>> From WXXI News.

This is Connections I'm Megan Mack filling in for Evan Dawson.

Our connection this hour was made behind a camera lens, with filmmakers making creative decisions.

The connection is also made in marketing meetings and storyboarding sessions and on screens both at home and in theaters.

When you sit down to watch a film, how much are you thinking about what it takes to make that film?

From Hollywood blockbusters to local and regional documentary films, it's an art and a science.

From storytelling to financial and marketing decisions, to how a film is screened, and much of the process has changed in recent years, especially since the pandemic.

As our guest this hour will explain, it's all part of a broader trend related to how people are watching films, too.

Are you watching from your couch at home, or are you heading to a theater?

Our guests hope that you will head to a theater, specifically the Little theater, this week for the One Take Documentary series.

The screenings include six different documentary shorts, and the themes range from an exploration of identity to bedtime stories.

We discuss it all this hour with our guests and of course, in studio with me.

To start us off is Scott Pukos, Director of Communications at the Little Theater.

Always nice to have you.

>> Thanks for having me.

>> Excellent.

And also joining us today is Linda maroney, the founder and programmer of the One Take Documentary series.

Linda, it's nice to have you back as well.

>> It's great to be here.

Thanks so much, Megan.

>> So let's get started with the event information.

Scott and Linda, in case people are looking for something to do this Thursday and Saturday, what will they find at the little.

>> Yeah.

So this is the short list.

We've done it for a couple of years.

Part of the One Take Documentary series that is programmed by Linda.

And so this is a series of short films from local filmmakers at the little what we one thing that we love doing is showing films and showcasing local talent.

It's one of my this in the Rochester Teen Film Festival that we do in the summer are two of my favorite events.

It just is so cool to see what people from this area are creating for the Teen Film festival.

They're sometimes not in Rochester as well, but it's so.

It's so neat to see what they do, and I'm always in awe of what people are doing, and especially a lot of the documentary shorts like this year.

Focus on stories and and the human interest part of filmmaking, which always fascinates me.

So if anyone is into local films or our local filmmaker themselves, we always recommend that they come.

I think they'll have a good time.

>> And two chances to see them.

>> Yeah.

So it's tonight at 7 p.m.

and Saturday at 3 p.m.

it's in our tonight.

It's in our historic main theater at 240 East Avenue.

details at the little.org.

>> And the little is such a gem.

I know we talk about that a lot on this program, but what a beautiful, just fortunate community we are to have the little here.

And of course, you can find more on the website.

As Scott mentioned, doors open at 630 tonight.

Post-screening film discussion too.

>> Yeah.

So tonight includes a discussion afterward.

We have the filmmakers are going to be there.

we'll have a lot of people on stage, but it's always it's always a good conversation as you watch the movies, and then you always want to dive into it more.

So we have that often after our screenings, we'll have a discussion or something more, something that adds to the experience.

But especially, I think in this case, when we have films that are made from people who live in the area, it's always great to to look behind the lens and kind of peek into that creative process and, and find out how these stories came about.

>> We're going to talk to most of the filmmakers this hour.

I think most of them are joining us, and we'll hear from them in a bit.

But, Linda, how did you select the films for this series?

>> Yeah, so great question.

Megan.

so it was a little different this year.

We had an open call, which we hadn't really done before in the past.

I kind of pulled from lots of places that I knew and people that were making films.

But this year we did an open call, which was really great.

So we got submissions from Syracuse and Ithaca and Buffalo and Rochester and the greater Rochester area, which was really great.

and there was some constraints.

Films needed to be 30 minutes or less so that we could have several films in the program of 90 minutes, and that we wanted them obviously to be made from within this region, whether the filmmaker is from there or whether their stories were shot here and created here.

and the third part was that the films should not have had a public screening in Rochester yet.

Right.

So we want, you know, one take has shown films that are probably about 99% of the time, you cannot stream them yet.

So it's really important that this is the only place that you have that opportunity to access those films is in a theater in our beloved little theater.

but it's also really important in the sense that we wanted to continue that with the shorts program as well.

And one other thing I would throw in is that I feel like we talk so much about local food and local wine and local music, and I don't feel like we talk enough about local filmmakers being part of the local art scene.

so I think it's really, really important to foster that and highlight that and celebrate that.

>> Absolutely.

And having the opportunity to sit down in the little theater, see these films in person.

I know it's sometimes easier to sit on your couch and just turn on a streaming service, but when the decision is made as to how you screen films.

Scott and Linda.

Linda, I'll start with you.

Why the decision to just see them at the little.

Why not make them more available to people at home?

What's the value of seeing this film or these films in person?

>> I think at some point you can see them at home, but I think there's such value in coming together and having a conversation afterwards, especially with Documentary films.

it's often about issues, but it's also personal, and it's about seeing the humanity in people.

