TIFF is very committed to emerging filmmakers and personally, it's where my heart lies: encouraging and nurturing fresh voices in order that they might be supported as far as their creativity and ambition can take them. I am very proud to present this year some of the most compelling and fascinating new voices of independent film, so in order to enhance the viewer's understanding and enjoyment of these films, we'll be posting interviews with the directorsof these films over the course of the festival. Today's interview is with Alan Jacobs, the director of the much-buzzed about US indie DOWN FOR LIFE.
Q. There’s and interesting back story to the genesis of DOWN FOR LIFE. Can you explain?
A. I read and article in the New York Times about a 15-year-old girl in South Central who was running a Latina girl gang. My oldests son was the same age at the time, going to school only about 15 miles away – but it seemed like two different countries. I bought the rights to the girl’s story and the New York Times article and found a Latina writer to work with me on the story, because it was immediately clear this girl wasn’t going to tell me anything (though today we talk all the time!).
Q. How did you assemble your cast? What were you looking for? I’m thinking more of your supporting cast –
A. Trina Calderon (my co-writer) and I went to great lengths to tell the story authentically, not the Hollywood version. When it came time to direct the film, I continued that notion – we shot at the school and in the neighborhood where the story took place, and hired former gang members to consult. For about 60 seconds I considered casting trained young actors in the lead and supporting roles, but quickly came to my senses. Inspired by the Italian Neo-Realist cinema – especially “Bicycle Thief” and “Open City” – and more recently “City of God”, I realized that amateur actors can carry a film, if you cast well. So we set out casting at the toughest schools in Los Angeles. We publicized the casting calls with the help of the school but no one showed up. They must have though it was a scam. So instead, we stood out in the school yard with the school’s permission and grabbed kids at lunch time. We looked at a few thousand girls and put about 300 on tape, before settling on our final five. Actually there was a sixth girl who was supposed to be in the film, but one day she stopped coming to rehearsals. The school said she hadn’t been in school for a while and there was no sign of life at her house. A police officer friend of ours checked and found that her parents were discovered to be illegal aliens and deported. Though she was born here, they’re not allowed to separate kids so they put the entire family in a van and dumped them in Tijuana. One day she’s coming to rehearsals with a bigt smile, the next day she’s south of the border. The girl we cast in the lead, Jessica Romero, was standing on the lunch line at Manual Arts High School, waiting to buy a blue Gatorade. We yanked her out of line and put her on tape. There was never any doubt that this was the one. Its always that way for me with casting. You see a lot of people who you like and could be good and then one that gives you that “aha” moment. Jessica was that one. We showed up at her house the next day with a script and a blue Gatorade.
Q. How much time was there between the inception, I.ew., the ‘birth of the idea’ to your premiere here in Toronto?
A. We wrote the script four years ago, then I developed it a little more and sent it around town for financing. Almost every financier that ready it though this was a movie that someone should make, but just not them. After about a year of that, I made a Nyew Year’s resolution. That was New Year’s Eve, 206/2007. I decided that in 2007 I would get this film made. At that moment, before the clock struck midnights, I had just three things: the script, the director (me), and a glass of champagne. To make it even more challenging, I resolved not to work with anyone I’ve ever worked with before to insure that I made a film unlike anything I’ve ever done. When Locke High School opened a day later, I asked when was the soonest we could film there withough interrupting classes and they said June 15. So I said we’re going to start filming on just 15th. I put the word out and one thing led to another and before we knew it we had raised money and the production was coming together quickly. We pushed the start date a little later so we could have more time to prepare and got the script to Danny Glover. He said yes immediately but that he had only one week available and if he was going to do this film we would have to start filming with him on …June 15. So I did keep my New Year’s resolution, of getting into production by June 15th and not working with anyone I already knew. But As they say, be careful what you wish for. We had to shut down the production half way through filming when a big piece of our financing suddenly fell out. We spent the better part of two years scraping money together, filming guerilla-style on weekends whenever we could, about 7 weekends in all, and editing as we went.
Q. What is the primary/central theme the film addresses? What do you want the viewer to take away?
A. I don’t write with a theme or a message in mind. That would be the kiss of death. I was inspired by the notion that kids are actually living like this, not in Baghdad or Beirut, but in my school district. If the film is any good, it will open people’s eyes but everyone will take away a different lesson.
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