens on campus, downtown campus in Madison. At Vilas Hall, which is the regular home of the UW Cinematheque, two screens at the Chazen Museum of Art, and at the Marquee Theater at Union South. Then, on the second day of the festival, until the very end, we're at three screens at the Sundance Cinemas at Hilldale. >> Wow, so why the extra days, just more movies in the festival? >> Yeah, we wanted to try it out. We wanted to see if our audiences would come during the week, and stretched it out for more of an opportunity to be at Sundance, which has some of the top projection facilities in town. >> That's great. What would you say are some highlights to this year? Is there a theme this year? >> Well, there are a number of little strands. My colleague, Mike King, who's the senior programmer of the festival, and I have put together a bunch of little, kind of mini programs within the festival. Mike has selected four really superb films from Switzerland, a couple documentaries and a couple of fiction films. We also have movies that come from all points of film history. So we have two films starring Douglas Fairbanks, one of his silent classics and one of his new, one of the first talkies he was ever in, also. We have a number of significant, contemporary American independent films that we're calling "Brave New American Cinema." They're really brave new movies. They're independent American films that take a lot of chances with their subject matter and their storytelling styles. >> Very cool. What can you tell people about how to go to the festival? What kind of advice would you give them? >> At any given time, there's always four or five movies that everybody knows about, that are playing in theaters that have huge advertising budgets. We're showing the best films that are exemplary of the art form at the moment, from all around the world, and from all parts of film history. So these aren't going to be movies that you're seeing commercials for on television and hearing about and reading magazines, necessarily, unless you're reading the right kinds of magazines. So I would say, look at our guide, which is online, or get a paper copy, they're all over town, and look at it. See if you can find something that you like. Then, when you find something you like, get a ticket and then buy a ticket for something else that's either right before it or right after, and take the plunge. >> Take a chance. >> And see multiple films. That's what the film festival is, seeing multiple films and being with our crowds. >> Right. Well, let's take a look at a clip from three of the films that have been selected for the 2013 Wisconsin Film Festival. >> Bob? >> Yes. >> They've got a girl right now. He's got her by her hair and he's dragging her out. >> These were like citizen journalists. It was sort of the forerunner of Twitter, in a way. >> Bob represents the ideal of absolute free speech. >> I'm having handcuffs put on, because I said I do not want to leave. >> Have a good show. Hurry home. >> It could be said that some of the other radio forums are as good as they are, is because of what Bob Fass did, and what Bob Fass continues to do. >> WBAI... >> Hello? Who am I speaking to? >> You're speaking to Bob in New York...

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>> A lot of focus. A lot of energy. Let's do it! >> No, just keep talking to me. >> We do two heists a month, and scraping by as it is. This just screwed me. >> He should buckle down and ask Sally out on a date.

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>> I killed a cat! >> You're teaching an education class. It's supposed to be inspiring.

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... >> Great clips from this year's Wisconsin Film Festival. We're talking with Jim Healy about it. Those look fantastic. >> Yes, they are. This shows a real variety of what we're doing, documentaries, fiction films, and movies made right here in Wisconsin, too. >> Is there a film, like, that maybe doesn't have a big budget, that you would suggest people see? Can you do that? >> Sure, there are lots of films. There's a great little American independent film called "This is Martin Bonner," which kind of came out of nowhere and won a prize at the Sundance Film Festival this year. That's a marvelous movie about a middle-aged man kind of starting his life out anew with a new job in Reno, Nevada, and the connections he makes with an ex-convict who he's assigned to work with. It's very powerful, very quiet, very kind of unassuming. No stars, but it's very powerful, very effective. >> I like movies with no stars. It's so easy to lose yourself. To me, I love losing myself in a movie, and not watching, hey, it's Leo DiCaprio. >> I agree. >> That's one of the great things about festivals, too. >> Sure, and you can lose yourself in a variety of different ways. >> Little Red Riding Hood, too, with Mark Metcalf... >> "Little Red." >> With Wisconsin natives. Very creepy. >> Yes, it is. It owes a great deal of its creepiness through a great performance by Mark Metcalf, who you mentioned, who lives in Milwaukee now, and is best known for playing Neidermeyer in "Animal House." One of the great villains of all time. He is so supremely creepy in "Little Red" as a predator. >> He was creepy as Neidermeyer, too. >> He was! >> All right, we're going to spend the rest of this hour talking with a variety of filmmakers featured at the Wisconsin Film Festival. First up, a film about a man whose actions horrify the world. It's called "The Jeffrey Dahmer Files," and we'll speak with the director in a minute. First, let's see a clip. >> It was empty in the main part of the refrigerator, except for a cardboard box. Inside that cardboard box was a freshly, it looked like, severed African American male's human head, with the eyes and the mouth open like this. I also noticed in the back was an open box of Arm & Hammer Baking Soda. My mom used to do that to keep the refrigerator fresh. Then, on the door that I opened up, there was condiments, mustard, ketchup, A-1 Sauce, that kind of stuff. I will admit that from the bottom of feet to the top of my head, everything in my body said, you know, you've got to get the hell out of here. Let's get a boss here. This is bigger than me.