And I have found since starting programing this series in 2012 that there's such a desire to have conversation after these films, and you can't really do that.

I mean, you can text your friends if you're at home on your couch, but it's definitely not the same experience.

And the little is a gem.

I mean, it is our cultural powerhouse.

I feel like on East Ave that really brings the community together.

for filmmaking, obviously for music and art as well.

But but to be that space to celebrate local filmmakers is really important.

>> Scott, I know you've talked a lot on this program about the value of being in person as well, especially when it comes to comedy, because sitting in an audience full of people, when you're laughing at something, it's it's even more funny when everyone is laughing along with you.

And with these films, there is so much humanity.

Linda, as you said, so much heart in a lot of them.

And some are.

They pull at your heartstrings.

There's there's a lot of addressing difficult subjects, sensitive subjects.

And again, we'll talk to the filmmakers shortly.

But I understand wanting to be in person and explore these conversations with someone next to you right after seeing it.

>> Yeah, it's really that communal experience and you feel those feelings deeper when you're with a bunch of people.

So you had mentioned comedy.

So yeah, obviously you're like laughing together.

That is contagious, as they say.

But also if you're feeling something, a deeper emotion, whether it's sadness or joy or something that can make you cry.

I think having that communal experience and joining in with dozens of people or hundreds of people or whatever the case may be, is great.

I mean, we you know, aside from documentaries, we're showing Hamnet right now at the little, which is a probable Oscar contender, and it's one that's notorious for making people cry.

And I think there is something about going to a communal space and feeling those emotions together.

And certainly some of these documentaries that we're playing tonight and Saturday are going to have you feel emotions too, and I think that's always better to do so with a group.

And like Linda said, where you can talk about it afterward.

We always and I love to see this.

We have people talking in the lobby sometimes in the theater, like, well, after the movie ended and that's great.

I think that's what what we love about film, it inspires dialog and conversation.

And it you look deeper into a subject rather than just watching the movie and forgetting it.

You want to talk about it, dive deeper, think about it again, maybe watch it again.

and certainly with these, these films tonight, it's going to be that case.

And having the filmmakers there to discuss it with is obviously a really nice thing as well.

>> and there's the popcorn, of course, we always have to give a shout out to the little theaters.

Popcorn.

Best popcorn in town.

I'd like to talk a little bit about the state of the industry.

Before we hear from the filmmakers, because so much has changed, especially since the pandemic.

And I was reading an article this morning on from Videogamer.com about the state of the industry, and it's claiming that the golden age of documentary filmmaking has come to an end.

Linda, do you agree?

Is the golden age of documentary filmmaking over?

>> Yeah.

I mean, I get a little queasy saying the golden age of anything, or the best of anything.

but I feel like things have changed dramatically.

I think there was a huge boom, and there was audiences that had had a great thirst for documentaries and were going out to see them in theaters.

and then obviously COVID changed everything and things started moving to streaming a lot quicker.

and some of the funding sources have dried up for documentary filmmakers, and that's been unfortunate.

and a lot of the streamers are really only funding now.

celebrity biopics and sports films and true crime.

That seems to be the three buckets right now that have really, really you know, finding funding for, for filmmakers and cereal less so than one offs.

So it's been complicated in that sense.

So the the exhibition has definitely changed.

And, you know, I know from listening to Connections, you guys have been talking about A.I.

so much.

And that is having its own impact.

in production, not so much in exhibition and distribution, but it's having an impact, impact on production and truth and documentaries.

And, I mean, we could devote a whole episode or more to that, but that's a whole other topic.

>> You mentioned truth, and that is one question I had for both of you.

Is truth in storytelling.

It's 2025.

We're living in an era of misinformation, disinformation.

There's a lack of media literacy all around, no matter what age you may be.

Is that something you're concerned about when it comes to documentaries?

Linda, are you worried about what filmmakers have to contend with and also the information that's getting out there for people that may be using A.I.?

And how are you balancing that?

>> Yeah, I'm tremendously concerned.

the Archival Producers Alliance have put out a toolkit of best practices for the industry of how to deal with it, because obviously budgets have come down in size.

And, you know, we work in moving pictures.

So if you don't have a still or you can't afford animation or you can't afford to shoot a recreation with actors and sets some people are resorting to using A.I.

for stills or for footage at this point.

And what does that look like?

and so they have really gotten out in the forefront and like I said, put out this toolkit and about talking about transparency.

And obviously even before using it, thinking about whether it's necessary or not, and really being conscious about whether it's worth using it or not.

But if you're going to what best practices look like they have a great toolkit on their website.

I would definitely encourage anyone that's interested in this topic to go check that out.

but it is a huge concern.

