Aspen Shortsfest directors talk film

Click to Enlarge Browse and Buy Post Independent Photos Rob Meyer’s “Aquarium” Courtesy still

By Stina Sieg
Post Independent Staff
April 4, 2008

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Shortsfest in Carbondale

WHAT: Aspen Shortsfest 2008, a short film festival now in its 17th year WHERE: The Crystal Theater in Carbondale WHEN: Program “A,” including “Chief” will be shown at 5:30 and 8 p.m. tonight. Program “B,” including “Return to Labradoria” will be 5:30 and 8 p.m. Saturday. Program “C,” with “Aquarium” will be 7 p.m. Sunday. MORE INFORMATION: www.aspenfilm.org TICKETS: $12, available at www.aspenshowtickets.com, Sounds Easy in Carbondale or at the door.

CARBONDALE, Colorado — Since Wednesday, short filmmakers from around the world have been showing off their stuff at Aspen Shortsfest. Starting tonight, movie lovers in our part of the valley will get their peek into the films as well. Through Sunday, Carbondale’s Crystal Theater will hold screenings for the public.
Below are three of the directors featured this weekend. Each has dreams of making feature length films. Each hopes directing will be his life. Each wants to be able to eat, too.

Rob Meyer Click to Enlarge Browse and Buy Post Independent Photos

Rob Meyer, director of “Aquarium” (15 min. 2007)
Age: 31

Lives in: New York City (originally from Newton, Mass.)

The former NOVA documentarian described the film, his thesis for New York University, as having “more of a feeling of adolescence than a message.” He called it a “melancholy comedy,” which follows David, a teenage member of the Boston Aquarium Society. The seemingly awkward kid has a secret buried deep inside him. Currently, Meyer is working on a feature-length piece, “Labrador Duck,” which he co-wrote with Luke Matheny.

What first brought you to film? “I had always been one of those kids who liked taking my dad’s camera and making movies in the backyard.”

He never thought movies were a viable way to make a living, however, until he was in Yale. There, he made a video for the Yale Symphony Orchestra, which was an Indiana Jones-themed spoof. It ended up being a huge event, and the process spoke to him.

“That experience, as silly as it seemed at the time, really opened up my eyes to collaboration with people in a bigger production.”

What do you want to say with your film? “That’s a good question. Not to sound cliché, but not to judge a book by its cover. I was sort of a misfit (as a teenager), interested in math class, aquarium fish and student council — the sort of activities that are often poked fun at.”

“This celebrates that world and the quirkiness that comes with it.”

What you do love about movies? On watching them: “For me, it’s about losing myself in movies and going through the ups and downs with the characters.”

On making them: “The most fun part of making movies — well it’s all fun to be honest.”

“You’re a painter, but instead of using paint, you’re using the extraordinary talent of other people.”

What’s the point of film? “I wanted to explore the experience of growing up in a world that doesn't like to talk about issues of mortality.”

Diego Ongaro Courtesy still Click to Enlarge Browse and Buy Post Independent Photos

Diego Ongaro, director of “Return to Labradoria” (24 min. 2007)
Age: 31

Lives in: Berkshires, Mass. (originally from Paris, France)

This film, his second, centers on a man, a little lonely and a little strange. He deeply misses his childhood dog. To escape his pain, the fellow travels to planet Labradoria, which is filled with canines, and he tries to entice his old friend back to earth. The surreal idea came from Ongaro’s writing partner, Thomas Pousson, who showed Ongaro a picture of a man in a space suit, surrounded by a planet of pooches. Part of the reason why he made the film, Ongaro explained, is that he wanted to see what that world would really look like.

What first brought you to film? “That spark when I was a kid, when I was a teenager. I was a film lover. I loved Westerns. Basically, that’s what I started to watch.”

“I always wanted to be a filmmaker as a kid.”

What do you want to say with your film? “There’s like, a few themes. There’s the grief. There’s this kind of perfect friendship, the man and dog, that the dog is never going to betray you.”

Diego Ongaro's "Return to Labradoria" Click to Enlarge Browse and Buy Post Independent Photos

“It’s about not wanting to grow up.”

What you do love about movies? “I love telling stories. I love starting from a point and telling a story. I don’t know where it’s going to end up. I don’t know where it’s going to go.”

“It’s like I’ve had these films stuck in my head since I was a kid. It’s the only way I can find to express what I want to say, what I want to tell.”

What’s the point of film? “What I expect from a movie is a dream but not in a cheesy way. Make me travel.”

“It’s almost like escaping — that’s what I meant — from whatever state of mind I’m in.”

Brett Wagner Click to Enlarge Browse and Buy Post Independent Photos

Brett Wagner, director of "Chief" (21 min. 2008)
Age: 36

Lives in: Honolulu, Hawaii (originally from Cleveland, Ohio)

A film graduate of NYU, Wagner moved to Hawaii several years ago to shoot commercials. He never left. His newest movie, which takes place in the capital, is about a Samoan chief, who starts a new life to forget a personal tragedy. Starring Sielu Avea, an actual chief, the piece includes rare footage of a Samoan tattoo ceremony. The movie was named by IndieWIRE one of the "10 Must See Shorts" at the Sundance Film Festival and received a British Academy of Film and Television Arts Certificate of Excellence as well.

What first brought you to film? "I'm one of those guys who was shooting super 8 movies as a little kid, and I just never stopped. I'm drawn to film because I like telling stories. But instead of just writing them, I also really enjoy getting out in the world and capturing a moment. I think film is a powerful form, because there aren't a lot of opportunities to really take control of your audience's senses for an extended period of time."

Brett Wagner's "Chief" Courtesy still Click to Enlarge Browse and Buy Post Independent Photos

What do you want to say with your film? "Chief is a story about second chances. It's about being a stranger in a strange place. I wanted to tell an emotional story, but I also wanted to introduce characters that audiences don't see very often. How many films about Samoan chiefs are there?"

What's the point of film? "I do believe that humans really, really need stories. Whether it's stories told around a campfire or stories in a book or stories in a movie. I think, in a way, narrative is the glue that binds us together. If I'm able to sit and watch and understand a movie about somebody in, say, Afghanistan, it makes it easier to believe there is a link between all of us."

Contact Stina Sieg: 384-9111
ssieg@postindependent.com