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But then, five minutes, Lt. Horrell came. After he saw the head in the refrigerator and backed up, he looked at me and said, "Pat, I want you to take this prick downtown." He goes, "I want you to stick with him. I don't anybody else to talk to him." He goes, "I don't want you to leave his sight. I don't care if he's got to go to the bathroom. I want you to hold his

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." He goes, "But I want you to stay with this guy and don't let anybody else talk to him." >> I'm sure they done found somebody. Somebody done set Jeff up. They tried to get him, or somebody that got killed at Jeff's house, or something like that. I never thought that Jeff had did anything. >> Wow. That was a clip from "The Jeffrey Dahmer Files." Joining us now is the film's director, Chris James Thompson. Chris, thanks for being here. >> Hey, thanks for having me, I appreciate it. >> That's not a comedy, right? >> Uh, no, it's not. >> I have to say, if there's an award for creepy festival teaser, that's got to be it, right? >> Yeah, it's a creepy film. It's a heavy film. It's a dark film. >> I think the question, what I'm most curious about, is the story hits so close to home for Wisconsinites. Are you nervous about the reaction? Do you think people are going to be, we're done with it, we don't want to see it, or are they curious? What do you think? >> Yeah, it's interesting. When I first told my mom I was working on a documentary about Jeffrey Dahmer, she started crying, I think, so I've been set from day one to know that people have an idea of what they think a Jeffrey Dahmer documentary is going to be like. I think we always just tried to set out to make something very different that, you know, was not exploitational in any way, shape or form, and sort of steered clear of the sensationalism. We really just tried to pay respects to the people that lived in the city and actually had their lives changed by the case, as opposed to just talking about, you know, the knife, or the cannibalism, or what was wrong with Jeffrey Dahmer's brain. Those things, we weren't so interested in. >> Okay, and you got, just from that clip, you see that he was just walking among people. And his neighbor, I mean that was amazing to me. She thought it was a set up, or he was being railroaded, or something. They really thought he was a nice guy, right? >> Yeah, I mean I think that was one of the things about the story that really intrigued us. The fact that he seemed like such a normal person on the surface. You know, he rode the bus to work, and bought beer at the liquor store on the corner, just the same way that a lot of people in Milwaukee do. There's many people around him that never suspected anything, other than he was just, you know, another citizen of the city. It wasn't until after the facts came out about the case that all these people are left to sort of put the pieces together of why no one had noticed it. And there's many reasons, which is part of the reason we made the film, to look into some of that. >> You talked about just being a citizen in Milwaukee. I remember driving through that neighborhood after he was arrested. Has it healed, or is there still like, just kind of a stain on that area of the city? >> I don't know so much about that area of the city. They did tear the building down, and it's sort of being held as a memorial, more or less, without a marker, or anything. They haven't rebuilt anything there. It's recently, I think, become sort of a rock garden in an up and coming apartment building that's being built, or has recently been built. As far as the city, imagine losing a loved one, and then imagine 16 or 17 families losing loved ones. A lot of them still live there. I think it's something that the city will be dealing with for, you know, decades if not generations. I think, you know, it was such a massive traumatic experience for so many people there that it's going to be lasting for a long time. >> I have to ask you, what was it like, or how do you cast that role? What did you look for? Was it a guy that just came in and nailed it, and if so, why? What was it like casting that role? >> That's a good question. The actor that plays the main character, his name is Andrew Swant. He's actually not an actor at all. He's a local filmmaker in Milwaukee, as well. Most of the people that are acting in the film are actually just filmmakers themselves in Milwaukee. They just agreed to help out and play a role or a part. A lot of the people that are acting in the film are actually employees or people that worked at the stores that we shot in. When you shoot in a small city like that, you try to take and draw from the resources that you have. There aren't