We know it's out there.

We know it's fooling people on social media.

and we know that documentaries are supposed to be trustworthy and present the truth.

obviously every documentary has a point of view, but it should still be truthful.

And this is complicating things.

I feel really strongly that media literacy needs to be taught, probably in about fifth grade.

At this point in every school as we know, so many more people are just getting their information from media, and that's only going to, you know, cartwheel even further into numbers.

>> I'm thinking of Tilly Norwood, the, the A.I.

quote, unquote actor.

I don't even want to use the word actor.

The A.I.

generated character that's being passed as an actor.

How do you think people are able to distinguish between A.I.

characters or not yet?

>> Scott I mean, it's part of the media literacy that that Linda just mentioned.

I like to I think a lot of people can, obviously, but but there just is so much misinformation.

And that part of the problem is, yeah, that it is tricking people.

It is duping people, whether it's yeah, A.I.

is a visual or and I've seen news outlets will do it for articles.

and, and often post incorrect information because it's not an accurate form.

It's this is why you need humans to do this.

Exactly.

so yeah, it's it's certainly a concern for sure.

And I like to I like to be optimistic and think people can, can tell the difference.

But also I'm realistic and know that there were there are some problems with that for sure.

>> I saw a commercial recently that to me, I thought it was 100% A.I.

generated.

It was with different animals.

I mean, of course they're not real animals, but I was like, is this some kind of animation that humans did or is it purely A.I.?

And I was like, I don't like that.

I don't know, that drives me crazy, that I don't know.

And someday when my son is watching a show and he's like, what is this?

Am I going to be able to tell the difference?

Will he be able to tell?

I'm just I have lots of concerns.

>> I hope we can tell.

>> I don't want this to be the Megan Therapy Hour, but.

>> Yeah, no, no, I think, well, archival producers are talking about, like, putting a bug like a watermark on footage.

If it is A.I.

and being really, really transparent, what that would look like.

but I think I'm hoping some of this stuff is a bubble.

And I'm hoping that there's going to be a premium on more handmade projects again.

and that's kind of what we're showcasing at the little tonight.

These are very personal films to all the filmmakers.

>> Yes.

One filmmaker who is not using A.I.

is Mark Marcus, who is joining us on the phone now.

His film is called solitude in Two Voices, selected for the one take series.

And Marcus, thanks so much for joining us.

>> Thanks for having me on.

>> And Marcus, I'm not sure if you heard the last few minutes about A.I., but no A.I.

in your film.

>> No, no A.I.

>> No A.I.

You have a team of of people working, a couple local photographers.

And tell us about the generation of your film.

How did how did everything come together for solitude and two voices?

>> Yeah, it started as an invitation to create some video for a playwright and, founder of Flamboyan Theater in Denver when I was still living there.

And he wanted to do some sort of projection and just researching and working with him.

I read one of his essays that he had written on, you know, being so much of an artist that he couldn't be an activist.

This idea of, you know, activists eventually have to negotiate at a table and compromise.

And he's like, I'm an artist, and I don't want to compromise.

And so subsequently moved here and really didn't like the visuals that we used.

It was kind of started as a homage to Chantal Akerman and doing some long shots and things like that.

but then I got to meet these great photographers in this community, and I thought, you know, really a big part for me was the audience listening to both John, Mark and Tony's words, the essay, and then the play.

sorry, the poetess that his film or sorry, his play focused on Julia de Burgos, just to listen to their words and let those absorb and not have the visuals compete too much.

And so that's how I ended up using some local photographers.

One who is Puerto Rican as are both the essayist and Julia de Burgos, and then one who was shooting in Puerto Rico.

And so the black and white is shots of Puerto Rico itself.

And then the color photography is Richard Colon, who's a local photographer here.

>> and the the theme of the film, for those that may not be able to get to the little theater tonight, is is feeling like an outsider as a Puerto Rican artist in the Latino arts community.

Tell us a little bit more about that.

Marcus.

>> Yeah, and I am not Puerto Rican.

And so but, you know, looking at diverse voices in our, in our culture being able to work with local artists, of course for the visuals.

But just elevating someone else's voice and, and having this great opportunity to dig into that and learn a lot along the way.

But I think for the audience, it's an intermingling of John Marc Anthony's essay about being an artist.

And Julia de Burgos is first poem she ever wrote in English.

And also the last poem she ever wrote before she died called Farewell to Welfare Island, which is really considered her goodbye to the world.

It was sort of a lamentation about her time both in her mental struggles, but also just her struggles as a as an artist and an activist and a wife and, all these different persona that she had to embrace.

>> The distinguishment between art and activism really struck me as I was watching the film.

