Austin Film Festival 2019 Report #3: Shorts, Liz Hannah Panel & THE BYGONE

In this report from Austin Film Festival 2019 I’ve got two interesting, female driven shorts, notes from a writer’s panel with Liz Hannah, and my final film: The Bygone. 

Pioneers (Charlotte Fassler and Dani Girdwood)

In this short we are thrust right into a story without knowing all the details. It’s pioneer times and two women are walking a stretch of desert, exhausted and dehydrated. They’re following something, running from another, but we aren’t certain of their destination or intent. It’s a barren plain, and the pressure mounts. We discover one is pregnant, making the stakes even higher, and when they run into some men on horseback looking for some outlaws, we realize things are even more complicated than we thought.
There’s enough of a seed here that I’m curious to these women’s past and future. As just a snapshot, delivered in an intriguing package of a time when things were even harder for women, I’d love to see more. Writers Diana Irvine and Bianca Rusu are also the stars, and they do a great job of capturing the resolve and importance of their story. The film is directed by Charlotte Fassler and Dani Girdwood, who utilize the setting well.

Scott Markus of the ISA and I were able to chat with stars/writers Diana Irvine and Bianca Rusu.

On writing the story: 

Bianca Rusu: Our job as actors is to best serve the story, in whatever way possible. So, we are solely vessels for this story to be told. So, to approach it from that perspective were sort of able to craft it from the outside and the inside. We initially approached screenwriting because we had never really done it before, let alone as a duo. So, we approached it from an acting standpoint. We used improv and all different sorts of techniques to help us figure out the story and serve it properly.

Diana Irvine: We all watched a lot of shorts and read a lot of books about screenwriting. We talked to a lot of screenwriter friends because I think we both really respect them, and that craft. We didn’t want to just come in swinging thinking “Oh yeah, we can do this- it’s so easy.” We knew it was going to be its own mountain to climb, and had real respect for that as well.

On potentially making it into a feature:

Diana Irvine: We definitely have a feature in mind, and I think because Bianca and I had done so much with the backstory, the short in effect can and probably will function as the top of the second act of our feature. We’ve outlined and have begun writing a feature version, so we are very much thinking about that and have for quite a while.

Bianca Rusu: We created a full story in order to create this short. Without the intention of necessarily turning it into a feature, but having done that has now led to people wanting to see more, which is ultimately what you want from a short. You want it to feel complete, but you want to leave people wanting more. So, it’s had a wonderful response and effect and it has made us very excited to go back to our humble abodes and just keep pounding the pavement with the outline we created.

We want to thank Diana Irvine and Bianca Rusu for speaking with us. 

Automatic (Emma Doxiadi)

This Greek short, based on real events from 2014 which Emma Doxiadi also writes, follows two young women (Romanna Lobach, Katerina Zisoudi) as they head out for the day. When one starts taking pictures of a dog that looks like one they recognize it’s quickly realized that they caught a snapshot of something in the background as well. Attached to a bike is a rifle, and a sense of dread settles over the two as they become fearful, concerned that men are following them, and their lives are in danger.

I won’t go into the ending, because it takes away from the integrity of the short, but the feeling of unease is perceptible throughout, progressing as more questions and thoughts arise before any answers are found. The film looks great, and the stars effectively portray the tightening power of paranoia.

Notes from the Liz Hannah Panel

I was able to sit in on a panel at Austin Film Festival with Liz Hannah, writer and co-writer of films like The Post, Long Shot & and the Netflix show Mindhunter.

Despite her success the young woman sitting up at the front of the room seemed humbled, but happy to divulge anything she could to help other writers or to just fill the inquiring minds of the room with interesting factoids. And, she did.

She talked about how she found the story portrayed in The Post to be timeless, and of a remarkable woman. She wondered, “Does anyone care to see a movie about a woman? Women can win.” And she wanted to address the underdogs, those told they weren’t good, pretty or smart enough. Hannah went on to discuss what a whirlwind it was getting that movie made, working with such stars like Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks (from who she says she learned so much), and having it be directed by the legendary Steven Spielberg. She also mentioned Nora Ephron and how she was the connecting factor that really got all of them together.

