ALISHER'S GIFT, 16min,. USA
Directed by J Matt Wallace
An Uzbek and Kyrgyz blended family learns there are more than ethnic issues behind their historic misfortune. The recent death of their uncle Alisher prompts the delivery of gifts to a nephew and niece who learn important truths about both their recent and ancient past.

https://jmattwallace.com/alishersgift/

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

Another person who lived under the USSR in Tashkent - a person with a deep, long, love of Central Asian history (especially ancient Christianity) - asked me to help him with a massive media project. Over the years, he couldn't make up his mind if we needed a series, a fictionalized narrative story movie, a documentary movie, or a web-based tool. After learning a bunch from him, I told him that I was going to use some of what I learned to construct a short story/film. In the meanwhile, he's still working on his project. Just helped him recently.

Plus... I've always wanted to go to Central Asia. This gave me a reason.

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

Idea came in 2018.... crowdfunded early 2019... into production March-April 2019.

I edited to 90% complete in spare time over the next year with intentions to finalize it and release mid-2020. When COVID hit and all of the festivals shut down, I held onto it. Attending festivals is great fun and I didn't want to miss that with this film. Life was weird.... things happened.... about the time when festivals started being a thing again, I was too busy trying to pay bills. It wasn't until summer 2024 that I did the last 10% of the post-production.

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

Difficult History

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

Everything related to producing something like this in other cultures/languages/countries. That magnified all of the typical & substantial challenges of film.

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

Very positive. It was gratifying to hear what they (total strangers) garnered from the film... where you could see them reading in their own experiences & priorities. It also felt like they picked up on the things I was most proud of.

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

Initially in the 1990s. However, I treated that as a silly trope... not wanting to think I would be a good director, since everyone thinks that about themselves. However, after doing video assist from 2012-2021, I saw up close and personal directors, DPs, producers, and everyone else around the video village. I worked on big projects, series, and TV commercials... and it became clear I would be a good director, and the evidence is (per recent crews and cast) that I wasn't wrong 30 years ago... but just maybe not ready yet.

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

Probably Monty Python & the Holy Grail. (maybe 50 to 75 times - especially in college)

Favorites: Aliens, Galaxy Quest, Patton, Blazing Saddles, Wedding Singer

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

Not sure. Be fair. Promote actual quality. Make sure you don't add to "award factory" elements of the entire festival space. The whole feedback thing is fantastic. If it were slightly less expensive OR had more people, I'd not hesitate doing this for every film.

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

Excellent. I've got multiple projects out through them.

10. What is your favorite meal?

Depends which country I'm in. But probably medium rare steak cooked properly.

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

Recently inspired to produce a theatrical short film version of an original song my wife and I wrote. We were at a festival where the music videos were not inspiring... except for maybe 2. This song has the potential to be festival & visually friendly.

Here's the draft. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Qi3ViVzennXHPFyrPWhszwQC7ueoSIip/view?usp=sharing We are friends with people who have one of the largest Don Quixote collections in the USA... and it's in a 4 story castle outside of Austin.... so we'll produce this video IF we're able to leverage those unique resources. THAT could be cool. The Spanish isn't quite right (Castilian) on this and we'd reproduce it with additional orchestration.

Also, I'm about 70% done on the first draft of a feature RomCom. And I'm still sitting on an original SciFi comedy screenplay I wrote, but may be converting it into a book series.

Plus, I forgot that we have a feature length music documentary "7lbs of Bacon" coming out within the year. Not my primary baby, but a key producer.