So the words are art is self-aware and critiquing and curious, and activism is self righteous.

And do you agree with the concept that those two can't really intersect?

>> I mean, I think.

>> I'm talking to another artist about this the other day.

I think there's an argument to be made, that artists compromise as well, right?

Whether it's our own esthetic or whether we're thinking of an audience before we put something out.

But but what I think what I like about the tension is just you know, what are your intentions when you're making when you're telling a story?

And what does it mean to compromise?

And what does it mean to be an activist?

And I think certainly there's some co-mingling and I don't think that there's a, a line in the sand necessarily between being an artist and activist, but I but really, for my part, was really just trying to tell John's story in an authentic way as well as intermingling the poem.

And it's not that they're interlinear in the sense that what he says exactly reflects what she says in her voice.

as it was read by DJ that I met in Denver.

But I think there's just, you know, to be thought provoking to invite people to the conversation and to and to be curious.

>> Well, it certainly had an impact on you, and I know it had an impact on Linda Moroni as well, because you were selected for just one of six films that are being screened.

Linda, what what struck you the most about this film?

>> I think the humanity of it, I mean, it is it is beautiful.

it's beautifully put together.

The words the images, all of it is just something that even if we don't have those lived experiences, there's something in it that that we can absolutely relate to and understand and, and that's one of the most beautiful things about art.

Correct?

>> Absolutely.

So solitude in two voices, you can find that.

Yes.

Tonight.

Tonight and Saturday at the little theater.

Marcus.

Eisen.

Eisen.

My apologies, filmmaker, for that.

Thank you so much for joining us.

And we'll see you at the little tonight.

>> Great.

Thank you.

>> Thank you Linda.

Up next for our list here.

I know we're moving a little quickly, but we have so many talented filmmakers.

We wanted to make sure we could talk to as many people as we can.

this is a film about Creole music.

Tell us a little bit about who's playing.

Who's that play in my box.

>> Yeah.

So this is from Clara Riedlinger.

Clara is a local filmmaker.

She has taught at RIT and U of R, and she also plays fiddle.

She's a musician herself, and she's really entrenched in different communities.

musically wise.

And in addition to filming and I would let her tell you how she met Joe Hall and explained all that.

but I think there's again, there's such you know, even if we don't live in Louisiana and we're not part of this musical tradition, legacy, I think there's things that we can relate to and understand, especially with our community here being so rich in terms of music.

>> And Clara is on the line with us now.

Clara, filmmaker and musician, thank you so much for joining us.

>> Hello.

Thank you so much for having me.

And to Linda for screening the film.

>> Tell us about the genesis of your film.

What what about this story led you to create your film about it?

>> Yeah.

So I actually came into this project after it had already begun.

So you'll know on the on the program, there's another name there.

Marc Palms, who was playing in a band with Joe Hall at the time, and they came up to play in West Virginia at a festival that had hired me to just film the music that was happening there at the festival.

And I got to talking with Joe and Marc and they said, you know, we're we've really been trying to make this film, but we're not filmmakers.

And it seems like, you know, we have a common goal and really uplifting these communities of traditional musicians that might otherwise be overlooked or just aren't as well documented as other musical forms or, you know, household names might be and Joe was just such a warm generous person and had obviously had a huge impact on his community.

that I just really wanted to be a part of helping to tell that story.

so, like Marcus not being a Puerto Rican, I am obviously not a Creole person.

I didn't really know anything about Creole culture or music before I started working with Joe and Marc.

I had never even been to Louisiana, so it was totally you know, world opening for me.

but that was sort of my entry point was that Marc and Joe asked me to join the team and help tell their story.

>> I was talking to our volunteer, Gary, about this film before this hour began, and he said that he was struck by how many people were influenced by Joe Hall's music and his talent, and just keeping his legacy going is so important.

Who do you want to see this film, Clara?

For those especially who may not be familiar with Creole music.

>> Yeah.

so I think there are a few different audiences that I really want to see the film and hopefully be impacted by it.

The first number one community that this film is for, to be totally honest, is other Creole people.

and other, I will say Creole and Cajun people.

so obviously that's in Louisiana, but there really is a dearth of particularly black Creole musicians continuing to play this music.

And it was Joe's goal to bring more people, particularly young people into the tradition.

So I really want to help support Joe's goal in that.

and whether it is Creole musicians in Louisiana or if, you know, some young person sees the film and says, oh, my community has a type of music or a tradition that I have not engaged with.

I want to help make sure that that tradition is alive.

you know, I really want to touch those people as well.

so, you know, really anybody who can see themselves in this story and say, I want to help my community preserve our traditions those are the people I want to see the film.

>> That's beautiful.

And before I let you go, Clara, let's talk about the title.

What does the title refer to?

>> Yeah.

