Barry Jenkins shares his take on life after winning an Oscar and the Safdie Brothers explain why they still use film.
Every year, hundreds of aspiring filmmakers gather together to discuss film, learn more about the business, and share their experience in the industry. To kick off the festival, IFP had some alums, the Safdie Brothers and Barry Jenkins, talk about their lives in indie film and how their careers took off. The Safdie brothers, fresh off their latest project Good Time, spoke about the film and their experience shooting it. While discussing the many difficulties of making independent films, one point that was brought up was the difficulty of working with your own brother, to wish they replied with an interesting anecdote about how their father taught them at a young age that in their lifetimes, the only people they’d have is each other. They went on to discuss why they still love and choose to film using actual 35mm film rather than digital cameras. Ben, in particular, chronicled the many interesting encounters you’re bound to have filming on film in New York City, such as having retired cameramen and directors coming up to you and asking them why they would use film or if they’ve come to hate the sound of the camera rolling, which at first sounds like dropping a handful of quarters. They shed a lot of light on the technical side of the industry.
Right after that, fresh off of their first Oscar win, Barry Jenkins and Adele Romanski discussed their lives before and after Moonlight as well as how essential a good creative partnership is. They had met each other in college at from there, they had formed a great working relationship and friendship. After the success of his first film, Medicine for Melancholy, Barry spoke about his journey after that. “What happened was, my main plan was to use to momentum from Medicine to infiltrate Hollywood. My plan B was to do these commercials and short films and things to pay the bills. The plan B ultimately becomes the plan. Then I looked up and it was five years. I didn’t do anything well in that period to be honest. What I should’ve been doing was writing”. At that point, he hadn’t written Moonlight or Beale Street. He described the whole time as “Being really, really, not wise”. It wasn’t until Adele called him to check in on him that kicked him into gear, eventually got him on a tear to finish Moonlight and fulfill his dream. His story along with the Safdie brothers and other filmmakers and producers were incredible to hear and inspired an auditorium filled with aspiring filmmakers and film lovers alike.