a ton of working actors. To have people just be able to show up and hold their own on camera and improvise the scene is great. I think Andrew did an incredible job of sort of, you know, creating a space, where these other people who are not actors could play off of him, and just sort of float through these scenes in this sort of dream-like environment that is everyday Milwaukee. >> It definitely comes through in the clip we saw. Good luck with the screenings. >> Thanks so much. >> Thanks Chris. Thanks for being here. Next, we'll sit down with Blythe Meier, the director of "So I Could Fly Away." Here's a clip. >> My name is Marvin Ralph Meier, affectionately called "Sonny" by his dad. For as long as I can remember, he called me Sonny. Maybe if he was mad, then it was just Marvin. I was born in Adams, North Dakota, on the farm, in the early evening. Mother was so proud that she was able to milk cows and carry the milk to the house, and then gave birth to twins. I wonder if she knew she was going to have twins. I don't think she did. I don't think she did. >> That was a clip from "So I Could Fly Away." This is the film's director, Blythe Meier. Hi, Blythe. >> Hi. >> So, congratulations, first of all, on winning the Jury Prize at the Milwaukee Film Festival. >> Thank you. >> That's got to be exciting. >> It was, very much so. >> This is a film about your dad, Marvin, and what seemed to be a very melancholy childhood. Tell us about it. >> Well, what's interesting is that if you asked my dad if he had a happy childhood, of course he would say yes. He's a really good storyteller, so I wanted to make a film with him just telling stories. As we started talking, just sort of more of this sort of came out. Not necessarily things I didn't know, but just sort of the depth of what happened, and sort of how he felt about it, I didn't know. That was interesting for me as his daughter. But my dad is the kind of person that that was his life, but it doesn't color the way he, how he sees his life, or how he acts towards people. He's a very happy, optimistic person. >> Did he know you were filming him? >> Oh, yeah! >> Well, you almost got that impression, because he's just so, like a gentle soul, and you see him doing these mundane, everyday things. >> Right. >> You almost, I thought man, it's almost like he's not even being filmed. >> No, he's definitely being filmed. My doesn't wear bib overalls. My dad doesn't live on the farm anymore. We live in a city. But yeah, everything was, I did two separate parts of it. One is just talking with him in these locations, and asking him to tell me stories. The other part of it is, I just had visions of different locations where he grew up that I wanted him to do certain things. I didn't know exactly why, or exactly what they would look like, but after we shot it and after I had the stories, they just sort of went together really nicely. >> There's a scene in the film where he goes to the graves of other family members. >> Right. >> He's pouring water on them, and there's jars of pickles and stuff. Tell me, what was that all about? >> I don't really know. It was just sort of a vision that I just saw, that I wanted this to happen. In the jars, are pickles that my aunt had made. There was different pieces of, like there's wheat and barley and flax, from the farmland that we farmed there. So, those are the things that are in the jars. I just sort of, it's sort of meditational. It's taking care of the people who have gone before us. >> That's nice. I was looking at it going, that's not Craft Services for an independent film, jars of pickles. >> No, no, my aunt made those. >> It was very interesting. What about the burning farm house? You open on that. It's just kind of interesting. >> Yeah, it's the farm house that my grandfather grew up in. My dad then bought the farm and the land after his dad had passed. It just became to a point where it was in disarray, and it becomes a hazard at that point. You can't leave it standing. So after we had shot the film, my dad said, oh, yeah, we're going to burn down the house. >> He was calling the shots. >> Yeah, we have to shoot that. So he and my cousin burn the house down, for safety purposes. >> Does working for a film festival, you work for the Milwaukee Film Festival, does that help you as a filmmaker? You must get to see tons of films. Is that beneficial? >> I don't do programming for the festival. I used to be a volunteer on the programming committee, so I got to see a ton of films. That's really helpful. I went to school at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, through their Grad Film Department there, and that was really helpful. The biggest helpful part is I understand how film festivals work, so I understand how to navigate that system, which