So I really love when the title of the film is spoken in the film.

so that is a line that Joe said when he was telling me the story of how he first came to play the accordion, and he learned from his grandfather first, and he had snuck into his grandfather's bedroom when he was off at work.

And Joe was maybe six years old, and his grandpa came home from work and heard the accordion and the other room and said, who's that playing?

My boss.

and it was Joe.

So that's a line in the film.

Joe says it.

but there's, you know, plenty of other context around it, too.

>> Do you play the accordion as a musician?

Are you.

>> Know, I don't.

I play the fiddle and I play guitar.

although I did have a dream while I was working on the film that I was playing accordion.

So if anybody has a, I will say a diatonic button accordion that they are trying to get rid of preferably in the key of C or G, I will take it.

>> I'm sure there are a million of those out there, Clara, so don't worry, we will try.

We will track that down in Connections.

You can connect.

We'll connect you with that.

Thank you so much for joining us.

Enjoy the screenings over the next few days, and we appreciate that so much.

Claire Redlinger, filmmaker and musician Scott, I'm just thinking about how many different films you have in the range of issues.

We're talking about music.

We're talking about identity and and art and activism.

We're also talking about bedtime stories.

There are so many different themes.

There's something for everyone at this, at this screening coming up.

>> Yeah.

So that's that's what I love about these short films.

It's like it just takes you on a bunch of different journeys.

so again, it's tonight, 7 p.m., doors open at 630.

Our cafe opens at five.

So if you want to grab a bite to eat, make a whole whole night out of it.

You can do that.

and then if you can't make it tonight on course screening, it's at 3 p.m.

Details at the little.org.

but, yeah, so many different stories.

And and I agree with Clara.

I do love when they say the title of the movie within the movie.

It just it gets me hyped up.

So I'm excited to see it in this one.

>> So Scott's an improviser.

He does comedy, improv, and it's sort of like Scott, when you hear the suggestion from the audience in the scene, it's like, oh, they they use my word.

They use my word.

That reminded me of that.

It's there's always something for everyone.

So I'm glad that we've got so much to work with here, including a conversation about bedtime stories.

And this is a film that is is so joyful, so joyful.

Claire Bessler is the filmmaker behind Good Night, Sleep Tight.

And Linda, why did you select this one for the lineup?

>> so I tell my students a lot that as speaking as a film programmer that we're often looking for documentaries that aren't so hard and you know, really challenging and difficult emotionally, sometimes we, we are really looking for stories that are beautiful and short and not, I don't want to say the happy doc, but things that aren't as tough, right?

We want to balance it out as you were talking about.

Our program tonight is that it's really you don't want to have the same note all along, right?

Sometimes you need moments for the audience to breathe.

and just be in a different space before they step off into another, another emotional plane.

so it's always really great to get films that are really well made short documentaries that aren't that are refreshing.

And again, not quite not saying, not that it's not happy, but but that doesn't have the challenging and difficulties.

That's a lot of other documentaries do.

>> Claire is on the line with us now and can tell us more about Good Night, sleep tight.

but to summarize, we're talking about bedtime stories.

Claire, I love that so much.

Thanks for joining us.

>> Hi.

Thank you so much for having me.

>> The inspiration for this film, I, I'd love to ask you about that because we're following three different families, very different stories.

What was the the inspiration for this piece?

>> Yeah.

So my father read me and my brother bedtime stories when I was a kid, and it was such.

It's one of the things that I remember most vividly in my childhood.

and he would usually read stories that already existed, but he would also, like, tell us stories from memory.

so one of those is he would tell us The Hobbit completely from memory.

And I was just so interested in that.

And like how that story was so important to him.

And it was, like, important to us because it was important to him.

And so I really wanted to explore that explore kind of that oral storytelling.

the relationship between parent and child or guardian and child.

and so I took a lot of inspiration from my dad for this one.

>> I love that.

I also love that in this film, the children that are featured, they are just full of such wonder and curiosity.

There's a scene with, I believe they're twins, two young girls.

I think Roxanne and Vivian are their names.

Yes.

And the twin who's sitting closer to the camera is her face.

She's just enraptured.

With what?

What's happening in the story that she's hearing.

I found that so beautiful to watch.

And between that and just never being wrong, these stories, there's no right or wrong.

You can have a car that drives underwater as one of the.

The young kids brings up, or a trampoline at the end of a waterslide that ends underwater.

It doesn't matter how it works, or if it doesn't, it doesn't matter.

It's beautiful.

It's great.

And so to me, I'm just thinking like nothing is off the table.

Nothing is wrong.

And that's so different from what we deal with in our everyday lives.

Whether it's being told no or questions or this won't work, because here's a place where everything is acceptable and welcome.

