Night Catches Us was an official selection for the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. It is a film that touches upon a time in America just after the Black Panthers, and far different than today. It was written and directed by Tanya Hamilton - a first time director who obviously has made an impression in independent film.
"Marcus (Anthony Mackie, “The Hurt Locker,” “Brother to Brother”) returns to the Philadelphia neighborhood where he came of age during the Black Power movement, protecting a dangerous secret in a struggle against the revolution he once embraced and rediscovering a forbidden love (Kerry Washington, “Ray,” “Lift”)."
The film also impressed The Huffington Post, New York Magazine, Los Angeles Times, The Denver Post, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and many others.
Without futher ado, here is my interview with Ronald K Simons.
[Michael Vass] Mr. Simons, could you explain the process that to you and director Tanya Hamilton went through, from the initial thoughts about this film to having the film at the Sundance Film Festival?
[Ronald K. Simons] It began as what I think of as a bigger industry type interaction: I was introduced to the project by a schoolmate of mine. That lead to meeting producers then associated with the project and with Tanya. That initial deal fell through as backers ran into money troubles and the recession hit. Tanya then called me to meet one-on-one to discuss my coming on to produce the film in a greater leadership role.
I’d loved the project from the first read. Our vision of what we wanted to accomplish was in sync so we decided to work together to make the film happen. As we have worked to get the film ready for the festival, there hasn’t been a lot of time to ruminate on premiering at Sundance. When I first heard we got in I think I hollered outloud. The next instant my thought was, “We gotta finish this movie!”
[MV] How were you able to gain such a noted and talented cast without the normal studio budget and perks that seem to be the norm these days?
[Ronald K. Simons] I believe that, like me, all the incredible talent from the lead actors to the stellar crew, like our production designer and our cinematographer, looked at this as a passion project. It all began with a great script. Salaries were secondary to storytelling and creating art.
[MV] Considering the nature of the subject of the film, did you encounter any problems in crating the film? Was there any resistance?
[Ronald K. Simons] I would say that before I joined the team, yes, there was some resistance to tackling a project who’s subject matter even referenced the Black Panther movement. I mean, how many films have you seen that tell a story through that lens? After the project gelled and was becoming a reality, we encountered many of the same problems that face all indie films: scheduling, budgeting, etc.
[MV] What was it that motivated you to be involved with this film? What made you want to be in the film (as character Carey Ford)?
[Ronald K. Simons] The script and Tanya were the reasons I joined this project. I grew up in Detroit in the 1970’s and that period of our history is very near and dear to me. It represents my formative years in Detroit. I was also aware of the lingering misconceptions about the nature of the Black Power and Black Panther movements, and it was a breath of fresh air to see the people of that period represented. They were represented as real people and not the larger-than-life revolutionaries that may come to the mind of those less familiar with the movements.
As an actor, I was drawn to the character of Carey Ford because he represented in many ways some of the men I’d grown up with. Besides, what actor would turn down the opportunity to work with Kerry Washington!
[MV] How different was it to be a producer, and actor, for this film than some of the other projects you have been involved with?
[Ronald K. Simons] As a first time producer, each day has been a learning opportunity, so I can say that Night Catches Us has been unlike any other project with which I’ve been involved. I will say that producing did allow me to leverage some of my skills learned in corporate America: managing group dynamics, marketing, deciphering, organizing and utilizing mountains of data and stimuli.
One of the biggest challenges was to switch hats from producer to actor. While both serve the film in unique ways, they activate different parts of my brain.
[MV] Have you heard any comments about the film from former Black Panthers, or other organizations?
[Ronald K. Simons] We are just now getting the word out to former Panthers, so talk to me in a few months.
[MV] Can you share with us anything that might clue us in on what it is like to work with Tanya Hamilton, Anthony Mackie, Kerry Washington, and the rest of the cast? Any funny or insightful stories?
[Ronald K. Simons] There was a real team spirit that was fostered on the set. We were very, very lucky to have the people who we had work on this project. There were no divas.
Anthony would lunch with whomever was in the lunch room and joked and chatted with cast and crew regardless of their role in the film. It was hot in Philly that summer and Kerry hired an ice cream truck to come and treated the cast and crew to ice cream. That’s the kind of being there that makes a project more a labor of love.
[MV] Over the years the Sundance Film Festival has become the venue for independent films. How does it feel to be able to present this film at the festival?
