What if your childhood fear brings a real monster to life? To explore that idea, I interviewed Bryan Fuller, writer and director of Dust Bunny film, which is now available on Video on Demand and Digital.

Note: I was invited as media for #DustBunny screening and interview. However any personal views expressed are always 100% my own.

After screening Dust Bunny, I loved the unexpected mix of humor, fighting action and trauma bonding, that feels weirdly right for the characters. Add in amazing background decor and a monster bunny, that still gives me chills about walking on my floor, and it's a film worthy of watching. More then once.

And the guy who thought it up? Ironically wanted to scare you yes, but also wants you to survive that fear. Read what Bryan Fuller had to share about what went into making the Dust Bunny film.

What in your imagination help shape Dust Bunny’s storyline

Bryan Fuller: Fairy tales and being attracted to the horror elements in the story. Because we had cable growing up in the 70s and 80s, I was exposed to a lot of movies, that I probably shouldn't have, because adult supervision was not a thing in that era.

So I was seeing Wizard of Oz, Sleeping Beauty and Snow White, right alongside movies like Black Christmas, and loving all of them and loving that the stakes in all of those stories are very high. They're life and death.

There's witches trying to murder you, or a crazy guy in the attic who's gonna put a grocery bag over your head. So all of those things were kind of hard to separate in my mind, as to what was suitable for me as a child and what wasn't. And that's probably how I ended up making a children's movie that's rated R.

How did you pick the style of Dust Bunny fashion and decor

Bryan Fuller: There were a lot of filmmakers in the 90s, as I was in film school and kind of trying to figure out what excited me about stories.

So I was seeing movies like Alfonso Cuarón's The Little Princess, and his Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban movie, which is dripping with style and creative choices. At every turn, every moment, is heightened and stylized, yet emotionally grounded and had a genuine, authentic quality to the experiences of the humans on screen.

But they were in larger than life worlds.

Bryan Fuller: I loved French maximalism. I remember seeing delicatessen in the theater when I was in film school, and it blew my mind. I didn't know that we could go that far, and make those choices that were that strong. So a lot of French maximalism.

A lot of Spanish language fairy tales. My filmmaking influences were Spanish language films and French language films. They're not afraid of style and they're not afraid of color.

Bryan Fuller: I love the way Sheila Atim is styled in the film. I love her sort of plaid Foxy Brown esthetic. Those were all movies that I was exposed to in my childhood. There was so much style in a lot of those black exploitation movies of the 70s as well.

And movies that were considered exploitation movies, whether it was Hong Kong kung fu movies, like American black quotation films, there was a heightened quality to all of those stories.

Making the Dust Bunny Move: Puppetry and VFX

Bryan Fuller: I love the Jim Henson stories, whether it's Dark Crystal or Labyrinth, and the use of a giant puppet that is going to be your Monster. There was a combination of CG and puppetry in the film.

And for me, it was about what is Aurora's point of view at this moment? And wanting to lull the audience into a false sense of security, with her perception of reality, and allow them to wonder, is this real? Is this imagination? Where are we? Where are we framing this story?

And I think that sort of informed why we're super wide in our aspect ratio, because that creates a psychological space where danger could be encroaching from the edges of her world. And there's enough room for it to encroach that that felt very exciting to me.

So it really was about creating a psychological space with the monster as well, and having the audience wonder, okay, is this part real? Like, when the bunny comes up from under her bed, and then she wakes up the next day. And we're like, what happened there.

For viewers who recognize their trauma experiences, what do you want to be the take away?

Bryan Fuller: Thank you so much for asking this question. I grew up in a very tricky childhood. I had a very violent father, and the monster under my bed, was really down the hall in my parents room.

And so there was a lot of fear in my childhood, but it wasn't fear of imaginary things, it was fear of the real things. I think the thing that I would love people to talk about, and ask themselves, is how they are Aurora?

That's why when he says, why would you make this wish about your parents? Why would you want a monster to eat your parents? And she says, they're not very nice to me.

Bryan Fuller: I wanted everybody to see that through their own lens, and have their own experience with why you might not have felt safe in your environment, why you might be mad at your parents. Is it because you didn't get cha cha heels at Christmas?, or is it something else?

And some of my favorite conversations, that I've had with people about the movie, because I want it to be a romp first. I want it to be very entertaining. And if you see something more in it, and if you see something more in Aurora's situation, that it might be a little bit of healing.

We as children aren't always given the skill set or the capacity to deal with our hard emotions. Wether that's anger or fear or frustration. Usually, we're told to suppress them, force them down, ignore them, and that's when they become monsters.

Bryan Fuller: That's when rage follows us into adulthood, and we never learned to navigate those hard feelings as children. So it is unresolved from our childhood, and we carry it.

So I would love the message, at the end of the movie, is that you have to live with your bad feelings. You have to understand your bad feelings, you have to accept and forgive your bad feelings, and accept and forgive yourself to move forward and find peace in your life.

SYNOPSIS

Dust Bunny| Official Trailer



Ten-year-old Aurora has a mysterious neighbor (Mads Mikkelsen) who kills real-life monsters. He’s a hit man for hire. So, when Aurora needs help killing the monster she believes ate her entire family, she procures his services.

Suspecting that her parents may have fallen victim to hit men gunning for him, Aurora’s neighbor guiltily takes the job.

To protect Aurora, he’ll need to contend with an onslaught of assassins, a mysterious associate with killer heels (Sigourney Weaver), and accept that some monsters are real in this fantastical and wickedly inventive feature directorial debut from visionary creator Bryan Fuller.

Learn more, visit - www.dustbunnyfilm.com

Instagram: dustbunnyfilm
Facebook: @dustbunnythemovie

To learn more about Daniela Forever, a sci-fi journey through love, loss, and illusion, I interviewed visionary filmmaker Nacho Vigalondo, who shared about tailoring a film to actors, dealing with grief and the beauty of filming in Madrid.

photo credit: Virginia Martin

Note: I was invited as media for #DanielaForever screening and interview. However any personal views expressed are always 100% my own.

Did you have a choice in the actors and how they fit the characters

Nacho Vigalondo: Most filmmakers, we don't have the power to know or to decide each role in a film. The real thing is that if you make a movie, then you're lucky enough to have someone like, Henry Golding and Beatrice Grannò, be in the film.

And I love the idea of having him (Henry Golding) playing a role that is so different from the roles that he normally plays. I appreciate the massive amount of confidence that this guy is putting on me.

Like, okay, like he's open to do something completely different in my hand. And I feel like, Oh my God, I need to do what I'm suppose to do now, going back to the script as a tailor and fit everything.

