Story Ave Team Talks About Growing Through Grief, Hope, And Art [SXSW]

While at sxsw, we spoke with StoryAve filmmaker AristotleBAM and cast members asanteblackk, IamLuisGuzman, MelvinGregg, Coral Peña & Alex R. Hibbert about the collision of art, grief, and hope in their film:

An inspirational tale in its own right, Story Ave is all the more touching for being rooted in director Aristotle Torres' own life. The first-time filmmaker, who co-wrote his feature film debut with Bonsu Thompson, took inspiration from his early days to expound on grief in its many different forms and on the ability of art to become therapy. Story Ave, which premiered at the SXSW Film & TV Festival last month, is an expansion of Torres' 2018 short by the same name.

Asante, I love the dynamic between you and Luis, and that you help him as much as he helps you. Can you talk about what Kadir feels in that relationship and that dynamic? Luis Guzmán: Sometimes you're in those situations. There was a moment when we were filming the scene where I kick you out, and I see my director going through a really hard emotional time because this is based on his life. I picked up on that, and I held him, so I hugged him a big bro or a tío.

Melvin, I really love how art and crime collide with OTL. You see so many artists here in this group that have gone awry in some way. What is Skemes' story to you, and what led him here? When you go to college, and you're a city kid who comes from poverty, you get there, and everybody comes from a very privileged white world. The college art world is very white, and it's very wealthy. I think, for a long time, Gloria was in college and didn't see anyone like her who understood what she was drawing from. Then she sees Kadir, and she sees herself; she sees a partner and someone that she could guide into this next wave of his life.

Asante, Kadir's relationship with his brother, and the guilt that he feels over that loss is such a motivating factor for him in this story. How do you tap into that arc and see it shift over the course of the story? Aristotle Torres: No, that was a big passion and priority for me. I think 90% of my job is locations and casting. A lot of the work we did was done prior to being on set, at least on my end. They obviously continue to discover, but we went through and spoke through every scene’s intention, and the beats and all that.

Luis Guzmán: Well, we had a discussion. And the discussion was that it was her family restaurant. Her grandfather owned it, then passed it down to her parents, and that's all. I've seen her grow up there as a little girl, and that was our connection. Throughout the film, he starts to lose that control. Kadir starts to do what he wants to do. Everything's just falling apart. Moe gets beat up, he has to leave town. And it's like he's losing control. And at that point, his anxiety kind of takes over. Throughout the film, you kind of see Skemes starting to lose control. Control of his emotions; control of his crew. You see him on the train. snapping and spazzing, where before he was kind of always in control.

To a viewer that has no idea, who's really new this world and subculture, it’s him saying, “I don't want to see you tagging, I don't want to see riding.” It might just sound like he's kicking him out, and he's mad. But it is really saying, “This life isn't for you. You have much more potential to do other things. I don't want catch you in this neighborhood f--king up more. Go do the other s--t.

I'm obsessed with Cassandra Freeman in Bel-Air, so seeing a very different side of her here was great. What was it like exploring that mother-son bond, and the complexity and nuance of it throughout the film? Aristotle, I love that Story Ave ends on such a hopeful note because it very easily could not have. But how did you know the right note to strike?

Coral, I also love For All Mankind, and I think season 4 just finished filming. What can we expect from Aleida?

We have summarized this news so that you can read it quickly. If you are interested in the news, you can read the full text here. Read more:

screenrant /  🏆 7. in US

South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Deborah Roberts Talks Al Roker's Recovery: Inside Their Love StoryHere's a glimpse into Al Roker and Deborah Roberts' love story.
Read more »

A Small Light Team On Sharing Miep Gies' Story With The WorldWe speak with ASmallLight creators TonyTphelan & Joan Rater, as well as director Susanna Fogel, about telling the story of Miep Gies and her role in hiding Anne Frank's family for the upcoming NatGeoTV and DisneyPlus series:
Read more »

Raging Grace Team Talks Celebrating The Filipino Diaspora [SXSW]While at sxsw, we spoke with RagingGrace writer-director ParisZarcilla & producer cheevil about their feature film debut and its exploration of the Filipino immigrant experience in the UK:
Read more »

2023 Fantasy Baseball MLB team power rankings: Where does your favorite team stand?Lists are fun. Lists can be a little silly, too.
Read more »

Three people hurt, some residents without power after crash near 43rd Ave and Thomas RoadThree people are hurt and some west Phoenix residents are without power after a car crashed into a power pole early Saturday morning abc15
Read more »