[Ronald K. Simons] I feel proud. I am proud of the people who made this film come together. To be in Sundance is a testament to all the hard work and commitment of every crew and cast member who made this project come to be. I’m thrilled to be in the company of the other outstanding talent that will premier at Sundance 2010!
[MV] Some readers might find this film, due to subject and cast, to be ONLY a Black film for Black audiences. I disagree with such a thought. But what might you say to those readers?
[Ronald K. Simons] I completely agree with you. To say that this film is only for black audiences only is like saying that Lars and the Real Girl is only for audiences who fancy blow up dolls!
Like any good film, I know that Night Catches Us explores universal themes; themes of redemption, coming of age and identity of family make this film identifiable to a wide range of movie audiences.
[MV] This is a topic that the majority of people in America, born in the 70's or after, likely have heard little about. Why did you feel this was important to portray in film?
[Ronald K. Simons] This film is important for that very reason: we still suffer from misrepresentations of American History. This film is told with America 1976 as the back drop and so, indirectly, gives us an idea into what was going on inside and outside of the movement for equality in the 1970’s. We do it through eavesdropping on the microcosm of lives of the lead characters in the film.
[MV] Is there any one scene or moment in the movie that you feel is the best, the most dramatic or funny, the most evocative, that you could give my readers a hint of?
[Ronald K. Simons] There are a few, but I’m going to let the readers experience them for themselves.
[MV] Often we hear about how difficult it still is for Black actors and directors to break into the film industry, even after the enormous successes of Halle Berry, Denzel Washington, Will Smith, Samuel Jackson, Spike Lee, and so many others. What might you say for those that are looking to enter the industry? Any tips or recommendations?
[Ronald K. Simons] Make sure that your script is the best it can be. After you write and rewrite it, get input from those established in the industry. Get coverage for the script from a reputable source and listen to the feedback. Build a film’s pedigree. Submit your script to competitions, labs such as Sundance and others. Finally I’d say persevere. It may take longer than you hope or expect that it should but believe in your work and get others on-board who believe in it too.
[MV] What other projects are you looking to in the future with your company SimonSays Entertainment?
[Ronald K. Simons] There are three projects that I’m very excited about. One is entitled Gun Hill Road by the talented Rashaad Ernesto Green (writer/director of Premature). It’s a father and son tale about an ex-con who arrives home from prison to a changed Bronx neighborhood. He tries to reestablish his role as father and husband only to realize that his 16 year-old son, Michael, who has been wrestling with his transgender sexual identity.
The second is Highway to Nowhere by writer/director Lanre Olabisi (writer/director of August the First). It’s the story of a border patrol officer on the U.S./Mexico border, himself was an illegal immigrant from Mexico, who is torn between his adopted country and the Mexican nationals he is hunting.
Then there is The Disappearing, a screenplay by Keith Josef Adkins. It’s a story of a young school teacher who returns to his Midwestern hometown to investigate the mysterious disappearance of his father only to confront his own dark past putting on the road to either his destruction or his redemption.
[MV] Lastly, your journey to Software Engineer and then on to actor and producer is a story of success. It's something that far too many fail to hear about. What is it that has made you avoid the pitfalls that the major media often likes to promote about people of color? What is it that drives you now?
[Ronald K. Simons] I’ve been accused of being an over-achiever. While I accept it, the term has always confused me. What does it mean to “over achieve?”
My friend Tom and I were working at HP many years ago and we were both ready for a change. His challenge was that he had no idea what he wanted to do. My challenge was I had SO MANY things I wanted to do that I didn’t know which I should do!
Since high school, I’ve had a love of drama. I carried that with me through my corporate career, into acting and now producing. Along the way I was educated to the many ways that the world is jacked up. My social consciousness was raised through civic work about the environment, women’s rights, human rights, immigration, racial inequalities to name a few. Filmmaking allows me the opportunity to marry my desire to change the world with the love of drama and storytelling.
I’m where I’m supposed to be, doing what I’m supposed to be doing, right now.
I thank Mr. Simons for the interview and a peek at what it is like to be involved with an independent film, and to have that film at the Sundance Festival. I look forward to hearing about his future films, and their success, as well that of Tanya Hamilton and the entire cast of Night Catches Us.
I recommend Night Catches Us to all my readers. It is an opportunity to glimpse an aspect of America that has passed, but yet still is with us today. It is a film that will entertain. I can think of no compliments greater than that for a film.
No comments:
Post a Comment