Nacho Vigalondo: Every time I have the chance to speak to young people, who want to make films, the first thing that I say to them is be clear, be a tailor and be able to adjust the movie to reality, instead of just hitting the hammer.

Because the movie is about a British guy, who is lost in Madrid and finds an Italian girl, and they are both foreigners, and they are lost in different ways. And he's exhausted over being in a foreign city, but her eyes are allowing him to open his and see the beauty around.

While I fixed some of the script to fit them, the script is something sorta like a vague cloud. Once the movie becomes real, you turn the cloud into something.

How did you decide how to explore mourning in this new way with dream state therapy and real life interactions.

Nacho Vigalondo: For me the core of the movie is to talk about grief, because if you are lucky enough to get old, you are going to suffer grief. It's something that is the second most normal thing in our lives, and the first one is death itself.

I went through a really deep and hard state of grief, and I just wanted to talk about it in a beautiful way. Allowing myself to build a canvas that includes jokes, VFX, costumes, like tragedy, but also the sense of mystery and adventure.

I wanted to make a movie that gives all the elements that I want, every time I go to the movies. But at the end of the day, I want this movie to be trapped inside the idea of grief.

Any research on sleep therapy

Nacho Vigalondo: I did some but there come a point in which if you do a lot of research, you are tempted to visually put it on the movie, like look how much information I have gathered about this.

And that the real danger because people don't care, especially if you're making a science fiction film. If you are making a movie that's a fantasy film, that is not real, people don't feel rewarded if you're putting too much information.

Information is rewarding if you're making a real life drama, or if you're making a documentary or noir film, but you're doing if you're dealing with science fiction, people have no patience, and people get bored, so easy. So you have to make a movie a light movie, even if you have all the info.

In terms of balancing the humor, the romance, the mystery, how did you kind of decide to balance it all.

Nacho Vigalondo: That is a tricky question, because the only answer that I can give is doing a lot of hard work. At the end of the day you need, like, tons and tons of intuition, because you're not following numbers, I try to feel something and be sincere all the time.

For example, I know that for some people the movie is too long. And I get it. Some people wanted a more frantic film, and I totally get it.

But if I'm true to myself, if I'm making a movie about these feelings, this depressed feeling. And I know, I know what it is depressed, and I know what depression is doing to your sense of time.

Nacho Vigalondo: My intuition told me make a movie that feels depressed, but in a funny way, rather than making a traditional three letter or making like a mystery film.

You have to play things to a level that may harm the movie to some audience but feels true to you. And you have to push for that. You don't know if you're making things right or real. You are trying to adjust your desires and truth to the expectation that you know the movie is going to fight against. So it's a tricky thing.

What's your favorite scene

photo credit: Virginia Martin

Nacho Vigalondo: My favorite scene? Maybe depends on the time.

I love when they spends the night just having a music live show. The band that plays, the two guys with mustache. That is the first moment in the movie she (Beatrice Grannò) feels alive and real. And that is the first time when he (Henry Golding) feels a bit possessive.

And the music is so beautiful and the light of the show is really great. The location is one of the most beautiful places in Madrid, which is like an Egyptian temple in the middle of the city.

But what do you want audiences to take away after watching this

Nacho Vigalondo: The thing I like the most about movies is that they are alive time and time about the screening.

When someone on social media tells me, they went with their partner to watch the film and they've been discussing the ending all night long, I'm like that is perfect for me, a movie that's discussed afterwards, for me is a movie that is alive.

And I know that is a chance for the movie to survive time.

Daniela Forever opened in Theaters July 11 and is now on Digital July 22.

SYNOPSIS

Grieving the loss of his girlfriend Daniela, Nicolás is consumed by sorrow. He sees a glimmer of hope when he's offered a chance to participate in a groundbreaking sleep therapy that simulates reality.

But as dream and memory blur, he must confront what healing really means—and whether he’s ready to let go.

Cast: Henry Golding, Beatrice Grannò, Aura Garrido, Rubén Ochandiano, & Nathalie Poza

Written & Directed by: Nacho Vigalondo

DANIELA FOREVER Official Trailer | In Theaters July 11



Learn more, visit - www.wellgousa.com/films/daniela-forever

To learn about My Penguin Friend, I interviewed actor Jean Reno and director David Schurmann, who shared why they wanted to bring this inspiring true story to a wider audience.

Note: I was invited as media for #MyPenguinFriend screening and interview. However any personal views expressed are always 100% my own.

What appealed to you about this story

David Schurmann (Director): Well, I heard about the story a long time ago being in Brazil, and it was a very popular story and I thought it was amazing and this should be made into a movie.

And somebody called me up and said, we bought the rights, we'd love for you to direct the movie. And I said, I have everything to do with it. I love the ocean. I love penguins and I can tell these stories about journeys, and especially stories that move people.

Jean Reno: The opportunity to speak about the relationship with an animal and how we treat the animals. And what we do with the environment, what we do with the world today.

And also to tell a nice story, because it is a true story. To tell again... that story... very touching.

To tell to families and kids, please do good things to the environment and the animals.

Did you work with the local community

David Schurmann (Director): Yeah, this is one, I think, one of the beautiful things about this movie. We actually went very close to the location where the true story happened. We shot everything in Brazil and we made sure that we had local people involved with it.

I wanted to make sure that we had the faces, of all the people around the village that looked very authentic. So that was one of the reasons why we shot down there. And it was beautiful to see how people welcome, and they're really excited to see the movie and themselves on screen.

David Schurmann (Director): And it was beautiful working with John and all the actors that they really embraced this. And so we were all, we all became a community with filming this movie.

We spent a long time down there. Everybody from 11 different countries came together behind the scenes and some of the actors. And everything else was very, very genuine and very local.

What it's like acting with a Penguin

MY PENGUIN FRIEND | Official Featurette: Penguins POV



Jean Reno: It's not easy to to work with animals because you have to respect them. Because the star of the movie, it is the penguin.

And if the penguin doesn't want to work, nobody works. So to get used to be there, to get used to be with them, to accept them as they are exactly. It is illustration of the the story.

We have to behave, respecting them.

Jean Reno: Because for me, I had a romantic idea about Penguins. Because of the movies. The Penguins acting, etc. They're not romantic at all.

Because they have a tough life, they have to swim days and days, they have to walk days and days, they have to protect one egg, you know?

And you have to understand that. He's doing something nice with you, he's acting. Because he doesn't want to do it. He wants to be with his partner.

Message of Working Through Trauma

David Schurmann (Director): Well, for me, it's about giving it another chance. Connecting it to an animal or be it to other humans. And being giving another chance to come back into society and into a relationship.

I think, nowadays, even people get so isolated with all the technology and everything, and people forget to connect. Be it through trauma or anything else. I think it gives it that hope of reconnecting and finding ways to bring that connection again.