And I just found so much beauty in that.

Claire.

>> Yeah.

it it was a lot of fun to kind of also help shape these stories in the edit, because obviously we have to condense these nighttime stories down.

And so there's so, so much, yes ending that we had to cut.

But yeah, I think like I just really enjoyed that process too, of like the creation process of creating these stories and allowing like, you know, the parents or guardians to kind of start and then the kids can, like, are in a place where they feel like they can continue the story and add to the story and sometimes take control of the story.

so that was that was really amazing to see.

>> And there were no screens.

I don't know if you noticed that, Scott, but there were no screens, no phones.

It was just people having a conversation.

And that is certainly different than than what we're seeing or talking about.

Usually, I don't know, that's that stood out to me too.

>> Yeah.

That's that.

You don't see that a lot.

which is another reason I do like movies, because that is a space, communal space where you're not on your screen.

At least you're not supposed to be on your phone.

Some people do, and we see that.

But at least for the most part.

Yeah.

You're just you're just in there.

You're in the moment.

>> So some some hark back to your childhood, Claire.

And who would you like to be the primary audience for this film?

Obviously, everyone's going to be as delighted, I hope, as we were.

But who would you say is your primary your primary audience for good night?

>> Sleep tight.

I really think anyone I think people who had this experience or remember having bedtime stories read to them and like, want a little bit of nostalgia and reminiscing about their own childhood.

and then the people that just want to have like, hope, I think, I think this film like me making it, it gave me a lot of hope and just like joy.

And so I really hope that it can be a film that other people who are looking for that can, can sit down for 12 minutes and, like, laugh with these kids and just completely forget about, you know, all the troubles going on.

>> Director Claire Bessler, filmmaker of Good Night, Sleep Tight.

Thank you so much for joining us.

Thank you for your film.

And we'll see you tonight at the Little Theater.

>> Thank you so much, Scott.

>> Do you have a bedtime story that you remember from your childhood?

>> Oh, that's a good question.

I wish.

>> Or now are you being told you maybe you're being told bedtime stories.

Maybe you tell your cat bedtime stories.

>> I like to imagine that I don't.

I've really been into dreams lately that I've wanted to, like, start journaling my dreams so I could like lucid dream so I could probably get a story out of there.

Because I just love that.

Especially when it's a child.

Like just that pure imagination.

that just is so wonderful.

And like you were saying, all these scenarios and, and it is like improv where you like, there is no wrong answer, just whatever creative, fun, joyful thing that is in your head works.

And that is the right answer.

>> And there's so much animation in this film too.

I regret not asking Claire about that, but there's there's pictures of pigs and fairies and just all these beautiful drawings and animation that people will see tonight or Saturday when they watch this film.

Linda, any bedtime stories stand out to you from your childhood?

Or maybe that you've told your kids.

>> Oh my gosh.

definitely some that I've told my kids.

I don't remember.

I as far as being a child being read many stories, but I'm sure I was, but that's not coming to mind.

But what did come to mind was the animation that you brought up is that Claire worked with three different animators so that each story would have its own unique look and feel that it would have almost be crafted from from the children and the family's hands.

so she really spent a lot of time on working all the animation through and bringing it back to Catesby.

there's quite a cast in that movie that.

>> That's Scott's cat.

>> Yes.

Shout out to cats.

I think I mentioned her every time I'm on here, so thank you for doing that for me, I appreciate it.

>> Yes, as you should, as we should.

We're going to take our only break of the hour.

When we come back, we'll talk about more films that you'll be seeing.

If you have questions, if you have a bedtime story that you remember from growing up, if there's a subject of a film recently that inspired you, we want to hear about it.

You can call the program at 844295 talk.

That's 844295 talk or 263 WXXI 2639994.

You can also email us at connections@wxxi.org at wxxi.org.

And we will be right back with more on the One Take Documentary series.

>> I'm Megan Mack Friday on the next Connections.

Marjorie Taylor Greene recently told CBS News that Republicans are terrified to step out of line when it comes to President Trump.

The comments raised some issues and questions among people in the MAGA movement and those outside it, including the founder of an organization called Leaving MAGA.

Rich lodges founded the organization after he himself left the movement.

We talked to him about the state of the movement and more.

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>> This is Connections I'm Megan Mack filling in for Evan Dawson today I'm joined by by Scott Pukos from the Little Theater and Linda maroney from the One Take Documentary series.

We're talking about the films that will be screened tonight and also Saturday afternoon at The Little as part of the One Take Documentary series, the shorts and next up is a film called A Song Between the Gardens, and that's from director Nastaran Bagheri, who is joining us on the phone right now.

Nazran, thanks so much for joining us.

>> Hi.

Thank you so much for having me on the show.

