Inspirational new documentary Janey Makes A Play
will be released in Los Angeles June 17.
The movie follows 90-year old Janey as she writes
and directs her latest original, socially relevant community theatre production
for the small town in which she lives. Battling through the current recession,
the colorful troupe of faithful townspeople cope with their own struggles by
telling their story on stage.
We spoke to Janey’s grandson and the director of
the movie.
How did you get involved in the film,
sir?
I was home for Christmas
in 2011 and Janey, who is my grandmother, and I were sitting outside talking
before dinner. She was telling me all about the play they had just performed. I
asked, “Do you have any ideas for the next play?” Of course she did! Janey
rattled off all these pieces of an incredible idea explaining how hard the
recession had been on the farmers and folks from small towns. The villain was a
slick businessman from the big city. Instantly I knew we had to film that play,
because she was telling the story of her own small town on stage. I typed the
idea into my phone and walked into dinner. Some ideas fade away, but some get
louder and louder. Eight months later, I was in the building of their community
theatre filming auditions.
What was it that initially appealed
to you about it?
I’ve always loved underdog stories. I think for many
of us life is more difficult than we thought it would be. The people of Rio
Vista were hit by the recession pretty hard. There is something radically
transcendent in the human story of people coming together to fight for their
way of life. While filming, the way they chose to rally the town was through
telling their own story on stage. As a creative person myself, I can identify
with their passion and struggle to share important stories.
I’m
excited to tell stories that would otherwise not get told. The people in this
community have been putting on these no-budget plays for so long that they
couldn’t even see how amazing they are.
Making a movie about them, in essence, held up a mirror for them to see
themselves for how wonderful they are. It was a humbling moment to watch the
film with all of them for the first time. I cried pretty hard.
Was it filmed in your neck of the
woods or require you to relocate?
When
we filmed in the autumn of 2012 I was living in San Diego. Janey and her troupe
live in Rio Vista, a small town on the Sacramento River Delta an hour or so
east of San Francisco. My parents live
in Lodi, CA, which is about a 30-minute drive from Janey. Across four months of
filming we stayed in Lodi and Rio Vista off and on. That is some beautiful
hidden country in the middle of California between the big cities.
Can you tell us what it was like
working with your real-life grandmother?
Janey
is a peach. Filming a movie about my grandmother provided nothing but open
doors. It was our access to the community. We were not introduced as “a group
of filmmakers who want to film a movie about us,” but by Janey as, “this is my
grandson and his friends, and they want to tell our story!” We were welcomed
with open arms and hearts. I am glad this was the story of JMAP, but filming
about people in your own family could definitely have provided a ton of
challenges. For us, the goal wasn’t an expose-style of film, so we were helped
out by the way people respected our family in the small town. My aunts and
uncles all helped out in finding old photos and home videos for the film as
well. Just like Janey draws on so many people to help make her plays a reality,
this movie relied on the family and friends who believed in the story enough to
contribute their talents and efforts.
How hard was it to edit down all the
footage?
Our editor Brad Kester is a miracle
worker. Once the plot was solidified, we would go back and forth on scenes to
refine the way the feelings of the different characters were conveyed. It was a
complex edit because there are really three main characters: Janey, all the
members of the troupe, and the town. During editing, we played with different
versions, changing the order in which you meet different elements of the story.
It’s releasing in L.A first. Any
reason for that?
Los
Angeles and New York City are still major launching points for new voices and
young talent. The film is being released in Los
Angeles, then expanding to San Diego and Atlanta. I am a transplant to Atlanta
from Southern California, and have been chosen to be one of the Atlanta Film Society’s
Filmmakers in Residence. I’ll be attending the Los Angeles and Atlanta
Premieres and doing Q&A sessions. My favorite part of screening the film is
getting to interact with the audience afterwards. We are hoping for a strong
week in Los Angeles to help build positive word of mouth for the unrolling of
the film in select cities and online.