is very helpful. >> That's great. Thanks for being here. >> Thank you so much. >> I hope your screenings go well. Next, we'll be joined by filmmaker Marc Kornblatt. Here's a clip from the powerful documentary, "Street Pulse." I have no way of knowing What this world Is coming to As I walk down the road... >> If I didn't know who they were at all, and you came up to me, and you said, well, we've got a man, we think he's in his 50s, and he's got a girl in her early 20s, and they both have a bit of a sketchy background, and they're going to get married. I don't think I would have that kind of a reaction to it. But that wasn't the first thing that I heard about them. >> The first time I saw her, was down in the basement, of the capitol down there. >> He looked depressed, so I thought I'd talk to him. >> The city of Madison has never had a homeless issue, or a homeless problem. According to Madison. You know, I mean, people aren't aware that there's such a large population of homeless. >> I know what it takes to quit. But I haven't really put my finger on quitting. >> The slavery of addiction is a very cruel mistress, and doesn't let go with any ease. Well, I know That things ain't easy They never really are Keep on struggling Against the grain Never getting very far... >> There's a lot of times I'm still thinking of going back to prison. I wasn't planning on somebody like this stepping into my life. >> Every day, every week, there are members of our community who die without a home. And too often, they're passing goes unnoticed. It's a lonely road... >> That was a clip from "Street Pulse," and we have director Marc Kornblatt here with us. Marc, how are ya? >> Good. >> Thanks for being here. >> Thank you. >> You're welcome. So, tell me, does Madison have a homeless problem? >> As the film will point out, it does. There are two types. There's the obvious one on the street, which is really a fraction. Then there are people who are in homes and, you know, they're kicked out for some reason or another, and they live in their cars, they're on couches, whatever, different people. So the count that I got could be anywhere from 1,000 to 8,000, depending upon who you're talking to. >> Wow, in a city this size, that's pretty significant. I'm just guessing, this is the only film about a romance between homeless people in this year's festival. It was kind of a sweet thing. But I guess that's probably not uncommon. I mean, they're all, you know, you date people you're around. >> For me, I thought it was going to just be a ten-minute film, because I had read this newspaper called Street Pulse, which is where the title comes from, about this couple, a man in his 50s, a girl in her 20s. It was fascinating. I went to an organizational meeting for the homeless community that works with the Street Pulse volunteers, many of them at the University of Wisconsin, and I met this couple. They were fascinating, and they took me to that shot that we see at the end and at the beginning of the film, is where they were living at the time. >> Oh, my gosh. >> As I got to know them and the community, I do about a month's work of pre-production field producing. I just got pulled into the community. You find, you know, there are all kinds of connections that these people make, because they are subset of society that a lot of people know very little about. >> This has to be the kind of movie that just stays with you. I mean, you've gotten immersed in that culture. I would imagine, do you keep in touch with these people? >> Yeah, actually thanks to this festival, it prompted me. We started filming in the summer. I was waiting to go back to school. I'm a teacher. We spent two weeks in the field, and then I follow this people, not just this couple, a number of different people, through the winter, and actually had to wait, because it wasn't snowy last year. Then after a year, it's coming out. So if you think about it, what happens in that year, at the end of the film, we show them, what each of the main players is doing. But I actually got in touch with people, because I'm going to actually let them sell the DVD on the street, just like the way they sell the newspaper. I think a number of them are going to show up and let the audience find out what they're doing. But you know, between us, one of my favorites, I can't get to right now, because of the nature of their life. >> Oh, boy. >> And I'm really sorry, because this is a special person to me, from the film. >> I mean, you probably are worried about that with a lot of these people. You just don't know, right? >> Actually, I can share this. One of the people I was really concerned about, and in the film it comes out that his friend let him sleep on his couch, and his life has turned around since the