>> You're a PhD student in the Department of Media Study at the University at Buffalo.

And that campus served as inspiration for your film.

Tell us a little bit about that.

>> Yeah, exactly.

so it's a short, experimental documentary and it's centered around a conversation between two international students at the university, and both of them are from Iran.

And.

the film follows their conversation along with different shots from different corners and spots on the campus.

And these are students reflect on their lives here in the States while while also recalling their student experiences, back home and I think the film is in general, a kind of psychogeographic exploration.

of different spaces.

We encounter.

And I try to show how we carry different memories with us into these new landscapes new places that we go and how spaces can shape emotions and histories.

We bring along.

And yeah.

And the film is also a tribute to the Iranian students involved in woman life freedom movement that happened three years ago.

in Iran.

And yeah, I think the core of the film is to to explore how university spaces are these intellectual hubs and these places that foster awareness and critical thinking and a sense of responsibility toward one's community.

>> I'm thinking about some of the points that you just mentioned with spaces and how they bring up memories, and looking at the visuals of this film, you have very, for lack of a better word, tranquil or calm images in Buffalo.

And then the chaos of this, this movement that you're discussing, the juxtaposition of those two things was, I think, unsettling in a positive way.

I hope that doesn't come across as negative, because I mean it to say that it helped me think more about the subject at hand, because I wasn't I wasn't pulled into visuals that would have, I guess, maybe distracted me from the what the two students were actually talking about.

And Linda, from a filmmaking perspective, how do you feel about that?

>> Yeah, I think it was very, very effective.

you know, we have these beautifully framed shots where maybe we're seeing changes of lighting or simple movements.

but it really focuses us to excuse me, to pay attention on the words and what we're hearing in this discussion that's happening.

And we almost feel like we're eavesdropping in some way on this conversation, because it feels so intimate.

and yet accessible.

so we're really forced to really, really pay attention with our ears and not just our eyes.

>> Nasreen.

When people walk away from the screening tonight, what do you hope they will remember or think about when it comes to your film?

There's a lot to digest, and some of it's difficult to to think about because we're talking about lives at risk and, and different political movements.

What do you hope people take away?

>> as of right now, I hope they become more eager to learn about different perspectives of people with different backgrounds and different to different dealing with different situations and to become interested more in hearing other stories and, and also to encourage them to reflect on their own lives and their own experiences when it comes to become active.

And aware about things happening around them.

>> There's so much to talk about with your film, and I'm sure that those themes will be discussed tonight at the talkback.

I want to thank you for joining us.

I know you're a busy student, so we'll let you get back to work, but Nastaran Bagheri, thank you so much for your film.

A Song Between the Gardens, and thanks for joining us today.

>> Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Have a nice one.

>> You too.

Again, Linda, as you mentioned, we're moving between different themes and different feelings between films.

We move from bedtime stories to something like that, and that's a a very explicit choice to make.

And how do you hope people absorb sort of the different emotions that they're going to be seeing tonight at the festival?

>> Well, I think it just it's it's life, right?

We we have ups and downs and we have all different things every single day.

but to see that all in one setting, I mean, I think that's kind of the beauty of Schwartz is that you're not getting all one tone or one thing, but you get to access so many different things.

in a short period of time that it becomes it just hopefully enriches how you see the world.

and that your heart grows bigger and your viewpoint of the world gets even more diverse and bigger.

And and that's all we can hope for.

>> And I expect that's a goal of filmmaker TK James, who's joining us on the line now.

Their film is we're using some discretion with the language here, but I'll say, f your policy.

And that's something that TK and I discussed ahead of the program today.

it's a documentary in five parts, exploring the different experiences of non-binary people.

TK, thanks so much for joining us.

>> Thank you so much for having me.

>> And there's there's so many different angles to discuss with your film, but let's start with what would you like people to know about it?

And then we'll dive into some of the particulars.

>> Yeah, I think one really big goal of mine, when I was coming into making this film was that it wasn't about one person's experience.

I wanted to capture as much breadth and as much complexity of all of these different people.

Like, there are so many different ways to be non-binary.

And so my goal was always to create something like an entry level experience for someone who maybe had never met a trans person before, or never met a non-binary person before, to showcase not only the joys of being non-binary, but also the difficulties and the ways that it affects all of us differently.

So my goal was always for people to have essentially an accessible entry point to discussions that maybe we would never be able to have otherwise.

>> Linda, why did you choose this film for the series?

>> well, I did have a small committee this year, so it wasn't just me.

but I think TK's film is really beautiful.

I think it's really brave.

I think it's there's an honesty and an authenticity to it.

I know TK was very aware while making this film of of it not being just one note of one experience like they just said, but to really be much more holistic and give a bigger picture view, but at the same time, to also capture those details that are very specific to each individual person.