Jean Reno: Absolutely, it's fighting the loneliness. Because he is alive.

The way, he came back, the real true story, yeah. He came back 8 years. Every year to stay a month with the fishermen, how he came back, nobody knows.

Because they (penguins) have a GPS, very elaborat in their mind. It's not the road of the penguin, the penguin, they go to Patagonia, they don't go to Brazil and this one came back and all that mystery.

Jean Reno:I have two dogs, I have to Australian Shepherd and I I don't give orders I speak with the dogs. What are you doing? Why? And he will understand.

And that's the idea also, don't be alone. Speak with them and you will have, warm coming back to you.

And that is a great message for viewers to get from the film. Keep connected with others, even a penguin knows that!

My Other Related Posts

• Interview Adriana Barraza for My Penguin Friend
• Interview Alexia Moyano for My Penguin Friend

Roadside Attractions MY PENGUIN FRIEND is inspired by the incredible true story of DinDim the Penguin.

A sweeping family adventure, My Penguin Friend is a triumphant tale of friendship between a lonely father and a little lost penguin who recharges his spirit and heals his family with an unshakable, ocean-crossing loyalty.

SYNOPSIS

Humble fisherman João (International star Jean Reno) has turned away from the world in the wake of tragedy. But when he discovers a penguin drifting alone in the ocean, drenched in oil from a spill, his first instinct is to help.

Based on an emotional true story that riveted the world and filmed on the spectacular coasts of Brazil and Argentina, My Penguin Friend is a tale that traverses the magic of the ocean, the beauty of nature, and the transformative power of love.

Starring Jean Reno, Adriana Barraza

Directed by David Schurmann
Written by Paulina Lagudi, Kristen Lazarian
Produced by Robin Jonas, Shaked Berenson, Patrick Ewald, Nicolas Veinberg, Steven P. Wegner, Jonathan E. Lim, Andreas Wentz

Learn more, visit - www.mypenguinfriend.com

Soul Doctor, the Broadway movie-musical about the ‘rock star’ Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, and his relationship with music and civil rights icon Dr. Nina Simone, has a one night Fathom Events screenings in over 600 select theaters on June 13.

Note: I was invited as media for screening and cast interview. However any personal views expressed are always 100% my own.

To hear more about turning the musical into a film, I joined a interview panel with

• Lisa Simone (Executive Producer of Soul Doctor as well as Executive Producer of the Emmy and Peabody Award winning, and Academy Award and Grammy nominated Netflix documentary about her mother, WHAT HAPPENED, MISS SIMONE?),
• Dari Carlebach (Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach’s daughter)
• Danny Wise (Writer and Director).

Take Away Message of Soul Doctor

Danny Wise We really wanted to see more singing and harmony around this country rather than shouting and screaming. And that's really what this movie is about. People think of a movie as a visual experience, this is really an atmosphere at movie in the highest sense of the word.

Lisa Simone Oh, there are quite a few. Starting with joy inspiration, the power of community and coming together. And the fact that so many walls that we erect, whether it's through our vision, how we look different, how we sound different, different backgrounds.

Underneath, all of that there's so much of the sameness, that we all share.

Lisa Simone I believe that's one of the biggest connections that my mother Dr. Nina Simone and Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach had in common. Within their differences there was such a sameness that they recognized in each other.

They influenced each other, inspired each other and they both went on to be prolific presences in the world, whose influence continues to touch the masses today.

How Stage Production Differs from Film

Danny Wise It's not, in the experience. We're very proud and happy, that it's a minimalist production and therefore, you really don't feel this divide of 100 million dollars of special effects coming at you.

You feel like you're the story taking place in the center. Shlomo Carlebach for most of his career would really perform from the front of the stage, and not on the stage. It was a theater in the round.

We presented it as a theater in the round, and if it feels like a theater in the round. And the audience feels safe, part of it and spontaneously part of the theatrical production.

Significance of Releasing Soul Doctor Now

Lisa Simone It's time. There's no better time than the present. Everything happens when it's supposed to. We're here for a reason.

Now the time has come, people perhaps were more ready. Our community is ready,our world is ready, we're ready. The production is ready. And it's being born, in a manner that's shining the light upon it. On a platform that cannot be ignored.

Dari Carlebach Our hearts have been broken over and over again. To let the light in and we're now at a place in our history, where we've all broken open so many times, but all we can do is rise in song.

And build those broken places with harmony. And our job, in this generation, is to create the most infinite endless amount of harmony in ourselves, between our communities, between all of humankind.

And the story allows us to create harmonies in unexpected ways, and it uplifts and brings a whole new way of seeing the world.

SYNOPSIS

Soul Doctor Trailer



The film of Soul Doctor opens on the 10th anniversary of its Broadway premiere.

Soul Doctor tells the story of the beloved yet controversial father of popular Jewish music, Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach. A modern-day troubadour, Shlomo ignited the spirit of millions around the world with his soul-stirring melodies, transformative storytelling, and boundless love.

After his childhood escape from Nazi Germany, the young Rabbi formed an unlikely friendship with musical icon and pioneer, Nina Simone, who introduced him to Soul and Gospel music, and a Jewish music and cultural revival was born.

Fusing his roots with his new inspiration, Shlomo created a revolutionary musical sound, writing songs which continue to be the main body of Jewish musical standards.

The “Jewish Gospel/Soul” experience he introduced to the synagogue worship remains the most popular of services across all denominations of Jewish practice.

Soul Doctor concludes with a historical epilogue showing rare footage, bringing to life Simone, Carlebach, and other characters, created by Colombian-born filmmaker Nicole Fernandez and Somondoco Films.

Stars Tony Award® nominee Josh Young (Broadway’s Jesus Christ Superstar and Evita) as Shlomo, Nya (star of the recent Cleopatra and the Broadway revival of Caroline or Change) as Nina Simone and Emily Padgett (star of Broadway’s Side Show, Rock of Ages, Bright Star, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) as Ruth.

The cast also includes Charlotte Moore (Les Miz, ALW’s Wizard of Oz), C.J. Tyson (Wicked), Rebecca Kritzer (In the Heights), Marvin Meital, Yovel Moss, Allison Poccia, Lital Shalit, Toni Elizabeth White, Luke Wygodny (Once), Jordan Zell, and Marc Zell and original Broadway cast members: Richard Cerato and Abdur-Rahim Jackson (who also choreographs).

The film of Soul Doctor is produced by original Broadway producer/conceiver Jeremy Chess, along with Jerome Levy and Chandra McQueen, with Lisa Simone Executive Producer.

With music by Shlomo Carlebach, lyrics by David Schechter, script and direction by Daniel Wise, and choreographed by Abdur Rahim Jackson (Alvin Ailey, Beyonce “Halo” music video and Superbowl Show).