She says that Longshot was like a love letter to her husband, about friendship, love and respect. She also really wanted to show how funny Charlize Theron could be and how warm Seth Rogan was.

She discussed the challenge, which she’s still in the process of developing, of adapting a book like Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. With it being primarily 1^st person narration (a terrific novel) it’s difficult to formulate that into a script. She also mentioned her responsibility with All The Bright Places to depict mental health honestly.

Some tips? Rely on a collaborator. This transitioned to Mindhunter, the Netflix show and her work with David Fincher, who she says, “made her a better writer.” When asked about why this show was different or what interested her she stated that these are “people who consciously decide to spend their time with psychopaths. That was fascinating.” One of the episodes she worked on was in the most recent season with Charles Manson, an incredibly riveting piece of television (I adore this show). She discussed how it was challenging, but even when dealing with someone like Manson, who is a “villain,” as a writer you need to have empathy for them. They’ll end up being two-dimensional if you don’t. “This is a human, regardless of who they are. Your job is to make them three-dimensional characters.” She also mentioned that while there was endless research done for this, she also had to disconnect from the idea, at times, that this was a real person in order to really own the character.

She was especially moved and inspired when she first read To Kill A Mockingbird and feels that greatly impacted her. She idolized Harper Lee, and felt empathy and compassion were especially important when writing/reading great characters. She says that she believes in the universe, and that when feeling down about writing she would just keep doing it until something exceptional happened. Don’t write for it to just end up in a drawer. “It’s not easy.” “If you want to be a screenwriter you have to make things. Find collaborators and make things.”

The Bygone (Graham Phillips, Parker Phillips)

The Bygone follows young rancher, Kip (Graham Phillips) also co-writer/director with brother Parker Phillips, who, after meeting a woman randomly, finds himself on a trail of mystery and violence.

Their ranch is slowly going under and his father’s (Jamie McShane) health isn’t well. In the beginning of the film after some cryptic voiceover (that suits the mood, really) and some writing about the continued mistreatment of Native Americans, we see Kip enter a brothel. This is clearly not his sort of scene, and on his way out, after realizing this himself, he stops an assault on a young woman there, Laura (Sydney Schafer). He picks her up walking down the road and takes her back to his ranch for the night. There isn’t a romantic aspect to their evening, but Kip is clearly intrigued by the beautiful Waniya (her real name).

He’s also not the only one. Her “pimp” Paris played by Shawn Hatosy, seems especially fixated on her, despite having many women under his grip. When he finds where Waniya is he takes her back by force, leaving Kip bruised on the side of the road. Of course, as a western, and Kip being the sort of hero you’d predict, he’s committed to finding her. There’s plenty of greed and evil in the area, but the sheriff (Mike McColl) is genuine to help. Kip’s uncle Uncle Beckett (Ritchie Coster), one of the more one-note characters, wants to find her, but for his own twisted reasons. Unfortunately, his piece is one that the film could have benefited from shedding.

There’s a lot of dark subject matter, with racism, sexual assault, human trafficking and consistent violence. Tonally, The Bygone never lets up on that fact, delivering an ominous tinge throughout its run time.

From a story standpoint, this isn’t a script that is paving new ground. A damsel in distress (even if she has her own empowering moments) with some dialogue a bit on the nose (“We all have names”) and an unnecessary extended sequence at the end, are all a bit messy, even if they’re well intended. However, the film also does some things really well. There’s terrific framing, images that really capture a western feel with interestingly lit shots and sequences that embrace a visual harshness. Some of the scenery and filming is also really gorgeous, like the sunrise behind a striding horse. The music is also great, a country twang with a portentous clatter. The editing is keenly handled, with the tension always at the surface and the brawl scenes executed in a realistic, skilled manner.

With The Bygone there’s a real sense of desperation, and despite its setbacks, the film manages its goal. The acting is mostly done well, if not over the top at times, including Hatosy in his attempt to embody the ultimate bad-cowboy. It isn’t an ideal vision, but The Bygone will satisfy most western fans, and for rest- there are some inner-workings here that show promise for the Phillips’ Brother’s future.

The Bygone will be available for streaming on November 12th.

Were you able to see any of these films or catch any panels at this years Festival? We’d love to know, tell us in the comments below!