FOXES, 19min., USA, Drama/Thriller
Directed by Greg Poppa
Guided by the cries of an unseen fox, prehistoric Man and Woman struggle to survive the harshness of their environment, sickness, birth, and death.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm6679114/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm
https://www.instagram.com/bdawk511/

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

During Covid I was still taking acting classes online at HB Studio with my acting teacher Lisa Pelikan who would always say "by the end of class you will make your own films." We would work on characters in class using different movements and actions and one day I caught myself in the mirror in this sort of "hunter" stance and slowly moved towards it as if I was hunting. I really liked the feel of the character so I did it again in the basement and filmed it. I knew I wanted to make something with this character that would be really interesting. As an actor a lot of times we're given really bland or underdeveloped characters for auditions and I figured "I can write something more interesting than what I'm auditioning for and just cast myself." So that's what I did, and I figured I'd give directing a shot while I was at it!

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?

I believe I had the initial idea in December 2020, we filmed in June 2021 and the final film was done in April of 2022.

3. How would you describe your film in two words!?

Primal, Visceral

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?

I think the biggest obstacle for me personally was wearing so many hats especially as a first time director. I wrote the film, built the hut, built the spear, location scouted, produced it, directed and acted in it. It was definitely a teaching moment for me to let people who can help, help.

5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?

I was really happy to see everyone's reactions. I really loved when one of the feedbackers said "I thought that would be the most gruesome scene in the film, it wasn't" haha. I really enjoy making the audience uncomfortable and it seemed like she definitely was. I also enjoyed hearing how much everyone enjoyed all the different aspects of the film, from costume design, cinematography, the score, sound, and props it seemed like the audience appreciated all the hard work our team put into every aspect of the film.

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?

I've been making films with my friend Diego Brazzo since 2014 but I never really thought about it seriously until after I graduated college. My plans to get my masters fell through so I figured "I'll become an actor" so that's what I've been doing since 2016. Foxes was the first time I felt like "Ok we're going to do this, and we're going to do this right" and it was a big jump for me and my team in terms of quality and detail.

7. What film have you seen the most in your life?

One summer when I was a teenager we stayed at our shore house for 2 months and only had the Emperor's New Groove to watch. So we watched that 2-3 times a day on repeat haha. Either that or the first Michael Keeton Batman.

8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career?

I really loved the feedback video, I think that's an awesome idea and something other festivals should definitely adopt. Even if it's not all positive I think direct feedback from the audience is super valuable.

9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?

I've always liked FilmFreeway, it's an easy to use site, easy to navigate, I think the Gold Membership is actually worth the price which is rare for me to say about most memberships haha

10. What is your favorite meal?

I'm Italian so I like a nice Lasagna is my go to.

11. What is next for you? A new film?

Yes! Right now me and my team are in pre-production for our next film "Cold". Cold tells the story of Carmen (played by Sugey Cruz) who wakes up in purgatory and is given 1,000 days to fix the vehicle in the driveway or fade away into nothing. We're using elements of Magical Realism, Body Horror and isolation to tell this story and I'm really excited to get into production!