Last week I had the pleasure to sit down with maybe two of the coolest New Yorkers I know: J.S. Filmore and Sebastian Sommer. The two are Freshman at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, and after having the privilege to view their films, you would think that these two guys have been around and working for the same amount of years as their admired. It is important if one wants to become successful then they must study the greats. Learning from only the best including, Woody Allen, Andrei Tarkovsky, Stanley Kubrick, inspired by the Beats; Kerouac, Ginsberg, Cassedy, and musically by Miles Davis, and John Coltrane these two are headed in the right direction.
Sebastian, the more analytical and subdued one, sat sufficiently quiet in my apartment, allowing J the more loquacious one to speak. Yet when Sebastian spoke he was always 100% on point. “I love the collaborative spirit that goes into filmmaking. It’s all these people coming together and working within their own element to make something much bigger.” J, was passionate and vibrant. Eager to talk all about the filmmaking and writing processes, as well as who he looks up to – and who he doesn’t. The two’s contrasting personalities clearly make the perfect writing duo. They explained the art of beauty in simplicity, and as J said, “Over analyzation of art ruins the magic of it [filmmaking].”
Each have worked on projects independently as well. In the past J.S. Filmore made a film entitled WAKE which you can watch here, which in addition to winning the Best Experimental Film In Mountain International, won him the Official Selection of The San Gio International Film Festival, the Cyprus International Film Festival, as well as the Readymade Film Festival, and Ozu International in Italy. Oh, also, he made this film when he was sixteen. Do you feel lazy yet? Sebastian Sommer premiered his film Mama Said Sardine Baby last year which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, and the New Filmmakers Film Festival in 2011. As well as just finishing a film shot in only three days this past year entitled, Temporary Madness. I’m not done bragging about these guys so just wait a minute.
J.S. Filmore and Sebastian Sommer are coming together to create a film about the experience of Depersonalization. As described by Filmore, it is, “Often brought about by physical trauma, drug trigger or severe injury, it causes the mind to shift in a bizarre and often dark way of perceiving and experiencing reality…We are setting out to make a film that visually defines a subject that has scared us for so long both as a catharsis and as an art form.” This film will be inclusive of realism and a serious theme, yet as always, back lit by beauty.
So, one would assume that two young successful filmmakers would have outrageous aspirations of money, Hollywood, glamor, and girls. But when asked what he wants to be doing in ten years J said, “I just honestly want to be happy.” Sebastian told me he wants to live under a bridge, which J interrupted would be the bridge that he owned. They kindly offered to build me a tent on top of the bridge so my future is looking pretty, pretty, pretty good.
On a more serious note, it is without question that these two filmmakers will arise to be some of the greatest filmmakers of our time, and I am glad I got to see them off onto their beginning of their life-long experience.
J and Sebastian, it was an honor speaking with you and I can’t wait to see you guys collect your Academy Awards in a few years.