film. >> Oh, that's great. >> I think he's going to show up, and if there's time, and Jim Healy allows me, I'll invite him up and let him say what's happening. I mean, their lives are so tenuous, you don't know whether they're going to fall off the edge or not. And as I said, one of the people involved in the film, I can't get to. You can read into that as you will. >> What's the message you want people to walk away with after seeing your film? >> With my crew, I told them at the beginning, I'm going to be working in a world where people are really struggling, and people who serve them are really concerned and there are activists around. I said, we are not working as activists. >> Right. >> We are artists who activists will care about. So for me, I did get pulled in, but again, I'm not a spokesman for the homeless community. I thought it was a fabulous story. I think it's an important story. I think people, hopefully it will come out that we didn't romanticize and we didn't glorify the world. We told it honestly. And to be honest, again, one of the places we wanted to get into wouldn't let us. So, as filmmakers in the studio will know, we had to try something else to get into that place, and you'll see what we did to solve that problem. >> It looks really interesting. I wish you luck. Thanks for being here. >> Thank you. >> We'll talk with more Wisconsin filmmakers in just a moment, but first, here are clips from other films at the 2013 Wisconsin Film Festival. >> So, what brought you here? >> Would you believe my daughter signed me up? >> Mine, too! >> Oh, really? >> Yeah. How old is yours? >> Twenty-eight. >> Mine's 17, so only one more year before I'm free. >> Oh, you know, enjoy 'em as long as you can, because you're going to miss 'em. She signed me up about three weeks ago, and she only told me this week. >> Oh, my god! That's funny. >> Yeah. >> Good for you for coming out. >> Oh, dear. You've done this before? >> No. Well, dating, yes, but this speed thing, no. >> You seem like a pro. >> Thank you. I guess. I mean, that is a compliment, right? >> Oh, yeah. Yeah. >> So, um, tell me something unique about you, Martin. >> Um, I don't know. >> Come on. >> Well, I sang in a rock band in the '60s. >> Get out! >> What were you called? >> Kopyright, with a K. >> Oh, that is really unique. >> Yeah? >> Yeah. >> What about you? >> I was gonna say I can juggle. >> Really? Knives? >> No, little balls. >> The Wisconsin Film Festival takes place in Madison from April 11-18. There's over 150 films to choose from. It is a movie heaven. The festival attracts more than 30,000 movie goers that watch films on different screens across Madison. Go to 2013.wifilmfest.org and start picking your movies right now. Or, after the show! Speaking of our show, we've got more directors and more movies coming your way. Here's a clip from the short film, "Siszilla", from veteran filmmaker and festival winner, Eric Nelson. >> Please play quietly, so you don't wake your sister, or she will be a monster. >> Okay, mom, I'll just use my imagination. >> That's great. That was a clip from "Siszilla." We're joined by the film's director, Eric Nelson. Thanks for being here, Eric. >> Thanks for having me. >> Am I saying that right, "Siszilla"? >> Yeah. >> Believe it or not, this is something I identified with a lot. I've got a 12-year-old boy and a 7-year-old girl. We used to attempt to make these kinds of movies, and we did a horrible job. But this was really something else. It's a very tedious process. Is it stop motion? >> Yes, absolutely. There was a lot of invested man hours in it. I enlisted my whole family. I took over the whole living room, the garage, our basement, wherever you can squeeze anything in. >> How tough was it, not only, I mean, it's a very tedious process for stop action, but working with your own kids as actors, is that just? >> Well, they are my own kids, so I can actually either coerce them or bribe them. So I have a little bit of pull over them. You know, I don't have to get all Herzog on them, or anything like that. >> But, you want the Goldfish crackers...? >> Right, yeah. If you actually want to eat, you're going to finish this whole scene, because nothing can move. You can't touch it. We have to do it now. >> That's great. Now, what do you think? A lot of my friends who are comedians or come from a comedy background think there's a bias in film festivals toward comedies. Do you find that with this type of film? >> I think they're the easier crowd pleasers, and I think that shorts have that advantage also, because they're easier to digest. But they're also, you have to really cut it down for people. I honestly didn't think this would have any appeal, other than it's kind of a little cute. >> It's a great anecdote. You go see the downer