Learn more, visit - www.fathomevents.com/events/Soul-Doctor

For a peek behind the scenes of Centurion: The Dancing Stallion, releasing on Digital and On Demand April 25, I interviewed Amber Midthunder and Director Dana Gonzales.

Note: I was invited as media for screening and cast interview. However any personal views expressed are always 100% my own.

Centurion: The Dancing Stallion is a tale of overcoming adversity and finding strength from unexpected places. Just based on that, it's a great film for families.

But Centurion also offers a peek into the culture of Mexican horse dancing. So I wanted to ask the duo how they researched and prepared for that.

Preparing for the Role

Amber Midthunder: Learning more about the film, what it was about and having those conversations with Dana to figure out kind what the bones of it were, was kind of how we moved into like exploring in that way.

And then the preparation, we were not afforded a lot of times. So it was pretty short and it was a lot of just witnessing pieces of what the trainers did with the horses. And having them show me little things. Like this is what you do with your hands, do with your feet, be careful, don't do that.

Amber Midthunder: Kind of, learning as we go and using what prep time we had, to try to learn as much as I could. Then we just got into it.

I grew up with horses, but I never did rodeo or anything like that. I just know how to ride western.

Highlighting Native/Mexican Cultures

Amber Midthunder: Well, I am Native American, I'm Lakota Nakota Dakota. I grew up in New Mexico, I'm not Latin. So to be around this culture and to be welcomed in, was really special and amazing.

To be able to witness this whole world and how the people feel about this kind of amazing sport and art form and being trusted with that, was really special.

Filming the Story

Dana Gonzales: I was given the script and told read it and I could do whatever I wanted with it. When I read it, it had so many interesting kind of elements to it, with the storytelling that I'm interested in.

And than going up to this ranch, where our executive producers owned and meeting them and hearing this story, because it's based on a true story. While our storiy is fictional, it is based on this true story.

Dana Gonzales: So hearing more about that, being introduced to centurian, the culture a little bit more, the facilities and be able to tell this story about family, love that triumphs, these are things that I'm interested in filmmaking.

And then being able to to work with Amber and the actors to find this kind of secondary story inside that script, was really a beautiful process, that I think you see the movie.

Researching Mexican Cultures

Dana Gonzales: I went to one of the big events. And then spent in napa, where we shot. Then I grew up in the Mexican culture, so I instantly kind of know that world.

My father's Mexican and I could be dropped into it and I'm very comfortable with it. So, I think the more i was dropped into it there, the more it was accessible and the more it felt real.

I think for all the people in the Latin community that will watch this film, they're gonna feel very at home with it because I know I do.

Message of the Film

Amber Midthunder: I think there's a lot for people to take away, and that's what's beautiful about it. Whatever you want to focus on, I think you can. And ultimately it's a story of of hope. And of love. I think there's so much love in the movie.

There's obviously like a young love story, but there's also family, and there's the relationship between Alicia and Centurion, and as much as there is difficulty there, I think there's just as much joy.

Dana Gonzales: Also triumph and overcoming. You know, over overcoming this disease and even bringing some awareness to it. And supporting very strong families in this world, and that's what's going to create the foundation for future generations.

So anything that has that element in it. It's always going to be a win for me.

SYNOPSIS

The journey begins as Ellissia (Midthunder) adopts a white stallion to train in the art of Mexican horse dancing. As she starts teaching the handsome but previously abused Centurion, Ellissia falls critically ill, which keeps her from competing in a celebrated equestrian event.

Under the watchful eyes of her father (Zane), new ranch hand Danny (Aramis Knight) steps in as trainer, hoping to win the competition — and, perhaps, Ellissia’s heart.

Cast: Amber Midthunder (Prey, “Roswell: New Mexico”, “Legion”), Aramis Knight (“Into the Badlands”), Michael Cimino (“Love, Victor”) Patricia DeLeon (Station 19), Sal Lopez (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever), and Billy Zane (Titanic)

Centurion: The Dancing Stallion (2023) Official Trailer



Executive Producers: Nancy White Gamble, George Gamble, Rob Schneider
Co-Executive Producer: Billy Zane
Produced by: Dana Gonzales, Boon Collins, Randolf Turrow, David Tanner
Written by: Boon Collins

Learn more, visit - www.lionsgate.com

In the short film AYSHA, director Cengiz Akaygun shares a story of two young girls living through a harrowing war, and a choice their mother is forced to make.

I was able to screen the film and was amazed how powerful it was for such a short film. AYSHA offers a look into a family trying to survive in a country, when a war has taken much from them. And still wants more. What is a parent to do to safe guard her child's life and future?

I was so touched by the story-line of a mother's choice, a choice that her child battles to understand and accept. I was able to discuss the message of the film during my interviewed with Director Cengiz Akaygun.

The Take Away Message

Cengiz Akaygun: AYSHA has several ways how you can understand the film. I think one important message is that wars senseless and destroys lives of innocent people, especially children.

Look at how many non-essential wars are still happening, even today in our time.

Process of Filming

Cengiz Akaygun: In total we had 3 filming days and one test day. But we could not use all the days. Normally a shooting days has 8 or 10 hours, but I had two children on set so it's not possible to work with them so long.

And another problem was the sun, we had to work with the sun hours. The sun hours we need are early in the morning to late afternoon. So per day we had 3 or 4 hours. so it was not easy to get what we want.

Cengiz Akaygun: Also from time to time, we had rain. That was the difficult time of working on set. But at the end of the day, we did it.

I worked with a small team because of limited funding, but we had a lot of supporters like friends, family, companies and so on who helped us. Otherwise it was not possible.

Location of Filming

Cengiz Akaygun: In the beginning I had the plan to shoot the movie in South of Italy, there was a little earth quake city from the middle 60's. The city is completely destroyed from the earthquake and is not livable. It was perfect for us.

The plan was to replace this region of Italy with a city in Syria. But the plan failed because the pandemic happened. We couldn't shoot the movie because all the airports and borders were closed.

Cengiz Akaygun: After 6 months later of waiting, I decided to find a location in Germany and shoot with a small team there. Because of that, the biggest challenge was to find a small backyard of a house, which seems like a house in Syria.

At first I couldn't find something like that, but later I had the idea to ask house demolition companies, because I thought these houses are going to be destroyed anyway. So before they destroy these houses, I can do with them what I want.

Cengiz Akaygun: I found a company and a house with plans to be destroyed. The owner of this company was also interested in this story and help us a lot. This man wasn't just the owner of this demolition company, he was also a member of the city council. Coincidentally his part had a candidate for that year, and guess what her name was....AYSHA

I understood why he also loved my story so much! *laughing*


AYSHA Trailer - Short Movie

AYSHA Trailer - Short Movie from Free Monkey on Vimeo.