>> I think that something that I wanted to ask you about, TK, is the way in which the film is constructed.

So at first we see interviews with the people that you're you're speaking with, and it's just a, you know, a person talking to the camera.

Then we move into a segment where the interview subject is sitting in front of a mirror, and then we move into a segment where it's silhouettes or, or different images where you can't see individual faces and their bodies are moving freely and they're so different.

The way in which those interviews are approached visually.

And then at the end, it's sort of a bunch of those images together.

So what was your your thought process behind that, and what do you hope people will think about when they see those dynamic choices that you made?

>> Yeah, my thought process behind it was very actually based on the non-binary flag itself.

So each section of the documentary that you see is color coded to a particular section of the flag.

And I wanted to be able to show that, like, there are these like heavier moments where you really have to sit with someone and confront them as who they are.

And there are also these moments where we are not people anymore.

We are just concepts of like joy and life and all of the lived experiences we have.

And I want people to be able to watch this and understand on a more empathetic level, what an a person's experience with gender can be in this like, kind of complex, nebulous middle space.

And so that was always the goal with it.

And I hope that that comes across at least a little bit when people watch it.

>> Well, there's so much emotion in the film, two different people with different experiences, whether they found it difficult or impossible sometimes to come out to their families how they interpreted comments from President Trump on January 20th when he discussed there are only two genders and there's there's anger, of course, in the film, as indicated by the title.

And when you were sitting down with the people who you feature, what was the overall feeling after the interview?

Do you do you think that the emotion they maybe came in with had changed, or do you feel like it grew in any way?

>> I know for me personally, when I came into this film, I was very scared.

I was worried I wasn't going to represent the experience authentically.

And what if I was color coding too much to my own experience and not leaving space for other people?

But at the end of every interview, I had kind of a moment with each person that was just kind of like, wow, I really needed this.

I needed the chance to talk about how I feel in a space that is open to whatever I need it to be.

And so I think the longer I worked on the film, the less I became.

I'm really scared I'm not going to be able to do this right.

And more so I became I have such a wonderful opportunity here ahead of me to do this as best I can, and that will be good enough, you know?

>> And when you think about who's watching this film, I think sometimes we are we are all in our own little bubbles.

Occasionally.

And if there's someone in the audience tonight who may be may have questions, may perhaps agree with certain federal decisions or policies.

And the people in this film feel differently.

How do you how do you hope they view things after watching the film?

>> I hope I did make this film kind of with my dad in mind.

He is someone who I disagree with quite a bit politically, but he has always supported me in what I'm doing, and so I wanted to make something that I could hypothetically show to him and give him kind of second thought, even I don't think an eight minute documentary will convince somebody to radically change their entire political views.

But my hope has always been that it would instill at least a second thought, a chance to look at these people that maybe you have never met before and only ever condemned in policy, and be like, wait a minute, these are people and I can relate to these people and I care about them because I do intrinsically, intrinsically believe that all people are at a base level, good.

And so that is kind of my hope is to appeal to the people who maybe just never had a chance to interact with a non-binary person before.

>> Humanizing the issue.

You will see that tonight with f your policy from director TK James.

TK thank you so much for joining us today.

We'll see you at the little tonight.

>> Yes, we'll see you tonight.

Thank you for having me.

>> We are down to our last couple minutes.

And Scott and Linda, I feel like we've covered so many things and there's literally something for everyone who's interested in attending the screening, either tonight or on Saturday.

But the overall message, Linda, what do you think when it comes to here's an opportunity to see a very different set of films with very different themes and subjects.

But what do you hope the experience is for?

For someone like me who's coming and sitting down and ready to to watch?

>> Yeah.

I mean, I hope it's, it's something that a person would come and see all these different films and they would get something different out of each one.

you know, again, as TK just said, an eight minute film may not radically change your mind about anything, but it might open the door and there may be a wedge to have a bigger discussion about any of these topics or to see it presented in a different way that that someone may not have thought about.

and then the added conversation tonight adds tremendously.

You know, if people have questions or want to learn more about these topics or the creative process or art or activism or you know, just how they see humanity, how artists and filmmakers understand and want to tell these stories where they come from.

They have that opportunity tonight, which is not something that you get when you sit at home and watch movies on your sofa.

>> That is so true.

And I know Scott Pukos of the Little Theater agrees.

We will see you all tonight at Little Theater one at 7:00 for the series.

Scott.

Linda, thank you both so much for joining me today.

Thank you.

Thanks to our filmmakers as well and our team behind the glass and in our our YouTube team.

Thank you for all of your work.

Megan Mack sitting in for Evan today.

We will talk to you more tomorrow on Connections from WXXI Public Media.

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