film, and then you go see a pick me up. >> I'm surprised by it, but you know, I'm very, very flattered. I don't why, but I'm happy that everybody's enjoying it. >> That's great, yeah. >> I'll make that assumption. >> A lot of people look at this and go, well, you know, it's just a few minutes long, it can't be that tough. But this is, in a lot of ways, harder than making an hour-long documentary, wouldn't you say? The shot list, I can't even imagine. >> Yeah, probably there's like roughly two minutes worth of animation in there. At 24 frames a second, it's just under 4,000 frames. >> Wow. >> Yeah, you have to be rather focused for it. It was a lot of really late nights and early mornings, whenever I could actually get away. >> How long does it take to make a short film like this? >> Just to make all the Legos, it actually took me Memorial Day weekend of last year. >> Is that a union gig, a Lego builder? >> No, no, that was off the cards. So just the actual building was a whole weekend. Then evenings and early mornings for weeks after that. Then I had to cut it all together, write the music, etc. >> You did the music, too? And I'm assuming that wasn't real fire coming out of your daughter's mouth. >> No, that's animated also. >> That's your background, animation? >> Well, I actually do more live action. I work as a DP and as a gaffer, so I do a lot of shooting and lighting. I don't really do a lot of the post end of things. >> You're a festival veteran. How does the Wisconsin Film Festival rank? You've been to your share of them. >> Yeah, but I don't really go out of state, because there's not really much of a market for a lot of shorts. I haven't really made my own feature, so I don't really want to put a lot of investment into a lot of traveling out of state, because then I can't support my film then. So, I've got a family, too, so it's kind of hard to get away for those extras. >> It's great that you had your family involved in your profession, that must have been a lot of fun. >> It was, absolutely. >> Thanks a lot for being here. >> Thanks, I appreciate it. >> Next, we'll sit down with Jim Carrier. Here's a clip from his documentary "The Librarian and the Banjo." >> My master often received letters, sometimes from a distance of ten miles, requesting him to send me to play at a ball or festival of lights. Solomon Northup, 12 years a slave, 1853. >> The instrument proper to them is the banjo, which they brought hither from Africa. Thomas Jefferson, 1781. >> These are the locations. This is what you had to do, go to the National Union catalog and find places that held it. Then try to find it. >> There was no limit to what might possibly be a source. >> The place that you could find the books, she was looking at. Under various headings......funerals. >> I would go to the library or I would work at home. The library in Linden was not a good place to work, because I wanted to read microfilm, and I would set up, and they would say, we have overdue notices to look at, will you please take your film off the machine. So, my husband found, in a pawn shop, a reading machine that I could use at home. I would project the film onto the walls of the house.

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That's how I did research. >> "Negro Sambo played fine banjo, makes his fingers go like handsaw." The Reverend Jonathan Boucher, 1832. >> "They play on these instruments, tunes composed of three or four notes, which they repeat endlessly, sentimental and melancholy music, which we call the music of savages." Richard de Tussac, 1810. >> That was a scene from the documentary, "The Librarian and the Banjo," and joining us now is the film's director and Director's Cut alum, Jim Carrier. Hey, Jim. >> Hi. >> Great to have ya. >> Thanks for having me. >> You're welcome. Tell us more about this remarkable story and some of the obstacles that Dena had in proving this. >> Well, I think I'll begin by saying that when I started playing the banjo, it was because of "Dueling Banjos" back in the '70s. I think generally, people thought that the banjo then was a hillbilly instrument, came out of Appalachia. That very same year that that movie came out, Dena published or wrote an article that she'd been working on then for 20 years, in her home, part-time, going to the library nights and weekends, looking at the history of slave music, which at that time, people thought did not exist, or was not worth studying. She began slowly accumulating this, one reference at a time, going through 10,000 books and manuscripts, and spending, ultimately, 25 years. And along the way, discovered that the banjo was an instrument that they brought with them from Africa. >> That is something else. That's great. You look like a banjo player. You've got the beard