SYNOPSIS

AYSHA a small, rebellious girl wearing a full-body veil, and her sister are put to a religious test in a backyard in Rojava (Syria) by a covered woman. However, the strong-headed Aysha is struggling with identity and decides to take a stand.

Writer, director and producer Cengiz Akaygün works focus on socially critical themes. He has received numerous awards for his short films. In 2020, he was nominated twice for the Human Rights Film Award in Germany.

For his last short film AYSHA he received the Short Film Award at the 55th HOF International Film Festival in Germany. Currently, Aysha is in the pre-selection for the German Short Film Award. Now, this ground-breaking film is in consideration for an OSCAR®.

The cinematography was created by Kevin Hartfiel and the musical composition is by Conrad Oleak.

Learn more, visit - www.freemonkey.art

In connection with Disneynature’s film “Penguins”, I joined around-table interview with the filmmakers to learn about Steve, a 5-year-old Adélie penguin, who goes on a journey during the icy Antarctic spring to build a suitable nest, find a life partner and start a family.

Note: I was invited as media to the movie screening and film makers roundtable. However any personal views expressed are always 100% my own.

While it seems like a simple story, there's actually alot that goes into capturing it all on film. I'm grateful to Lastair Fothergill (Director), Jeff Wilson (Director), Roy Conli (Producer) and Popi Borboroglu (Global Penguin Society) who took time to share some "behind-the-scenes info with me.

About Steve the Penguin

The filmmakers knew they wanted to tell the story of a new father—so finding a young male penguin was important. But what makes Steve, Steve?

“He’s becoming a father for the first time. He returns to the place where he was a chick to build a home and find a mate. It’s so fun to watch Steve compete with all the other penguins to set up his nest and win his mate. It’s hard not to relate to this guy” says producer Roy Conli.

“He’s feisty. He’s full of character, and in a sea of penguins, he’s the guy performing” says director Alastair Fothergill.

“This guy has a big challenge. He has to find some real estate within the breeding colony and build an appealing nest while every other male is trying to do the same thing. It’s that classic issue of keeping up with the Joneses that we might deal with in our own neighborhoods. In some ways, penguins are very similar because they’re so competitive over their nest sites and rock collections” says director Jeff Wilson.

The Conservation Tie-In

For every ticket sold opening week (April 17-23, 2019), Disneynature will make a donation to the Wildlife Conservation Network (WCN) to help protect penguins across the southern hemisphere.

“People love penguins,” says Dr. Pablo Borboroglu, founder and president of the Global Penguin Society (GPS). “We feel attracted and emotionally connected to them. It could be that we feel attracted by their devotion to their partners and offspring, because they have to make a living, provide for their chicks and commute to find food.

While there are different types of penguins, the Adele were chosen because they are affected by global issues. While watching the story of Steve, audiences will not only be entertained by also exposed to the issues that affect the penguins.

Sometimes people don't have access to nature and animals. But films like these give people access, which leads to awareness. To support those looking for more information, there's educational guide and activity sheet.

SYNOPSIS

Narrated by Ed Helms (“The Office,” “The Hangover” trilogy,”The Daily Show with John Stewart”), Disneynature’s all-new feature film “Penguins” is a coming-of-age story about an Adélie penguin named Steve who joins millions of fellow males in the icy Antarctic spring on a quest to build a suitable nest, find a life partner and start a family.

None of it comes easily for him, especially considering he's targeted by everything from killer whales to leopard seals, who unapologetically threaten his happily ever after.

From the filmmaking team behind “Bears” and “Chimpanzee,” Disneynature’s “Penguins” opens in theaters and in IMAX® April 17, 2019.

Now that ANT-MAN AND THE WASP has released in theaters, fans of the film will probably have a lot of comments for Director Peyton Reed, about the overall story-line, which was great and the ending credit scene, which was...so not great!

Note: Marvel Studios, Freeform and Disney Junior invited me on this all expense paid trip to Los Angeles for the Ant-Man and The Wasp Event. While I will share different events and activities during the trip, any personal views expressed are always 100% my own.

After screening the film for the L.A. #AntManandTheWaspEvent press junket, I couldn't wait to hear what Director Peyton Reed had to say about the scenes that made us go "aaaawwww" and the other that made us go "urggggghhhh!"

The Avengers: Infinity War Tie-in Moment

Peyton Reed: It was not completely planned in the beginning. We knew we were gonna have to deal with that thing at some point in some way. Actually, we weren't sure at the beginning.

We knew that our movie was gonna take place, it's sortta not only a sequel to Ant Man, but also to Civil War. Because we couldn't ignore what Scott Lange did in that movie. But we weren't always sure how we were gonna fit into the larger timeline with regards to Infinity War.

Peyton Reed: Somewhere during the process, this idea occurred to us like Oh, well we could do -- we could do something like that.

And it seemed to work for us tonally, and sort of allows us to do our very stand alone movie but, have it fit into the larger Marvel happenings.

The Morrissey Music

Peyton Reed: How that came about was for a very brief time, years ago, I played drums in a Morrissey/Smiths cover band called "Louder Than Bombs" and we played a few shows here in Los Angeles just for fun.

I learned that Morrissey, who's from Manchester, had a huge following in Los Angeles. And because of his particular singing style, it really occurred to us as something that Luis would know about and be into, particularly the idea that his Grandma only plays Morrissey.

Peyton Reed: It just seemed like one of the crazy things Luis would mention in the course of his conversation. And that is one of the things we were talking about, how are we gonna do it in this movie. How are we gonna do a version, of what we did with Luis in the first movie, that doesn't repeat it.

And so when the writers came up with the idea of the truth serum thing? Yeah, that was really fun.

But Morrissey, obviously we had to get his permission to use the songs and knowing how mercurial he is as a human being, I wasn't sure, but he to like the idea, so he said yes.

Cassie Lange as a Superhero

Peyton Reed: I think that everybody's aware, from the first Antman and now in the Antman and The Wasp, who Cassie Lange is in the comics and that she does become a hero. So I think we wanted to definitely start laying some groundwork for that possibility. I don't know what specific plans are but I really liked the idea.

It's fun to work with Abbey three years later now. I always love in movies when you see a little kid 6yrs in the first movie and now 10yrs, you see how she has sort of grown.

I like the idea that you have these glimpses, where she goes toe to toe with Agent Wu. And she covers for her Dad and she's got -- that side of Scott, you know, that's, a little mischievous and everything but she's a tough kid. And I really love the idea of doing that intimate scene, where she's talking about maybe needing a partner and in her mind, it's her and him.

