In my humble opinion, the art of storytelling is as diverse and fascinating as the human race itself. Each tale, like each individual, carries its unique flavor and essence, shaped by the lens through which it is perceived. As a curious observer, I find myself captivated by the stories that emerge from the intersection of personal experiences and universal truths.
Colman Domingo, an Academy Award nominee, emphasized to a gathering of Arkansas filmmakers and enthusiasts at the EbMaster’s Southern Storytellers panel during the Filmland festival and conference in Little Rock: “It is not for anyone to stop you from creating. You should always create.”
At the launch of the event, Jeff Nichols, who is one of Filmland’s co-founders and director of the 1960s motorcycle club story “The Bikeriders”, bestowed upon Domingo the first Southern Storytellers Award. Later, he along with Peter Debruge, the chief film critic for EbMaster, led an extensive discussion on the art of storytelling with Domingo and several other writers, directors, and producers.
In the TV drama “Sing Sing,” a production centered around rehabilitation through art in a prison setting, Domingo joined Clint Bentley and Monique Walton as producers during its screening day. Together, they discussed their beginnings in their respective careers, acknowledging that while storytelling may not be the most secure profession, they’ve all learned to persevere and make things work through hard work and determination.
Domingo expressed his dislike for the term ‘struggle’, as he was taken aback when someone referred to him as a struggling actor in the past. He clarified that he had never perceived himself in this light, explaining that the connotation of the word sounds arduous. Instead, he prefers to use the term ‘hustle’. He explained that while he has and still holds multiple jobs, he doesn’t feel like he’s grinding or struggling. Rather, he finds joy and excitement in his work, and the hustle continues to be a part of him.
As Domingo explained, what set things apart for him was his ability to detach himself from the end result. This step appears to have brought about an abundance of positive outcomes that have significantly refreshed and revitalized his career in a unique manner.
Regarding perseverance, Craig Brewer, the director of “Hustle & Flow”, shared his personal journey to launch his initial two films. Moving from his home city of Memphis, Tennessee, just a stone’s throw away from Little Rock, Brewer detailed how he and screenwriter Shaye Ogbonna came up with the central concept for their new miniseries, “Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist”. An early screening of the first episode took place at Filmland prior to its official premiere on Peacock, scheduled for September 5th.
For Brewer, the breakthrough happened when he and Ogbonna understood, “This narrative is about African American gangsters migrating from the North to the South, and this one Southern Black man asserting, ‘I can match up with all of them.'” In that instant, what was initially a straightforward crime tale transformed into a story with a deeper, more complex perspective.
Brewer expressed surprise, saying, “I hadn’t realized there was such a regional nuance to race.” As they worked on “Fight Night”, he found himself writing more and more, as he asked Ogbonna, “Could this movie be symbolizing the North and South in an abstract sense?… Is that what the character of Chicken Man [Kevin Hart’s character] is going through?”
Movie director Michael Schwartz, who jointly directed “Peanut Butter Falcon” with Tyler Nilson, showcased his newest production, titled “Los Frikis,” at Filmland. In this movie set in Cuba, struggling members of a local punk band resort to self-injecting HIV for the purpose of gaining admission into a state-run health facility. To make the film more authentic, Schwartz mastered Spanish and employed Cuban actors, as well as individuals with Cuban connections like “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” producer Phil Lord, to lend their expertise.
“There’s autobiography, there’s journalism, and there’s everything in between. Recently, there’s been a conversation of what filmmakers are allowed to tell what story, and journalists have come into the conversation and said some things that I found really interesting,” Schwartz explained. “Sometimes an outside perspective is important to sort of crack what a story is for the rest of the world and to be that translation. I think a journalistic approach to telling a story, when done with empathy and done consciously and in collaboration, is a really valid way to tell a story.”
Nickols, with aspirations of transforming “The Yankee Comandante,” a tale penned by David Grann, the writer behind “The Killers of the Flower Moon,” extended a personal invitation for the band “Los Frikis” to perform at the festival.
“Currently, Nichols finds himself engrossed in an adaptation of a Cormac McCarthy work that explores the themes of perception and reality. This topic has been on his mind quite a bit. He notes that reality can be deceptively complex, as it’s often shaped by our individual perspectives and starting points. However, he cautions that when we view reality through any lens, whether physical or metaphorical, it will inevitably distort or skew the truth, because everyone’s point of view is unique.”
Nichols’ advice to the room was, “Just be honest to the way you see a story.” In his view, it’s vital that storytellers have a point of view to begin with, but also that they try to recognize what that perspective is and how it impacts the material.
Christy Hall, director of “Daddio,” acknowledged that if her character creations were solely based on herself, she’d run out of unique stories to tell. In the movie, Sean Penn plays a gruff New York taxi driver, with Penn emphasizing during promotions that he didn’t improvise at all but followed the script precisely. Hall explained, “I pay attention to how people talk and I’m intrigued by the world, and moreover, there’s a rough-talking cabbie lurking within me.”
The idea for “Daddio” was inspired by something the Oklahoma-born writer experienced while living in New York City. She was falling in love with the city and wanted to write about the people she was meeting there. One night at a bar, she described on the panel, “I remember the guy sitting next to me was kind of flirting with me, and as a joke, he leaned in, he nodded at [a woman at the other end of the bar], he rolled his eyes and he said, ‘Daddy issues.’”
Hall expressed, “I felt an overwhelming sense of empathy for her, recognizing a piece of myself in her. On my way home, I found myself detached, pondering, ‘Could we share this tale, perhaps, by viewing it through the perspective of empathy?'”
A former soldier, Kyle Hausmann-Stokes, who won the audience prize at SXSW with his first movie “My Dead Friend Zoe,” found inspiration for the project in his military background and the tragic number of comrades he’s lost to suicide. When creating this film, his desire to challenge common misconceptions about veterans was a major motivation for him.
“Hausmann-Stokes stated, ‘I appreciate that no one wants sympathy, and we all feel the same way.’ However, tragically, 19 veterans lose their lives daily. ‘Just as individuals from specific communities dislike cliches or stereotypes,’ Hausmann-Stokes continued, ‘I personally find it frustrating when people think of veterans in a certain way – such as expressing gratitude for service and inquiring about PTSD. This isn’t the reality for everyone.'”
To the greatest extent feasible, Hausmann-Stokes selected actors with military backgrounds, such as Morgan Freeman. He intuitively understood that a film could stimulate an essential dialogue regarding PTSD. However, he also emphasized that the experience should be enjoyable. “It’s entertainment, it’s a ride,” he stated, elaborating on the M. Night Shyamalan-inspired twist in the movie, which was crucial for reinforcing the underlying message, particularly when discussing a potentially heavy or melodramatic topic.
Each film displayed at Filmland elicited unique emotional responses, demonstrating that each storytelling method had its merit. Schwartz cautioned against rigidly adhering to the notion that one type of narrative is superior; doing so risks discarding others. He reminded us that if we trace our history back to ancient Greek times and even earlier civilizations, stories have always played a vital role in shaping morality and self-understanding within societies.
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2024-08-23 00:47