AFF 2011 Interview: Kelvin Phillips and Carla Jackson, 'A Swingin' Trio'

in

The 18th Austin Film Festival is almost here. To help celebrate all the locally connected movies at this year's fest, we've reached out to a number of filmmakers to find out about their Austin and Texas-tied films screening at AFF, and to hear about what they're looking forward to doing during the festival.

Writer-director Kelvin Phillips and producer/partner Carla Jackson made A Swingin' Trio here in Austin. A Swingin' Trio is their first feature film.

Slackerwood: Describe your film for us, in a quick and dirty paragraph.

Kelvin Phillips: It's a film about a married couple who find themselves at an impasse. The wife, Trude Garçon-Moore, is at the start of an exploding career as a film producer. She's "busy, busy" as her husband, Homer Garçon likes to remind her. Homer is a "househusband" of sorts; he's a smart and talented writer, but it hasn't happened for him yet, and now he's frustrated and suspicious about his wife's activities. The movie is about what could happen in a marriage when one partner's success eclipses the other. Or when someone feels trapped in a situation (marriage, job, whatever) and how they can subconsciously sabotage things to free themselves.

Tell us one thing about A Swingin' Trio that is going to make it impossible for people to resist seeing it at AFF?

Carla Jackson: The Austin Film Festival is all about story, and A Swingin' Trio is an excellent example of character and dialogue-driven writing. And there is sex/great music/ drinking/cursing for those who need a compound reason ...

How long have you been working on the film?

Kelvin Phillips: I actually came up with the idea of this script when we were still living in Brooklyn, New York, about ten years ago. At that time, I wrote about 40 pages of the script, but it wasn't really working for me, so I put it aside. I guess I didn't know enough about the dynamic between the couple. Now that I'm older, I can look at their situation with more objectivity and give the characters the justice they deserve in the writing.

Are there any recognizable locations in Austin and/or Texas?

Carla Jackson: We only used two locations: our house, which is located in the SOCO area (which substitutes nicely for a home in Topanga Canyon) and Betsy's Bar, which is located at 301 West 6th Street. Betsy's has the look of an N'Orleans bar -- lush, and colorful -- which we need for a specific scene.

What are your future plans for this film?

Carla Jackson: In 2012, we will screen A Swingin' Trio in strategic festivals. We have already been blessed enough to have inquiries from some pretty exciting ones. Later, we plan to self-distribute the film in 20 major markets nationwide. Stay tuned ...

What one place to visit/eat/drink would you recommend to out-of-towners here for AFF?

Kelvin Phillips: Ah man, this is tough. Only one? One of our favorite places is Sullivan's Steakhouse in the Warehouse District. It's pricey if you go for dinner, but they have a great happy hour with $6 martinis and $6 bar food (including one of the best burgers around). Plus, they just opened up Sully's Side Bar right next door to the main restaurant, which has a completely different menu of Tex Mex food.

What are you looking forward to doing during AFF?

Kelvin Phillips and Carla Jackson: 1) Meeting like-minded lovers of independent film, 2) Introducing A Swingin' Trio to Austin, Texas and beyond and 3) Having fun!

A Swingin' Trio plays Austin Film Festival on Friday, October 21 at 7 pm at the Rollins Theater in the Long Center, and encores on Wednesday, October 26, at 6 pm at the Texas Spirit Theater in the Texas State History Museum.