“ETIENNE!” INTERVIEW
May 12 | Author: Mike Plante
ETIENNE! is Jeff Mizushima’s first feature that he made right after graduating film school. He incorporated his strong taste for documentary-style filmmaking, the aesthetics of 1960s, 70s, and 80s low budget exploitation cinema, and his irrational fear of hamsters on bicycles.
Tell us briefly about the film’s story, and what it means to you.
ETIENNE! is about a guy who finds out his best friend has terminal cancer, so he decides to take him on a road trip to show his friend the world before he dies. On their journey, they meet a variety of characters that teach them about friendship, life, and happiness.
What the story means to me? Friendship makes life happy.
How did you find your cast (human and animals) and crew?
Most of my cast and crew are friends of mine or friends of friends. ETIENNE! started out as a student short film that had the same cast and then after I graduated, I thought it’d be super fun to do a feature. Boy, was I wrong.
I’ve had two dwarf hamsters for a while already before I wrote the script. One I bought at a pet shop and the other was a gift from a little girl at an after school program I worked at.
What’s the hardest part about directing hamsters?
Directing hamsters are easy. Directing my lead actor, Richard. . .now that was a bitch.
What’s the longest bike ride you have gone on?
Longest bike ride? Probably around my block. I don’t like bicycles, I roller skate. The longest and farthest I’ve skated was from Los Angeles to San Francisco along the coast and back. No wait, I was driving – never mind.
What do you think the role of a film festival is?
For a film as small in scope and production as mine, film festivals are the only place where I feel like it could have a receptive audience and be noticed. Film festivals give credibility to no-name, no-budget movies and they create a really fun event out of it.
More importantly, I would actually see a film playing at a festival over watching it in a theater at AMC. Film festivals are these once in a lifetime events, like, if you don’t see it right here and right now, you may never see it again. Or, this might be the only time you get to see the film in it’s uncut director’s vision before a distributor changes the ending and all the cool music.
Also, I wouldn’t pay to see my film in a real theater. It’s not worth it. I’d rather see TRANSFORMERS 2. But I think ETIENNE! is the kind of movie that fits at a festival and if I were just an audience member, then I would value this creative and unique environment and give it a chance.
Do you gamble?
Only if I know I’ll lose.
[CineVegas programmer’s note: I’ll pay to see that hamster over T2 any day.]
See also:
- SEE “ETIENNE!” IN A CITY NEAR YOU THIS FALL!
- “WORLD’S GREATEST DAD” INTERVIEW
- “MERCY” INTERVIEW WITH PATRICK HOELCK AND SCOTT CAAN