Father and Daughter Theme

Peyton Reed: I think that's one of the things that I liked the most in the movie, is that Scott, the evolution of the Scott/Cassie relationship. It helps that Abbey is so good. She's such a really focused young Actor, and it's sort of rare.

Really, Fathers and Daughters is a real thematic. It certainly wasn't in the first one. We wanted to progress that in this movie, whether it's literal Fathers and Daughters, like Hank, and Hope and Scott and Cassie are more figurative like you know, Bill Foster and Ava, his ghost. I like the idea of furthering that theme.

ANT-MAN AND THE WASP is now playing in theaters everywhere!

SYNOPSIS

From the Marvel Cinematic Universe comes ANT-MAN AND THE WASP, a new chapter featuring heroes with the astonishing ability to shrink. In the aftermath of CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR, Scott Lang grapples with the consequences of his choices as both a Super Hero and a father.

As he struggles to rebalance his home life with his responsibilities as Ant-Man, he’s confronted by Hope van Dyne and Dr. Hank Pym with an urgent new mission. Scott must once again put on the suit and learn to fight alongside the Wasp as the team works together to uncover secrets from the past.

Stars: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Pena, Walton Goggins, Bobby Cannavale, Judy Greer, Tip “T.I.” Harris, David Dastmalchian, Hannah John Kamen, Abby Ryder-Fortson, Randall Park, with Michelle Pfeiffer, with Laurence Fishburne and Michael Douglas.

Directed by: Peyton Reed

To learn more, visit - www.marvel.com/antman

In "The Greatest Showman" movie you'll get a peek into the life of P.T. Barnum, which includes women like Keala Settle as The Beard Lady and Rebecca Ferguson as Swedish opera singer Jenny Lind.

While watching an advance screening I enjoyed how both women had a powerful effect on P.T. Barnum and the story-line.

photo credit: Monica Storch/MacaroniKidNYC

Note: I was invited as media to the movie screening and press junket by 20th Century Fox. However any personal views expressed are always 100% my own.

So when it came time for the junket interviews, I couldn't wait to hear Rebecca Ferguson and Keala Settle talk about their roles in THE GREATEST SHOWMAN. The director Michael Gracey also joined the interview and shared what it was like on set with the ladies and cast.

Make sure you also read my other THE GREATEST SHOWMAN interviews

• The Greatest Showman Cast Interview: Hugh Jackman, Zendaya & Zac Efron
• Keala Settle, Rebecca Ferguson & Michael Gracey Interview for The Greatest Showman
• Behind the Songs for The Greatest Showman with Benj Pasek and Justin Paul

But first I had to ask Rebecca and Keala....

What appealed to each of you about your characters?

Rebecca Ferguson: I think for me it's kind of grander scale. I have never done musicals, first of all, so I was terrified of going into this genre and that I was going to play one of our cult figures of Sweden, which was even more terrifying.

And I'm not really a singer; bring on more terrifying. And I thought why not just do it and challenge myself? So, I think it was kind of all of those, trying something that I haven't done before and a little homage.

Keala Settle: I tried to hide from playing my part. I was so petrified because this is my first major motion picture, in a role that I didn't know was going to be what it is.

I had no idea. It changed over the course of how it was created as we were creating, you know, in rehearsals and stuff like that before we started initial photography. And the bigger that it got for me, the scarier that it got, because I wanted to hide even more. And I am still, even sitting here in front of you, fighting that right now.

It’s very easy to be scared and to stifle it and act like you're not. It's even harder to be afraid and admit it. And I was surrounded by so many people who I didn't know were there that were.

About acting with "real" emotions

Michael Gracey: I mean, this is how special it was. I would love to take credit as the director for the amazing performance, but I can't because everyone involved in this film, they brought so much to their performance and they did it in a way that was so truthful.

And that's what Keala is talking about, because it was so meaningful to her personally. And so, it was so powerful to just capture that. And it didn't make it easy.


Keala Settle: No, not at all, because I had to let go. You can't lie in a camera because they can see it. There are moments of being on a Broadway stage which are different, and it's a different way you perform and share those emotions that you can convey to that type of an audience.

But when you're in front of a camera, you can't lie. Which means you have to tap in. And the second that you let all of that go, you're not even in your body anymore, which is how it's supposed to be, because you have to let others see. That's what makes a great artist, when they can give of themselves enough to say I'm getting out of the way so that this can come through, wherever it came from.

Sharing how all the actors supported each other

Michael Gracey: I'm a huge believer in the environment that you set on--is reflected in the work. And this cast and this set and the crew created the most amazing environment, and it was such a sense of family with everyone.

You had huge stars coming down and just being on set to support other people's musical numbers. They were cheering. Usually when you work with big stars, you have this person from that time to this time--.And that's it.

And you are fighting desperately to get them just to show up for their scenes, let alone to come and be supportive of each other's scenes.

They all did it. Zac, Zendaya, Hugh, they all come down. Everyone was so enamored with each other and what they were bringing to this film. And that's really what makes it so special.

Discussing the properness between a man and woman (in current sexual harassment events and The Greatest Showman)

Rebecca Ferguson: We talked a lot about this before shooting it. I think one because she's not in the film a lot, but she's a generator for the film and how it moves forward, and especially in P.T.'s action and reactions, etc.

I think something that was important for me, was to not make her the--oh, let's simplify it to the bitch, the stealer, the sort of womanizing kind of sex object, but to actually have someone who creates this relationship with a man, which I find so beautiful.

She's an illegitimate child who has actually made it. She is the proof that what P.T. Barnum is struggling for is manageable. And I think that sparks a relationship between them which goes beyond the simplicity of eroticism.

Rebecca Ferguson: It is something stronger. There is an understanding for magic and creativeness. And, you know, she's a character who has been world famous in her own area. But he sees something else in her, and she can sense it. And it's that--those unspoken words-- I think, that we try to bring. Are they friends? Are they not friends? Are they like siblings? What is going on between them?


Michael Gracey: It's actually why that is such a dangerous relationship. It's not because it's a man looking at a woman and going, oh, I think she's attractive. It's a man looking at a woman who unfortunately has a connection because she's an illegitimate child and she's now this superstar.

But not just a superstar. She's revered, so she's transcended her class and she's become revered by high society. So, wherever she came from, she is now adored by all.

Michael Gracey: And that is all Barnum, at a certain point in his life, is struggling for. That's what he wants. He wants to be seen as a patron of the arts, not the guy who hangs out with all of these---.

And so, when he looks at this girl, it's everything that he wants to be.

Michael Gracey: He can talk to her in a way that he can't talk to his wife. And that is the dangerous thing.

