A Sundance Interrogation: We provide the talent–you serve-up the questions! He’s independently yours…
Hot filmmaker Ira Sachs, director and co-writer of this year’s Sundance Grand Jury Prize Winner, Forty Shades of Blue, gives us the behind-the-scenes scoop on independent filmmaking: Confessions. Struggles. Advice.
Memphis native Sachs, an established and provocative indie filmmaker, whose training began in theater, shares his rich experiences that helped paved his path along the road to Sundance 2005. In an exclusive interview with Hollywood.com, the filmmaker, who’s now on everyone’s top list, charts his long-term affair with directing and his logical progression into moviemaking.
Click here to watch our exclusive interview with Forty Shades of Blue director Ira Sachs!
Forty Shades of Blue stars the acclaimed actors’ actor Rip Torn, Russian Academy trained-actress–and newcomer to American Cinema–Dina Korzun, and seasoned player Darren Burrows. Having seen the film, we can attest the smoldering cast breathes incredible life into Sachs‘ complicated, poetic, taut love-story which is clearly infused by the spirit and sensibilities of one of our American iconoclasts, John Cassavetes.
Having workshopped their script at the Sundance Writers Lab with his partner Michael Rohatyn, Ira has had the honor of participating in the festival prior to this year’s fest. His first feature, The Delta–also a complicated love story set in Memphis–screened at Sundance several years prior; on that project he also collaborated with one of his current producers, Margot Bridger and his editor, Affonso Goncalves, to name a few.
However, this music industry inspired love story tells the tale of Laura, a Russian woman living in Memphis with Alan, a legendary music producer twice her age. We watch their relationship disintegrate, while she finds new possibilities before her. Interviewed right before heading out to Sundance, Sachs ‘comes clean’ about the hardships and privileges in his niche indie industry, discusses his cast, inspirations, hippie businessmen and his anxieties on attending the Fest.
While we know the outcome and the honor bestowed upon him as this year’s top prize-winner, we get a chance to be with him in the moment of his countdown to Park City. Sachs also shares his thoughts on hustling and perseverance–among other things–before giving advice to all of you aspiring film hopefuls who think that Sundance may be part of your destiny!
