TO KILL AN AMERICAN and COWBOY Directed By Matthew Modine

 (Very excited about this Q and A.  I have always admired Matthew Modine for his fine performances!)

Indie Express: Tell us about your film?

Matthew: There are two films in CineVegas. “cowboy” and “to kill an American”.

Cowboy is simply a joke. “A cowboy goes into a bar and…”. Perhaps Cowboy may become part of a larger feature. Perhaps not. It was fun to make.

To Kill an American (TKA) is inspired by a song sung by Paul Robeson during the

Second WW. It was filmed in the back of a U-Haul truck parked beside Washington Square Park. The actors are everyday New Yorkers that happened to be in the park.

IE: How did you come up with the idea for the film?

M: I thought it would be fun to film a joke. I was right.

TKA is an attempt to show that Americans do not come from a certain place and are not a certain kind of people. To remind us of what it is to be an American. You don’t have to live in America to be an American.

IE: How did you assemble your production team?

M: It was a small group of friends on both films. Short films should have small crews.

IE: How did you find your cast? 

M: (TKA See above.) My son went up to people in Washington Square and said, “Would you like to be in a movie?”

I played the Cowboy. So that took care of that. The other actors were friends.

IE: How long did the film take?  (From conception to final edit)

M: This is a question often asked about film making. As if it were quantifiable. The real answer is, my entire life. I wonder if painters or composers are asked this question. It’s a ridiculous question.

(I laugh when I read this and so wish I could ask a follow up!  But I do get his point. However I would ask that of a painter too… LOL!)

IE: Tell us a little about your process of directing (writing) this film.

M: There is no formula. Film school isn’t going to make a person a good writer or director. You have to live and travel and experience life. The camera is a tool to recreate those experiences in a frame. Writing is the art of distillation. Creating homeopathic doses of big ideas into powerful sentences.

IE: What was the most difficult part of the shoot for you?

M: Nothing. It’s all difficult. That’s why you do it.

IE: What are you most looking forward to at the festival?

M: Seeing the films that were selected. CineVegas is unique. Even the choice of Dennis Hopper.

This is not your run of the mill festival. And then there’s the whole Vegas thing.

IE: What films or filmmakers inspire you?

M: All the filmmakers I have worked with.

IE: What made you decide to become a filmmaker?

M: There is a long history of actor directors. Orson Welles. Charles Chaplin. Woody Allen. Eastwood. Gibson.

It’s part of the journey for some people.

IE: If asked to give one piece of advice to a new filmmaker making their first short film… What would it be?

M: See earlier answer. Live. Love. Travel. Read history and study art.

IE: What question would you like to be asked about your film? 

M: One I can’t answer.

IE: What is the Answer?

M: What is the question?

(And crickets chirp.  Damn…. I wish I had the question?  What would you have asked?)