going, and the hair. I can easily see that. >> Well, for 25 years, I thought it was an American, white, southern instrument. It was discovering a painting called "The Banjo Lesson," of an old black gentleman teaching the banjo to a child. I've got a clip of it in the film, which opened my eyes, and I said, what is this. Anybody who begins looking at the history of the banjo, ultimately finds Dena Epstein. >> Did you find, after you learned this, did that help your banjo playing? Did you feel more in touch with the banjo? >> What I found was a whole community of people who were interested in this. There's a growing crowd of young, black musicians. You know, many blacks gave up the banjo for a variety of reasons, including the fact that it was kind of a minstrel stereotype, and a reminder of sort of the old south. So now, the Carolina Chocolate Drops have won a Grammy. >> They're great. >> They're in the film. There's a whole, kind of rediscovery of this history, that only recently has come into our consciousness. >> Has Black string band music made a comeback, in large part because of this? >> I wouldn't say in large part. But I think the Chocolate Drops are a good example, and there are increasing numbers of young black players who are taking it up. >> That's great. You've traveled the world. You've made films. You were a Rocky Mountain Ranger. I'm not even sure I know what that is exactly and I'm scared to ask. And you also started the Wisconsin Film School. What makes you undertake something like that? It's got to be almost more frustrating than making movies. Is that a huge headache? >> Well, I guess when I come to a community, which I did in Madison six years ago, I look for places that I can contribute. When I came to Madison, I really wanted to create a community of filmmakers, or find a community of filmmakers. It was hard to find them, so I said, well, let's just create one by creating a non-profit school. We've made a couple of movies. I've met a lot of filmmakers. We now work with each other. A lot of the students have gone on to make films of their own. And you know, they've had films in the Film Festival. >> Well, the film looks great. I'm really glad to have met you, and to have had you on the show. >> Thanks very much. >> Good luck. Next up is a clip from the film "Long Distance." >> Come on, come on... >> Hi, sorry my Internet went out. >> We can't break up. >> We're too far apart, and I can't quit my job. There's just, there's something missing. I mean, I need someone there next to me. Maybe that guy is somewhere in this town and not you. I don't know. >> What do you miss? Just having some guy there holding onto you? Is that it? >> Yeah, I miss the physical part. >> Well, I miss those things, too. Okay, what if... >> What? >> What if we're allowed to see other people? >> See other people? >> Yeah. You could see somebody there. I could see somebody here. >> Wait, what would we...? >> Like an open relationship. >> An open relationship? How would that even work, and not...? Like, we'd be so jealous of each other. We'd just fight all the time. >> Well, I mean, what if we set up rules so we can't. The number one rule is you can't get jealous. That's the number two rule. The number one rule, condoms. Always condoms. >> The number one rule is condoms? Okay, all right, and no one's allowed to do butt stuff. >> No butt stuff. >> Okay. >> And no getting jealous. >> No piercings. >> No piercings. >> No watching The Notebook. Just me. >> I'm not going to watch that movie with anyone. >> You're not allowed to take her out for coffee. That's our thing. >> Okay. That's kind of an everybody thing. >> No, it's our thing. >> All right. Anything else? >> Don't let her see my pictures. That'd be weird. >> It would be weird. >> You can let him see my pictures. I want it to be kind of weird for him. >> Like, I don't, I can't believe we're going to do this. Do you think it'll actually work? >> Yeah. >> Good night. >> 'Night.

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>> That was a clip from "Long Distance." Joining us now are the film's lead actors, Stacey Kulow and Bryan Morris. Hello, thespians. >> Hi. >> Hello. >> How are ya? >> Good. >> Thanks for being here. The film looks great. This has got to be exciting. You guys are in a film about, you know, long distance dating. You're the two leads. You're from Madison. It's premiering here. That's got to be really exciting. >> Yeah, it's really exciting that we made it into the festival. >> Are you going to attend the festival and meet everybody? >> Hopefully. We're comedians. We might actually have a date that day to do something else. But we'd love to be able to make it. >> So, you're going to go work a comedy club instead of be at the premiere of your own movie.

