BAPTISM, 8min, USA
Directed by Alex Alexander
The relief, the rest that comes from truth.

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

The inspiration and the motivation were very separate things.

The desire to be seen and known is intrinsic to the human experience, to be held in your truest most authentic form and understood in that moment, and I too am human. This is a self exploration, aided by the love and attendance and patience of a partner. The patience and gentleness of my partner, the way they often bathed me, the way they support whoever I am and guided me without ever forcing.

This was my first attempt at making a film, I wanted to do something close to my heart that I understood innately to iliminate any complications with foreign subject matter. This is actually a nugget of an idea for a much more complicated story.

The actual motivation was that the locations and team were going to become unavailable at the end of summer and I knew it was time to start moving on this idea!

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?

From the very first whispers of ideation to final final final edit, maybe nine months, eight of those the idea sat in a notebook. I spoke with a dear friend of mine, SM Goldberger, a very talented director (their film 999K is currently doing the festival circuit as we speak!), and the producer of Baptism, about making something together, I floated a handful of ideas, Baptism among them. Eventually we realized the locations soon would become unavailable, so we said fuck it, it's now or never, let's do it, and the next month we were shooting.

3. How would you describe your film in two words!?

Seen. Accepted.

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?

Time and money, which isn't a very interesting answer, those are generally the two limiting factors and it was true for me too!

5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?

It was so exciting to hear so many different interpretations of the same 8 minutes! I heard some things I definitely hadn't thought of, which was very eye opening. I was thrilled to see how many people were curious for more information and to engage with the characters more, that they felt very intimate and close with the character. It was very interesting to hear what questions came up for people, that really highlighted some gaps in the narrative itself and the way it was communicated that I completely overlooked. I'm glad it wasn't completely immediately understood by every person, it was intentionally vague, I wanted every person to see what they needed to see in it.

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?

I've always enjoyed telling stories and communicating the unspeakable, I was a dancer before anything else and fell in love with performance and the stage. I discovered filmmaking as means of artistic expression relatively recently!

7. What film have you seen the most in your life?

The Sound of Music, Cleo from 5 to 7, Scott Pilgrim vs The World was actually one of three dvds I had in my first apartment so I've seen it countless times

8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career?

Feedback from individual viewers has been the most instructive tool I've interacted with. More festivals offering feedback would be a really wonderful addition. I think being connected to other creatives, as this festival facilites, is another truly invaluable element of festivals!

9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?

It was incredibly easy to navigate the site, it really facilitated the submission experience and made it possible for an absolute newbie to find their way around.

10. What is your favorite meal?

Linguine in white sauce with shrimp is the most special meal to me, but I can always always eat a big salad with kale and spinach and chickpeas and tomatoes.

11. What is next for you? A new film?

I'm working on a project about Appalachia and family that's...part documentary part apology part love letter, it's definitely an exploration, I have no idea how it will turn out! It's something that started by accident and I'm just letting the rabbit hole unfold before me. There's another short more like Baptism somewhere down the line that's waiting patiently for the right time to be made, but that requires a hell of a lot more funding!