Above, you’ll find the trailer for Intimidad, David Redmon and Ashley Sabin’s second SXSW premiere in two years, after 2007’s devastating Kamp Katrina. Shot on both film and video over the course of four years, Intimidad documents a young couple’s life on the Mexico/Texas border. Screening as part of SXSW’s Lone Star States program, the film premieres at the Alamo South Lamar on Friday, March 7, at 10pm. Below, Ashley and David answer the 4 Questions We’re Asking Everybody.
Tell us about your movie. Who did you work with, why did you make it? Give us the reductive, 25-word or less, “It’s like [pop culture reference a] meets [pop culture reference b]!” pitch, then explain what the quick and dirty sell leaves out.
Ashley Sabin: David Redmon and I have been working on this film for about 4 and a half years. We started making the film as a Victoria Secret factory film. It’s through the organic process of watching the footage and finding the story that we realized the film was not about the factory and more about everyday intimacy told by the main characters, Cecy and Camilo. It’s also the first film I ever shot so it’s interesting/nerve wrecking to see the growth in my own filmmaking development. We left cameras with Cecy and Camilo and they essentially became part of the crew. We started filming their daughter - Loida - when she was 2 years old up until now (she’s six years old). Watching her grow is one of my favorite parts of the movie. We might something similar to 7up where we film her for the next 10, 15, or 20 years and see where she ends up (but it depends on her and her parent’s decision). She is an amazingly charismatic little girl!
David Redmon: Ashley and I worked together, but the family in the film also worked on it. It’s about a family trying to stay together to accomplish their dream of buying land and building a house in Reynosa, Mexico.
Do you have a day job/a non-filmmaking occupation that raises money for your filmmaking efforts? Tell us about it.
AS: David and I are lucky enough to not have to get a second job this month. However, I would consider our second job distribution. We have put out our first two films, Mardi Gras: Made in China and Kamp Katrina. It’s a lot of work and adds a whole other layer to our relationship with our films but I find it very rewarding.
DR: Yes, we travel to colleges, show our films, and discuss them with students and teachers. I’d like to finish the book I started a few years ago.
Have you been to SXSW before? If so, tell us about your funniest story from the experience. If not, what are you looking forward to re: the festival and/or the city of Austin?
AS: We were at SXSW last year with our feature documentary, Kamp Katrina. Everything about the festival was amazing and great. We met some remarkable people who we still stay in touch with and saw some great risk taking films. I guess the only speed bump was when I got the nerve to walk up to an unnamed film distribution guy and give him the “pitch” of our film and my card and he looked at it and passed it off to the woman next to him. What a sly guy! Both shocked and mortified I walked away. This event reaffirmed why I do self distribution and love it!
DR: Yes, we ran into a crazy man who spontaneously took us to four different all night parties in the pouring Texas thunderstorm rain, until we ended up at a diner at 5am and finally found out his name: Michael Lerman [co-director of SXSW 2008 feature Natural Causes].
Let’s get hypothetical: You’re on death row. The night of your execution, you’re allowed to watch any two films of your choice. What would you pick for your last-night-on-Earth double feature?
AS: I always get hung up on these questions because days later I always want to add on more but I think that if my life were to end I would need something comforting so I would resort to childhood favorites, Labyrinth and Princess Bride, or and maybe if I got a third Harry and the Hendersons. These three films my younger brother and sister and I would watch over and over again. It’s partially why I have a serious but rather silly phobia of Bigfoots. I guess to confront that phobia I should go see the doc on Bigfoots but I would need to do with David by my side.
DR: Down By Law and Santantango.
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