The three filmmakers who won Indy Arts Awards this year, Nic Beery, Ajit Anthony Prem and Todd Tinkham, made a strong showing, with five films between them. Particularly impressive was Prem’s HELLO, SORRY, WHATEVER, a Cliffs Notes romantic tragedy built around snatches of dialogue consisting almost exclusively of the words in the title. Amory Casto, an actress from Wilmington who’s since moved to Austin, gives a deeper performance than one can reasonably expect from a short in any festival. Coupled with an impressive turn by her co-lead, Dan Kelly, the film reveals Prem’s deft hand with creating dramatic situations, and with spotting and harnessing acting talent.

Wow! I love the Cliff Notes description of the film.

My Films:

• Hello Sorry Whatever is a short narrative about a love story said with three little words. It will play in the second block which starts at 2:45 and ends at about 4:15.
• A Walkthru with Kathleen Connally is a short documentary about a landscape photographer and her work. It will play in the first block with starts at 1:30 and ends at about 2:30.

The festival has received quite a lot of press:

• Herald Sun
• Daily Tarheel including quotes by yours truly.
• Indyweek
• Chapel Hill News
• Carrboro Commons

The Disappointed: We wanted the Scarlet that was initially promised. Stop making it so complicated.
The Apologists: They are trying it to do it right. Patience!
The Disappointed: We want them to do it right as well but we don’t all the bells and whistles.
The Apologists: Too bad! Suck it up.
The Disappointed: But we want to shoot now. We are ready to suck it up. We understand it might be difficult earlier on.
The Apologists: That’s what you are saying now. When you get a half finished camera, you will come here bitching and moaning.
The Disappointed: No I promise. I am just disappointed, it has been almost two years now.
The Apologists: You can’t be a truly Red fan if you sound disappointed. This is an independent company. Jim is so [great]!!!
The Disappointed: We agree. We saved all our pennies doing piddly things to buy this camera.
The Apologists: Well, you should have gotten a Red fool! Like I did! Haha!
The Disappointed: It is out of my price range. I just want a camera that has a good codec and an interchangeable lens setup.
The Apologists: You clearly must be an amateur. You need more than just that. You need 5k. You need a full frame sensor. You need [this] and [that].
The Disappointed: Not really. When I need something like that I’ll will rent.
The Apologists: In any case, you should appreciate the honesty of Red. They have been open with their development. No other company does that.
The Disappointed: You’re right. I’m being honest too.

They promptly moved it here. For a camera company that prides themselves on honesty, they seriously have a problem with honest feedback.

Al Boyle in his write up for The Examiner sheds some light on the origins of the film.

Prem is most interested in themes of romantic love and disappointment. His perceptive ear for truth in acting performances is matched by a meticulous eye for detail in editing, as evidenced by his remarkably assured recent short, Hello, Sorry, Whatever…

On our collaboration:

When we work on anything, I think what comes across when younger filmmakers watch us is a pure love for doing what we’re doing,” says Prem. “To some extent, we don’t have these gigantic egos. We tend to rely upon each other, and we have a lot of fun in the process. Me, Todd and Nic are extremely fun-loving people. Yes, we’re trying to do something great, and we’re ambitious with our goals, but I think we tend to really focus on having fun.

Link to article.

In his quietly aching study of bereavement, Ajit Anthony Prem reminds us that it’s the invisible world that is the real one. Not only that but he proves that cinema can portray this inner life as effectively as any novel. Just a few silent seconds spent in the company of a stranger on a subway train are enough for Rosie (Nikki Alikokos) to spiral out of control, losing herself in a deep, grief-stricken fantasy of a life she will never know. Dear Stranger has a voiceover but works perhaps even better as a silent film, illuminating the arbitrary, capricious nature of love, the emotional continents that separate us from our partners, and the virtual impossibility of living just one life. The effect is almost unbearably poignant.

So well expressed. All the ideas that excited me about this film can be found in this article.

Banana Bus will play on Friday, October 3rd at 5:30pm in beautiful Athens, GA. I won’t be there for the screening but hope to be there for the filmmakers meet up on Saturday.

Festival site – Schedule