Because she (the wife) comes from high class. She will never understand that struggle and that desire of him to be seen as legitimate, whereas Jenny Lind understands it fully. And that, to me, is why that relationship is so electric and so dangerous, because he appeal isn't just one that is physical. The appeal is that--.

This Christmas, dare to dream anything. The #GreatestShowman opens a world of imagination, in theaters December 20.

SYNOPSIS

"The Greatest Showman” is a bold and original musical that celebrates the birth of show business and the sense of wonder we feel when dreams come to life. Inspired by the ambition and imagination of P.T. Barnum, “The Greatest Showman” tells the story of a visionary who rose from nothing to create a mesmerizing spectacle that became a worldwide sensation.

Starring Academy Award nominee Hugh Jackman. Jackman is joined by Zac Efron, Academy Award nominee Michelle Williams, Rebecca Ferguson and Zendaya.

Directed By: Michael Gracey

Screenplay By: Jenny Bicks and Bill Condon
Story By: Jenny Bicks
Produced By: Laurence Mark, Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping

To learn more, visit - www.thegreatestshowmantickets.com

After screening THE GREATEST SHOWMAN, I continued to hum some of the films songs. The songs were both catchy and touching thanks in part to Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, the songwriters for the film.

photo credit: Monica Storch/MacaroniKidNYC

Note: I was invited as media to the movie screening and press junket by 20th Century Fox. However any personal views expressed are always 100% my own.

During the junket press interview, I had the chance to interview both Benj Pasek and Justin Paul about writing songs for THE GREATEST SHOWMAN.

Make sure you also read my other THE GREATEST SHOWMAN interviews

• The Greatest Showman Cast Interview: Hugh Jackman, Zendaya & Zac Efron
• Keala Settle, Rebecca Ferguson & Michael Gracey Interview for The Greatest Showman
• Behind the Songs for The Greatest Showman with Benj Pasek and Justin Paul

Talking about bringing a modern feel to music and songs

Justin Paul:  So, the first time that we heard anything about this film was when Michael Gracey, the director, pitch the film.

And we heard him tell this tale of how he wanted to make a film, sort of like the film that P.T. Barnum would have made about himself, this sort of larger than life figure who was an impresario, who was sort of the Steve Jobs of his time, the Jay-Z of his time, was sort of like the OG. You know what I mean?

The part of that concept was, "I want to make the music contemporary and the choreography contemporary also", sort of talk about the fact that he was ahead of his time. And that sounded sort of crazy to us, and we were like, "We don't get that at all."

Justin Paul: I remember reading the script and hearing him say that, and I was like, "That doesn't make sense." But that was also part of the intrigue of it and sort of made us feel like, well, that sounds like a really weird task and we're not sure how to do it.

But that's intriguing, to try to, figure out that challenge and solve the puzzle. So, that's sort of where it came from. And Michael's so visual and the visuals in the film are so bold and colorful and hyped up. So, that sort of lends itself to a contemporary feel.

The Greatest Showman | The Art of The Musical | 20th Century FOX

Sharing the process of writing and music

Benj Pasek: I write more words. He writes more music. But we always begin the process together and we always end the process together.

I think we would say probably, like, 80 percent of our time is just sort of knocking our heads against a wall or a piano and just trying to figure out what the concept might be. And then we go to our other--our separate little pods and he'll work on something and I'll work on something, and then we'll come back and weave it together in the end.

Benj Pasek: But I think that once music and lyrics are paired together they can't really be separated, ideally. And so, we kind of like to take credit for both things because a song is really a united, you know, congealed piece of something that you can't really separate.

And sometimes you'll underwrite a lyric to support a really soaring melody. Sometimes the melody has to get out of the way to just support a lyric that you really want to be heard. And so, we just try to work as closely as possible.

Working on "This is Me" song

Benj Pasek: This is Me was really inspired by the character. Everything for us starts with character, so the character of the bearded lady and these oddities, these people who have grown up living in the shadows, who have been locked in their parents' basements or attics and never really been sort of let out, and have been told their whole lives that they should be embarrassed about who they are, you know?

Originally the song was written for Tom Thumb, and it was kind of like a little ditty.


Justin Paul: It was kind of a little, like, folk tune on the ukulele. A song about how we're oddities and that's who we are, etc.

And Michael just kept circling back to it. And he was like, "I think that that needs to be a different number. I think it needs to be a big anthem for the oddities. We need a real statement piece of them."


Justin Paul: We didn't get how that's going to work in this moment in the film and also for that character. And so the song kind of came out of a lot of fighting back and forth with us and Michael being like, "Write the song." We're like, "We don't know how." He's like, "Write the song."

Benj Pasek: When we started to think about it, though, for the bearded lady, for Letty. And Letty was being played at that time, even in workshops, by Keala Settle, who we knew from the Broadway world. We felt really lucky to be developing this with her. When we began to think about it, in her voice and what her voice is able to do and also what she brings to the table, just who she is as a human being and it began to really click for us about what the song could be. And then, Yes, This is Me came about.

Doing research on P.T. Barnum and that time period

Benj Pasek: In terms of researching lyric content and thinking about that, I think we read every single slogan or advertisement coined phrase that P.T. Barnum ever had, to sort of think about what that language was.

But then ultimately, the movie is sort of a storybook version of his life. And as I said before, Michael really talked about it. It's like is this the true story of P.T. Barnum? Not exactly. Is this the movie that P.T. Barnum would have made? Totally.

This Christmas, dare to dream anything. The #GreatestShowman opens a world of imagination, in theaters December 20.

SYNOPSIS

"The Greatest Showman” is a bold and original musical that celebrates the birth of show business and the sense of wonder we feel when dreams come to life. Inspired by the ambition and imagination of P.T. Barnum, “The Greatest Showman” tells the story of a visionary who rose from nothing to create a mesmerizing spectacle that became a worldwide sensation.

Starring Academy Award nominee Hugh Jackman. Jackman is joined by Zac Efron, Academy Award nominee Michelle Williams, Rebecca Ferguson and Zendaya.

Directed By: Michael Gracey

Screenplay By: Jenny Bicks and Bill Condon
Story By: Jenny Bicks
Produced By: Laurence Mark, Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping

To learn more, visit - www.thegreatestshowmantickets.com

In Disney*Pixar’s COCO, Miguel's love of music and need to play, is the driving force behind the adventure he goes on in the film. So I'm glad I was able to learn about the films music while in San Francisco for the #PixarCocoEvent.

photo credit: Marc Flores / Pixar

Note: Disney and Pixar invited me on this all expense paid trip for the Disney*Pixar COCO Event. While I will share different events and activities during the trip, any personal views expressed are always 100% my own.

