NewEnglandFilm.com

This month marks 19 years for Connecticut’s Gay and Lesbian Film Festival. Even though the festival started in 1987, it has been in recent years that the festival has caught the attention of such notable guests including: filmmaker/writer Lawrence Ferber, actor/writer David Drake, director Johnny Symonds and musician June Millington.

It is hard to imagine that this festival was once struggling to fill seats. Now, the festival runs for nine days and has become a festival that’s about bringing "outstanding gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer film to our New England community."

The festival gave two novice NE filmmakers a forum to showcase their short about gender identity. With their first completed film, Erica Santa Lucia and Kurt Uccello, give us insight into an employee daydreaming about dressing a mannequin. We see a pleasing reaction to her daydreams when the mannequin is dressed like a male. After watching the short, we are left with the question: did we just watch a boy’s daydreams or a girl’s?

NewEnglandFilm.com got the chance to talk with the filmmakers of Non Specific. Having written, acted, directed, and edited the film themselves; there was a lot to ask about their experience.

Amanda Axelson: Can you tell me a little bit about yourselves as filmmakers?

Erica Santa Lucia: I’m not sure if I consider myself a filmmaker yet.  Non Specific is the first project I have completed.  Although Kurt and I do have a couple other films in the works perhaps after those are completed I’ll feel more comfortable with the title.

Kurt Uccello: I like to make films that, without much dialogue, can tell a story.

AA: Where did the concept for Non Specific stem from?

Santa Lucia: With Non Specific we were trying to show an exploration of gender identity using various dream sequences.  The idea for the film was inspired by the mannequin Pierre that Kurt had in his garage and the dream sequence format we had used before in another short film we wrote called Waking Out that we will eventually finish.

Uccello: The film is about gender identity.  It shows that the way you view your gender is in your mind.

AA: What was it like shooting the film, stressful?

Santa Lucia: Shooting this film was so much fun.  Working with Kurt was very enjoyable for me.  We’ve known each other for years and most often understood exactly where the other one is coming from which makes doing a project like this a lot less stressful then could very easily be.

Uccello: Shooting the film was amazingly easy.  There was only one actor at all times.  The set was built in my garage so we could use it at anytime.  A few times filming I had Erica’s six month old daughter in one of those kid backpack things.  It was so funny that we put it into the credits actually.  The only hard part about the process was editing.  My computer doesn’t have a lot of space on it.  I couldn’t upload all the footage at once.  I needed to edit as I uploaded.  A few times as Erica and I were editing the program froze and I must say that was a little stressful.

AA: Obviously your film deals with gay and lesbian issues. Did you make this film with the intention of submitting it to the CT Gay and Lesbian film festival? Or did you have other festivals in mind?

Santa Lucia: We definitely made this film with the festival in mind.  Kurt turned me on to the festival years ago and after that first time I think it’s been a goal for me.

Uccello: This film was made specifically for the CT Gay and Lesbian Film Festival.  Our main goal was getting it accepted.  We put some things around the boutique it took place in that would mean something to the festival committee.  There were some video cassettes being sold and some had names from films that were in past years festivals.  We hoped the committee would get the little hints like that.  Thought it would help our chances.

AA: What made you choose to do a short over a feature?

Santa Lucia: Time and budget.

Uccello: I like short films because I have a lot of ideas that I want to put into film.  It takes a lot less time to put together a short film so I can finish more of them.  Right now the majority of our audience is our friends so I’ve got to keep it short but sweet for them.  Erica and I are writing a feature length film right now.  So, we’ll see how that goes.

AA: What has been your experience with the CT GLFF? How do you think your short compares with the others?

Uccello: I have attended CT GLFF for eight years.  I’ve seen a lot of films, shorts and features.  I am very proud of how Non Specific came out.

AA: Why should we watch your film?

Santa Lucia: As new filmmakers I would like people to watch our film so that we can get some feedback.  Kurt and I know what it was that we were trying to get across.  The question still remains if we were able to communicate that on screen.

Uccello: You should watch Non Specific because the colorful set, the tasteless catholic priest joke, and the fact that I am in it! 

AA: I always ask this at the end of my interviews: Any advice for novice filmmakers?

Santa Lucia: My advice for anyone out there that wants to make films is to get out there and do it.  It doesn’t matter if you know what you’re doing or is the film comes out okay.  The experience is what matters.

Uccello: As a novice filmmaker myself, I say, make a film.  Get a finished film in your hands.  Let everyone see it.