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>> Maybe. >> That's my background, too, stand-up comedy. >> Really? >> I have to say, I think I would go for the movie, but that's just me. I can't tell you what to do. Is this your acting debut, for both of you? >> Yeah, in film, at least. >> In film, okay, what other kinds of things have you done? >> I did plays in high school, and whatnot. >> What about you, Bryan? >> I was in a garage commercial when I was like five. >> When you were five? >> Yeah. >> Then you walked away and never looked back? >> The lifestyle was too much for me. >> Right. Tell us about the film. It's obviously about a long distance relationship, but great scenes, too. It looks like a lot of fun. >> Yeah, I mean, it's about us. We're a real couple. >> Oh, really? >> Yeah, and in the movie, we are too. We're in a long distance relationship. We moved away from each other to work different jobs, across the country. But it's not working out very well, so we decided to try dating other people. >> How'd that work out? >> It doesn't work out very well in the film. But it works out very well for comedy. A lot of funny things happen because of it. We get into some funny situations. But yeah, it was a super fun film to do. It's got a lot of funny scenes in it. The writers and directors of the movie were great. They made stuff work on a shoestring budget. So, it was pretty fun. >> What was it shot on? Was it video or film? >> Must've been film? >> Yeah, film. >> You guys don't care, you were just the actors! >> It was digital. >> Just tell us when to say our lines, right? So, any other movies coming up for you guys? Is this something that you think you want to do more of? Or will you only work together as a couple? >> No, it was a lot of fun. I'd do it again if the opportunity came up. The directors are both in New York now. We talked about moving out there to make more movies with them. >> Yeah, do some shorts with them. >> That's fun. This is probably your first film festival, so I don't know if I can ask, but is there-- Do you think there's a bias toward comedy when you make movies? Or even when you do stand up comedy, people are like, oh, you're a comedian. It's like, you know, is there a bias towards comedy just in art in general, do you think? >> Against comedy? >> Yeah, I mean, not that people don't like it. They do. Obviously, everybody likes to laugh. But in terms of, you know, you can see-- >> We're not winning any Oscars, or anything. >> It never wins Oscars, and I think it should. I think, you know, there's Woody Allen movies that are great, Albert Brooks. What do you think? >> "Long Distance." >> It's a great movie. >> It seems that way. I don't know why. I don't know, it's just not taken as seriously, or if it's not as hard of an art form to do. I don't know. >> What's harder, being funny on film or doing stand-up comedy? >> Man, I don't know if I'm funny on film until I watch it later, so I guess. >> You just saw a clip, what did you think? >> That was great. That was amazing. >> To juggle comedy and acting the way you guys have done. >> It was fun, because a lot of our dialogue was sort of improvised. The writers had a script, but it was sort of like, just say this, then say this. Make sure you hit these points. So, we just had a lot of opportunity to kind of improvise the lines. >> There was a lot of breathing room to try to explore what we thought might be funny, to work with the script. >> Did a lot of it make the cut? >> Oh, yeah. All of that entire conversation. >> They didn't cut anything we did. >> Well, it's great. It looks outstanding. I guess it's sold out from what I understand, so we're just teasing people here, and then they can't see it. Anyway, that's a lot of fun. All right, thanks for being here, guys. >> Thank you. >> All right, thanks to all the filmmakers who joined us for this preview. We'll take a look at some other films at this year's festival and get some final words from Jim Healy. >> The idea of looking at a bunch of people over time, and how they evolve, that was a really nifty idea. >> I didn't want to do it when I was 14. And I vowed I'd never do it now, but here I am. Hopefully, I'll reach my half-century next year, and I shall bow out. I suppose I have this ridiculous sense of loyalty to it, even though I hate it. That's just such a contradiction, isn't it? >> I don't want to answer those kind of questions. >> Those years have gone extremely quickly. We've just grown together. >> I don't think you really notice it. I mean, you still think you're the same. It's maybe when you pull a muscle, that just reminds you that you're getting older. I always liked older people as I was growing up, funny enough. >> My ambition as a scientist is to be more famous for doing science than for being in this film. But unfortunately, Michael, it's not going to happen. >> Michael, up there is my old flat. It's where I used to live. I lived up there for 28 years. The memories I've got in here, is unbelievable. >> Um... >> It's how a person, any person, how they change. It's not an absolute accurate picture of me. But it's a picture of somebody. >> Wow, what an outstanding lineup this year. You've got to be really excited. >> I'm really happy. We always go for the best, you know, you want to get the best, and that's newly available, and the best in film history to play off of it. So there's a line of dialogue between what's contemporary and what's historical. But we're always happy with our lineup, but this year is particularly good. >> I don't even know where to start, because it looks outstanding. I'll be there kind of sifting through and trying to find something. Jim, thank you so much, and best of luck this year. It's, as always, a great festival, and I look forward to it. >> Thanks. >> Thanks so much for being here today. Thanks to all the filmmakers that joined me. Thank you for watching Director's Cut. For more information on the Wisconsin Film Festival, go to wpt.org and click on Director's Cut. Also, don't forget that the new season of Director's Cut, our sixth, premieres Friday, April 19 at 10pm. We hope to see you then. I'm Pete Schwaba, and that's a wrap.