During a presentation, Michael Giacchino (Composer), Germaine Franco (Songwriter/Arranger), Camilo Lara (Consultant), Adrian Molina (Writer and Co-Director) & Federico Ramos (Guitarist) shared about the music's behind the scene work, including these fun facts:

• Miguel recycled an old guitar, patching it up and painting it to mirror Ernesto de la Cruz’s signature guitar.
• All of the guitar playing in “Coco” is technically accurate. Filmmakers videotaped musicians playing each song and strapped GoPros to their guitars to give animators reference footage.
• To make sure it was authentic, they used local musicians to help create music you would hear if you went to Mexico.

Federico Ramos performs music. Photo credit: Deborah Coleman / Pixar

During the presentation, we also got a first look (and listen) at Ernesto De La Cruz icon guitar, which was recreated by the traditional guitar maker German Vazquez Rubio. It was lovely to see it "live" and hear an actual tune played.

Truly, while watching, you'll be able to feel both the love from the characters for music and from what the filmmakers put into making the music for Disney*Pixar COCO.

Also you can read my other interviews and fun facts recap for the Disney*Pixar COCO film:

My Other Related Posts

• Pixar Coco Spirit Animals Fun Facts
• How Pixar Coco Honors Latino Family Traditions
• Fun Facts About Pixar Coco Skeletons
• Q&A Highlights from Pixar Coco Filmmakers Interview

SYNOPSIS:

Despite his family’s baffling generations-old ban on music, Miguel (voice of newcomer Anthony Gonzalez) dreams of becoming an accomplished musician like his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz (voice of Benjamin Bratt).

Desperate to prove his talent, Miguel finds himself magically transported to the stunning and colorful Land of the Dead following a mysterious chain of events. Along the way, he meets charming trickster Hector (voice of Gael García Bernal), and together, they set off on an extraordinary journey to unlock the real story behind Miguel's family history.

Directed by Lee Unkrich (“Toy Story 3”), co-directed by Adrian Molina (story artist “Monsters University”) and produced by Darla K. Anderson (“Toy Story 3”).

To learn more, visit - www.movies.disney.com/coco

The "Goodbye Christopher Robin" film premiere after party happened this week at the Gottesman Hall at The New York Public Library and it was amazing.

Note: I was invited as media to the movie screening and premiere after party. This post was written in partnership with the Role Mommy Writer's Network. However any personal views expressed are always 100% my own.

Since I'm covering the film, I was excited to attend an advanced screening to interviewed the director, Simon Curtis, then attend the premiere after party and meet the cast!

I first met Domhnall Gleeson, who plays children's author A. A. Milne and father of Christopher Robin in the film. He was super nice!

Then I tried to meet Margot Robbie, who plays the wife and mother of Christopher Robin. But as you can guess she was very popular. So I settled for just taking a photo. It was still nice to see her in real life.

Then I met Will Tilston, who plays Christopher Robin. OMGosh he's SO sweet! And just as adorable in real life as he is in the film. The dimples!

Lastly I met Kelly Macdonald, who plays "Nanny" to Christopher Robin. She was also really sweet.

Simon Curtis, the director of GOODBYE CHRISTOPHER ROBIN, was also at the premiere. I thought about asking him for a photo but since I had already met him for the interview, I thought I should just let him enjoy the party. LOL.

Speaking of the interview, here are a few things I learned.

photo credit: David Appleby. © 2017 Fox Searchlight Pictures

After screening the movie, I wanted to ask the director, what is his favorite scene?

SIMON CURTIS: “I love the sequence when father and son play together in the summer. Those images of childhood that we are lucky we have. And you can see him almost falling in love with the idea of being a father and I think that is the heart of the film.

We were lucky because the two actors bonded really well in the film. When we were filming in the forest, which actually was the Queen’s special woods. It wasn’t actually a forest. One of the crew found this frog and handed it to him and suddenly Will just walked in with a frog. It was totally improvised. I’m quite proud of that.”

photo credit David Appleby. © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation All Rights Reserved

Ironically, my son, who I took to the screening, also had a question to ask.

My son asked: Why doesn’t Billy like being called Christopher Robin?

SIMON CURTIS: “It’s quite a complicated idea, but in the family they think the character in the book is Christopher Robin, and their boy at home is called Billy. So they were able to make the distinction between those two. But the world didn’t see it like that. They just assumed they were one and the same. That was part of the problem. The books became famous and he got all the attention that he didn’t want.

Other questions Simon answered included

photo credit David Appleby. © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation All Rights Reserved

What made you decide to film this?

SIMON CURTIS: “I just loved the script when I read it. So many films this day and age are absolutely about nothing. This (script) seemed to be about so much. And so many things that are important to us. Noticeably, family actually. And it has a message, as the nanny says on the bridge ‘pay attention to the people who are around you as they are not going to be around forever’. And I think that’s a good message to be reminded.”

photo credit David Appleby. © 2017 Fox Searchlight Pictures

What was filming like at the original place where A.A. Milne lived with his family?

SIMON CURTIS: “I think it’s kind of moving that we were thinking that if they would have sat on that actual rough foot bridge, the bridge, the pooh sticks bridge, is the bridge that the father and son would have invented that game on. It was meaningful for us to go back.”

photo credit David Appleby. © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation All Rights Reserved

Were there parts of the movie that were added to bring more interest?

SIMON CURTIS: “Well our objective is to tell the true story, but you can never be absolutely be sure. But the woman who is an expert in AA Milne, who wrote his biography, was very much on the side. So she approved everything we did. But obviously we can’t say every conversation was exactly what it was, but it is our intention to tell the true story.”

photo credit by David Appleby. © 2017 Fox Searchlight Pictures

And what an amazing true story GOODBYE CHRISTOPHER ROBIN turns out to be. There's so much about the film that will both surprise and delight you about the family that brought us the world of "Winnie the Pooh".

I'll be sure to share my full review in another post. But I encourage you to plan to see GOODBYE CHRISTOPHER ROBIN when it opens in select theaters on October 13.

SYNOPSIS:

GOODBYE CHRISTOPHER ROBIN gives a rare glimpse into the relationship between beloved children's author A. A. Milne (Domhnall Gleeson) and his son Christopher Robin (Will Tilston), whose toys inspired the magical world of Winnie-the-Pooh.

Along with his mother Daphne (Margot Robbie), and his nanny Olive (Kelly Macdonald), Christopher Robin and his family are swept up in the international success of the books; the enchanting tales bringing hope and comfort to England after the First World War.

But with the eyes of the world on Christopher Robin, what will the cost be to the family?

Starring: Domhnall Gleeson, Margot Robbie, Will Tilson and Kelly Macdonald
Directed By: Simon Curtis

To learn more, visit - www.foxsearchlight.com/goodbyechristopherrobin