The New Times sure does write a lot about the Borscht Film Festival. We've given them cash money, triple coverage, and more words than a Scrabble factory.
But think of what they've done for us. Their movement represents more than a single night of local independent film per year. Borscht is actively fighting for Miami's rightful place in global cinema with movies shot and written here by locals. They take the time to do all the bullshit grant writing, festival submission form filling, and contest entering that keeps most of the rest of us stuck on YouTube with pothead big screen dreams.
So, hell yeah we support Borscht. Here's what producer Andrew Hevia has to say about love from the community, goals for the future, and creating paid film jobs in the City of Miami.
New Times: What the hell does a producer do anyways?
Most of what I do when I'm producing is put out fires. You set everything up, they make the movie, set the fires, and then you gotta put it out within time constraints. You wait, you wait, you wait, and then you run and do something really quick. And then you sit and wait.
How is this year different, now that the festival has more traction, and support?
What we did really well this year is spread out the workload, so because there's Jon Kane doing the zombie movie, and I'm doing a movie, and Lucas is doing a movie, we're not doing more than one person can handle, and we're getting a lot done. Last year, we were terrified because we were making the movies and planning the event. This year, we've had someone planning the event the entire time. So, it's not as scary as it used to be. We're learning how to do this shit right. Borscht is going to be pretty fucking epic this year.
What's your movie?
My movie is actually about a stand up comedian named Morgan Minnesota, and a 500 year old conquistador named Don Alonzo. We're shooting in Brickell, indoors and outdoors, hopefully on the Metrorail. God willing on the Metrorail.
Some people have never heard of Borscht. Explain it.
Have you seen our new logo? The python eating the alligator eating the python? That should tell you everything you need to know. It's the native and the invasive species eating each other in an endless cycle. They're both going to die horribly in the end, but it's a neverending cycle of life and death.
There are a lot of talented people down here working together. It's a beautiful thing.
I hope that we can keep creating opportunities for people, that we don't have to beg for money anymore, and that we can start paying people real wages. We want to create more than just an opportunity, like an opportunity and a job. That'd be awesome.
Is the community showing love?
I've been able to get equipment that ordinarily would cost thousands of dollars, and people are donating it to us. Midtown Video has been excellent. They've provided a lot of equipment free of charge. Cynergi Condos has been phenomenal. The owner donated the space because his girlfriend loves independent film. People have been very generous, and hopefully this is the start of it, and now the city will get behind us even more now that theyre able to see what we do with it. You give us a little we do a lot. You give us a lot , look out, we're gonna do something huge.
What goals do you have for the festival this year?
I want 2,500 people to show up, and we have to turn 500 away. I want people knocking on the doors, and I want people talking about it for a year until we do it again.
What's going on leading up to that?
April 9th at the art walk, we're doing Borscht at Dorsch Gallery, showing props and artifacts from our films. We'll have the eel that manifested out of the air in the Otto Von Schirach movie impaled on a spear in the middle of the gallery space. We'll have posters, we'll have script pages, ideas written on napkins, and all the kind of crap that comes out when you make a movie. We're doing a screening at O Cinema, and we'e doing a Star Bots robot thunderdome in the middle of the field where all the food trucks park.
The festival goes down on April 23 at the Arsht Center's Knight Concert Hall. For more information visit www.borscht.info.
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