Peter Zerzan

See the full interview below...

Hello, could you please tell us a little bit more about your submitted project? How did you come up with such an original story?

My short, The Tourist, is a tale of self discovery and love filmed in Goa, India. I came up with the idea when I was on a trip to Phu Quoc Island in Vietnam in 2019. The man running the hotel, an Italian, told me of a Japanese businesswoman who came to the island, got really drunk, and, embarrassed, gave him a very big tip the next day. I decided to play with this story and set it in a tropical destination I had never been before and wasn’t as well known to the public as Thailand or Bali would be. 

Tell us something about yourself and your background. Do you remember the first movie you watched? Were you enthralled?

Having been a political organizer for progressive campaigns and causes since I graduated from college, I decided to pursue my passion from when I was growing up and become a filmmaker. The first movie I saw in theaters was Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. I remember being in awe of the dance scene and I got scared in the final fight before good triumphed in the end. I was 5 or so at the time and didn’t realize that’s just how Disney movies go.

Who are the directors that inspire you? What would be your favourite movie?

My favorite director of all time is Akira Kurosawa. He showed how film was a universal language and how films for mass audiences could have deep themes. Christopher Nolan is an obvious choice for inspiration for current working directors but everyone from Paul Thomas Anderson to Josh Safdie. They are filmmakers who are making films for large audiences that are not franchise slop and are meant to be seen in theaters. This inspires me to believe there are other choices than saying in the arthouse jail or doing some MCU or Netflix content. My favorite movie ever is The Godfather. That was the movie that inspired me to be a filmmaker.

Was there a particular time when you recognized that filmmaking is your way of telling stories?

In college, I got really into the Criterion Collection. Those films showed me how film could take the best of other artistic mediums-novels, plays, symphonies, paintings-and combine them into one beautiful story. I realized that was the medium for me.

What are some of the biggest challenges you encountered in making this film?

This was an international co-production. I’m based in San Francisco but the shoot was in Goa. We had to arrange travel for me and my actors as well as dealing with everything from visa issues to union rules regarding overseas shoots. We also had a limited time frame-only 3 days-to shoot. We only could shoot each scene once and had to make sure we got the shot.

What were the production realities from casting through editing that you had to accommodate?
There was surprisingly little holding our production back. My producer in India, Safdar Rahman, was able to get us access to all the locations, from beaches to a waterfall, we needed. India is a great place to shoot. The equipment you’d find in Los Angeles, New York, or London, you’ll find in India. I had people on my team who work in Hollywood say the Indian crew was comparable to who you find out there. The scenes my writer Melissa Pennel and I came up with were mostly able to come to the big screen thanks to the amazing Indian crew.
 
What are the audience reviews of your project?

The reviews have been good so far. People like the positive message of the short and are very impressed by the location it was shot.

Do you believe that a filmmaker should bring always something original or he/she should stick to classic but cinema styles?

I believe this is a false choice. You can tell a story that has been told many times before in a unique and exciting way. You can also come up with a totally original script that is uninspired and riddled with clichés. You have to approach each project differently. There is no one size fits all approach to filmmaking. You should always do what you think is right for the film.

Do you think that film festivals are playing an important role in filmmaking industry? Why are they necessary? How do you get the most out of them?

As I said to one publication, festivals are the tip of the spear. Festivals are the first place where new films get seen. Where audience members can walk into a screening with a completely blank slate, free of preconceptions. Without them, it’s all just which film has the best marketing team. You get the most out of them by attending them. You meet new people, people who you want to work with in the future on new projects.

What are your future plans in your filmmaking career?

I am currently working on two feature films right now. One is a thriller set in an apartment building in San Francisco. The other is trying to turn this short into a feature. The cast and crew had so much fun we believe we can make it bigger. With India’s 40% tax credit to foreign productions, we believe investors can really do well making films in India.