It’s time to tesser; tesser through movies, that is, thanks to special guests, director ADAM SOBEL, director DAVID PALAMARO, and producer CATHERINE HAND.
First up on this episode of BEHIND THE LENS is our pre-recorded exclusive interview with A WRINKLE IN TIME producer, CATHERINE HAND. Exciting for me was sitting down with Catherine to talk about AWIT as, like her, I have cherished the book for the past 52 years since first reading it in the elementary school library and long dreaming of the day of seeing it on the big screen. Filmmakers take heed (and comfort) in what Catherine has to say about her journey to get this film made. Loving the book since she first read it in 1963, you’ll be enthralled by her enthusiasm and passion as she talks about every step of her filmmaking journey since it began in 1979 and the joys and heartaches along the way, the pitfalls of adaptation, working with a screenwriter, having a dream become a reality when someone the caliber of Ava DuVernay comes on board as a director, and of course, how to tesser well through the journey of making a film. (A WRINKLE IN TIME is available now on digital and on Blu-ray/DVD on June 5.)
Then we welcome our first live guest of the show, director ADAM SOBEL. An accomplished television producer and journalist, Adam spent five years living in and covering stories in the Middle East. During that time he became extremely familiar with the way of life and socio-economic structuring of the various countries and societies, most notably in Qatar. Catching a glimpse of the preparations and construction happening in Qatar for the 2022 World Cup, Adam became privy to what is known as THE WORKERS CUP. With unprecedented and unfettered access, Adam goes inside Qatar’s labor camps, getting to know the migrant workers building the Khalifa International Stadium and surrounding buildings of wealth and hi-tech opulence, and competing in a football (soccer) tournament designed for maximum PR but proving a wealth of energy, exuberance and self-pride for the workers turned soccer players. (THE WORKERS CUP hits theatres June 8th and expands nationwide thereafter.)
Rounding out the show is director/co-editor DAVID PALAMARO talking about his new film, MURDER MADE EASY. His first feature narrative directorial, David goes in-depth about the learning curve of making a feature narrative, casting, the tone of music, cinematography, and the gift of talented collaborators. Inspired by Hitchcock’s “Rope”, Sidney Lumet’s “Deathtrap” and Joseph L. Mankiewicz’ “Sleuth”, listen as David talks about developing a story with murder as the main course, the theatricality of the film and the dialogue, the use of long takes and minimal editing, plus bringing some tongue-in-cheek humor into the mix. A film I can only describe as “Delicious, Devilishly Delectable, and Divine”, please sir, I want some more from David Palamaro. (MURDER MADE EASY makes its West Cost premiere at Dances With Films on June 14th.)
