5Q's w/: MJ Alhabeeb Jr. "Plight" Director
QUESTION#1: How do your top 3 favorite films influence your filmmaking?:
JFK, U-Turn and House of Flying Daggers. When I think of my favorite films I think about how they make me feel, how they continue to resonate, and how much I appreciate them for not only their cinematic excellence, but their overall significance to me. I think about how they affected my view of the world, of people, and the human existence. Film is such a subjective medium and what is "good" is debatable. But greatness, to me, is undeniable. And that's what I strive for. If I can be a part of creating a truly great film that resonates with people, inspires them, touches their soul, then I am close to replicating the feelings and emotions that I have felt while watching my favorite films.
QUESTION#2: What do you wish someone would ask you about your film and why?:
Is ____ a good person? I don't want to reveal any spoilers, but this has been a lightning rod topic of conversation amongst audiences who've had a chance to view the film, and even with some of our own cast and crew. There is often a common follow up question to this that certainly would spoil things... Hopefully you can all come check out the film and ask me and our cast and crew this during our Q&A. It will be very evident who and what I am referring to. You just have to watch the film first! :)
QUESTION#3: What scared you the most about making this film?:
There is a complexity to people that I feel is often lacking when I watch films. We are mostly told: This is the bad guy, this is the good guy, etc. That’s not reality to me. A lot of our characters live in the gray. The prospect of audiences identifying and rooting for characters who can be good-hearted by nature but who’s actions suggest otherwise or vice versa has always been fascinating to me. Riding that moral and ethical line can be scary but it can also yield tremendous results. You just don’t want to misapply a sensibility to a character that isn’t deserving. If the audience can’t identify with your characters then you’ve missed the mark.
The same is true with our film’s conclusion. For a long time I leaned a certain way but ultimately I opted for authenticity over audacity. I try not to be bold just to be bold. It has to feel earned.
QUESTION#4: You have to choose one to make your next movie: 1) unlimited budget but only a single take of every shot 2) Academy award winning composer, but they're not allowed to watch the film 3) A-list cast, but they're directed using only charades. Which one do you pick and why?:
#3, without a doubt, here’s why: It doesn't matter how big of a budget the film has, if you're only working with one take, then you're only affording your actors one shot to get to where they need from a performative standpoint. Only one take for my editor to cut from, one take for camera to nail the shot, etc... Not doing that.
Now while I would love to work with a Hans Zimmer, a Hildur Guðnadóttir or the great Ennio Morricone, God rest his soul, I am perfectly fine and in fact prefer to work with one of my best friends, my composer on Plight, Terrell Lamont. He was incredibly detailed and attentive to the story and the characters and how to best support the film’s thematic elements through the score. What resulted was a beautiful and poignant composition. I can't wait for him to score the next one.
So give me the A-list cast. The cast I had on Plight is talented beyond measure. So many terrific performances that really brought the film to life. But hey, if I can have them acting alongside A-list names as well? Then I guarantee you they'd be just as thrilled, for the mere fact that the film’s ability to hit the masses with wider distribution would multiply exponentially. Now, for the "challenge" of directing in charades… we find a short hand and make it work. My cast themselves will tell you that the lion's share of the work we did together was before we got to set. Working with them one on one to craft the character and attune it to their sensibilities and strengths is something I have always preferred. At the end of the day they are in front of that camera, not me. So it's our collective job to get to the core of who their character is so that they can best embody them. So when they walk on set they are as sure of their character as they are themselves.
QUESTION#5: What's does the future hold for this film and you?:
We've been very blessed to have a wonderful festival run that started at Julien Dubuque Int’l, some big wins at Cineworld last month and now to be a part of the Borrego Springs Film Festival which we’ve heard nothing but amazing things about, we couldn't be more thrilled! Soon we will look to land distribution so we can share the film with the world.
Next up is a film that is very dear to my heart. A labor of love if you will, it is called Stray Dogs. We are in early development on it now and I am hopeful we will get it off the ground and into production at some point this coming year. Currently, we are in post on a film I recently produced called Piggy Duster, and we have a web series, Broke Boys, both of which I’m very proud of. You can check out Season One of the series and learn more about our upcoming projects at www.ImpavidEntertainment.com
Social media tags to share with our readers: IG: @mj_alhabeeb_jr Production Company IG: @impavidentertainment FB: Facebook.com/impavidentertainment X: Twitter.com/ImpavidEnt YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ImpavidEntertainment Website: www.ImpavidEntertainment.com
URL link(s) to cool BTS images and videos: https://drive.google.com/file/d/17GQ2RWXKl1dS8JRJSt_meQsmEXi5OHP1/view?usp=sharing
