SXSW 2008: The Zellner Brothers and 'Goliath'
The first thing that struck me when I read about Goliath was the cast, which was full of names familiar to Austin film fans. Writer-director David Zellner has one of the lead roles, and his brother, producer Nathan Zellner, is also in the film. In addition, the list of actors includes Wiley Wiggins (who does so many different things that I don't know how to preface his name), actor/filmmaker Andrew Bujalski, local filmmaker John E. Bryant (whose short Loveolution is premiering at SXSW, and who's also a producer on Baghead), animation expert/filmmaker Bob Sabiston in what may be his first feature-film acting gig, and Austin Film Society programmer Chale Nafus. I don't associate most of these people with acting, but they're all part of the local film community.
The choice of cast made me wonder just who these Zellner guys are, anyway. I've seen some of their short films, the last three of which premiered at Sundance in the last three years. And now in 2008, their feature Goliath also premiered at Sundance, and is making its way to SXSW this week. Not only was I intrigued by the filmmakers, but I thought that I'd be accused of some kind of bias if I interviewed the Duplass brothers and not the Zellner brothers. (Aside: Why don't we have any sister acts in indie filmmaking? Hmm.)
So I emailed a few questions to the Zellners, and here's what they had to say about Goliath.
Describe your film to us, in a single paragraph.
In the wake of a messy divorce and demotion at work, a man struggles to hold on to the last thread of happiness in his life -- his pet cat Goliath, who's gone missing.
Where in Austin did you shoot the film?
On the north-east side.
What are some of your most/least favorite things about filming in Austin?
We love filming in Austin, although we always end up shooting in the middle of summer, which gets rough.
I notice this may be the feature film acting debut for Austin Film Society programmer Chale Nafus. What inspired you to cast him?
We've known Chale for a while and we like working with our friends whenever it's appropriate for the project. He had a great look for the part of a surly detective.
What made you decide on an ad campaign that centers around materials that look like "Missing Cat" flyers?
In the film the main character puts up "missing cat" flyers around town. We thought it would be fun to use the same flyer to promote the screenings. It seems to get people's attention and ties in well. There's even a special message if you call the number on the flyer: 435-258-6980. We get a little obsessed with these sorts of things.
Most of your recent films have been shorts. What made you decide to shoot a feature this time?
We love short films and have had a lot of luck with them on the festival circuit, but felt it was time to tackle a feature. We had a couple of larger-budget films that were in limbo, and we didn't want to sit around and wait another year to see what would happen with those, so the time was right for Goliath.
What are you looking forward to doing during SXSW?
Seeing lots of movies, hanging out with out-of-town film pals.
Goliath is playing three times during SXSW next week: this Friday 3/7 at 6:30 pm at ACC, Wednesday 3/12 at 6:30 pm at ACC, and Saturday 3/15 at 4 pm at the Paramount. Check out the film's official website for the trailer and other info.