GPS, 10min., USA, Comedy/Drama
Directed by Nell Dashiell
Kim and Jamie – an upscale, young urban couple – have just arrived home after an evening out with friends when Kim hears a noise. Fearing that a burglar may be prowling around downstairs, Kim dispatches Jamie to investigate. As it happens, Kim is on the right track: Rob, an amateur cat burglar, is hiding in a coat closet – and, as Kim gives Jamie instructions as to where she has carefully hidden their valuables, Rob is given just the detailed info he needs to accomplish his mission.

http://gpsshortmovie.com/
https://www.facebook.com/GPSshortmovie

Director Statement
When I first wrote GPS (at a little table at the Filmmaker’s Lodge at Sundance 2018), I was simply telling a joke with interesting characters – if I hadn’t been bent on making a film, I probably would have submitted it to SNL as a skit. However, as grotesquely hideous political, social and cultural unrest increasingly tortured our country – not to mention a pandemic that challenged everybody’s verities (and blew apart my carefully assembled first GPS crew) – I began to feel that while we were about to be (necessarily) bombarded with films addressing all aspects of these many serious issues, what audiences also needed was something lighter: an amuse-bouche for the screen, as it were. In this spirit, I offer GPS for your pleasure – and also have embarked on my first full-length film, a documentary exploring the question of why people continue to go to Graceland, and what that means.

Nell Dashiell August 2022

Get to know the filmmaker:

What motivated you to make this film?
• I had what I thought was a cute idea and I was dying to actually make a film.

From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
• The short answer is bound to be deceptive. Here’s the long answer: technically it took three years – but I had a slew of major interruptions including a day job, a family and a pandemic. If you subtract the interruptions, the actual script took about four hours over two separate days, and the actual filming took 48 hours. Editing took forever.

How would you describe your film in two words!?
• A confection.

What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
• The pandemic.

What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?
• I was absolutely overcome, and also very impressed with the perceptiveness and articulation and overall care of the comments.

When did you realize that you wanted to make films?
• When I was 14 years old – I just didn’t admit it and start to go for it seriously until my first trip to Sundance in 2007.

What film have you seen the most in your life?
• Vertigo

What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career?
• I’m just still awed by how many you are actually doing – thank you!
 
You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How have your experiences been working on the festival platform site?
• Better than I ever dared hope. FilmFreeway makes it so easy.

What is your favorite meal?
• The Thanksgiving traditional – followed closely by any delicious meal featuring crabs, lobster, shrimp and/or scallops.
What is next for you? A new film?
• Yes. I’m working on a documentary inquiring into what it is that keeps people going to Graceland.