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And the winner is... "And the winner is..." Ed Banuel is getting used to hearing his name spoken after that phrase. He's amassed an impressive list of accolades already in his young career. His first short film Unjust Cause won him the Showtime Black Filmakers Showcase's top honor in 2003 – a great way to start his directing career.
After that success, and the nationwide release on Showtime of his next film Land of the Free, the awards did not stop. Land of the Free went on to make the festival rounds as did his next short film, A Message from Pops. This year the winning ways have continued. Along with partners Shandra MacDonald and Erroll Bailey, Ed won the prestigious Southeast Media Award at the 2005 Atlanta Film Festival. And for icing on the cake, Ed won the Gordon Parks Award at the 2005 IFP conference held in New York. Leading by example, Ed Banuel is one of the bright lights in the Atlanta Film community whose talent has been recognized and rewarded. He plans to continue to make films in Atlanta and is committed to raising the bar on his work even more. He will begin production on his first feature film in late October. The film will be shot in Atlanta. Steeped in mountains of pre-production work and just back from his trip to this years IFP Market in New York, Ed took time to sit down with cinemATL to discuss his thriving film career. cinemATL: Was there one thing that made you want to be a filmmaker or were there more reasons that put you on the path? Banuel: There were a lot of different reasons. Growing up my mother exposed me to the arts. She was always taking us to plays and I always enjoyed watching movies, so I always had an interest in the arts. I think it was right around my teenage years, growing up watching Spike Lee movies and being really impressed by the way he captivated the black audiences on the big screen, just basically seeing black life on the big screen. And from there I began to watch other filmmakers and was impressed at how they were able to tell their stories. But it wasn't until I went to Howard University where we had T.V. and Film classes. That's where I really caught the bug. Once I did a couple of student projects and saw how my peers responded to the work I did, I realized that, "Hey, I can really do this thing. I can have some impact on people's lives, potentially and if I just focus on it, bigger things can come from this." So, I just kept making films from that point. cinemATL: Do you have any major influences or inspirations? Banuel: I think life. Life in general. I feel like there are so many rich stories you can pull from. Not only from my own personal experiences but from people you encounter on a day to day basis. So, I think my biggest inspiration is just watching and dealing with the human experience. cinemATL: You often tackle political themes in your work, is there any singular theme that runs through all your work or does each film have a life of it's own separate from the rest? Banuel: Each film has its own life. It's funny because I was just discussing this with a friend. Most of the stories that I've done are personal stories in one way. When I did Unjust Cause, it dealt with racial profiling in the urban community. And then, Land of the Free was about hate crimes against Arab-Americans. My latest short A Message from Pops is an urban drama that deals with a father and son relationship. And now as I move forward with my first feature film, The Last Adam , the story is kind of a combination of themes. The story is based on the life of the executive producer, growing up as an African-American male and Army child.
cinemATL: Tell me about The Last Adam ... Banuel: The Last Adam tells the story of six racially diverse friends who grew up as Army brats in a small town in Alabama who must return to town twenty-five years later to bury their little league coach and father figure. But they all have reservations about returning to the town because they were always thought of as misfits and they also have their own issues with each other that they would be forced to deal with. So the story is really about making peace with your past and finding the resolution you need to move forward with your future. The characters include an African-American male, a Latino male, a Native American woman and so on. So they're like an interesting ethnic bowl of gumbo who are dealing with issues that we face in all walks of life. cinemATL: Will this movie be shot in Atlanta ? Banuel: Yes, this is going to be shot in Atlanta. Myself, Shandra MacDonald and Erroll Bailey, they are the two writer-producers while I'm the director, we won the Atlanta Film Festival's Southeast Media Award and were awarded $100,000 worth of in-kind services and one of the stipulations is that we're shooting the film in Atlanta. So we want to foster and continue to make films in Atlanta because Atlanta is growing, yet still kind of in its infancy stage. But, more and more, the film local community here as a whole is starting to develop a larger pool of talent and I think Hollywood and the film industry in general is starting to take notice of that. cinemATL: Do you feel being based in Atlanta is an advantage or disadvantage for a filmmaker? Banuel: It's so funny, because people in the industry outside of Atlanta feel that if you want to be in the television or film industry, you've got to be in New York or L.A., but the ironic thing is that I've received all my success while here in Atlanta, being able to stand out amongst filmmakers from New York or L.A. A perfect example is that, in 2003, I won the Showtime Black Filmmaker Showcase and most recently received the IFP's Gordon Parks Award. So, I feel like it doesn't really matter where you're at. If you're a filmmaker putting out quality work then people will take notice of that. cinemATL: Do you plan to continue to make films in Atlanta or do you think you'll ultimately have to move away to raise your game? Banuel: Ideally, that's the goal. I feel like Atlanta is the next Hollywood with all the films that are being shot here and all the talented filmmakers coming out of the city. I feel like if there's a way to continue to promote films and have them be filmed here, then so be it. cinemATL: How important are film festivals in terms of maturation for a filmmaker? Banuel: Film festivals are extremely important. To me, going through the film festival circuit is a way to gain credibility as a filmmaker. It's like earning your stripes. When you can compete with filmmakers from around the world and receive accolades at some of these prestigious festivals it's very important. Outside of that, it just gives you an idea of the competition. But even moving forward, festivals are where studios and agents come to acquire property, so that's why a lot of filmmakers can use festivals as springboards to get there careers going because a lot of times you're able to get distribution through these outlets. cinemATL: You've won many accolades thus far in your career, is there one that stands out more so than the rest? Banuel: Well, I think the Showtime Black Filmmakers Showcase solidified for me, most importantly, that I can actually do this and receive recognition from a studio or a major network. That just gave me the confidence that I needed to continue down my journey as a filmmaker. It gave me the encouragement to just continue to push and put out quality, so I think that was an important award and a pivotal moment in my filmmaking career. But every award is great [laughs] because you know the saying that you're only as good as you last film.
cinemATL: That was your first short film, Unjust Cause ? Banuel: That was my first professional short outside of college. cinemATL: How has the Southeast Media Award helped you in the process of making your feature film, The Last Adam ? Banuel: It helps us tremendously because we're able to offset cash flow in our budget. As a result of winning the award we receive in-kind services from production vendors. So we receive about $30,000 worth of lighting and grip equipment, likewise $30,000 of editing and post time and those things add up and make a huge difference in the amount of money that you have to raise. cinemATL: Does this mean increased production value or literally a means to get it done? Banuel: I feel like it's a means to get it done, quite honestly. It won't necessarily increase production value but it'll help insure we can get it done. cinemATL: If you had to give one piece of advice to an aspiring filmmaker living in the south, what would it be? Banuel: You know, I would focus less on where you're at and focus more on the content and a solid plan of attack. Focus on just making quality films because if you do that, people will take notice wherever you are. You can be from Colorado , Arkansas , anywhere across the world. You should focus on honing your skills, learning your craft, and always putting you best foot forward at all times and I think people will always take notice to that and recognize talent. cinemATL: So what other projects are you working on? Banuel: We're shooting The Last Adam starting October 31 and I'm excited about that, starting my first feature film. Outside of that I'm working on a feature to be shot next year called Wooden Nickels which is based on a true story and I'm excited about that as well. My goal as a filmmaker is to keep the train running. To constantly put out work that people can appreciate and value. I want to be considered with the greats one day, like Spike Lee and Stanley Kubrik. cinemATL: Can you tell me about your last short film, the one you won the Gordon Parks award for, A Message from Pops ? Banuel: Well A Message from Pops is a story that was actually inspired an encounter I had with a gentleman who had an interest in filmmaking but did not have any idea of what he wanted to do. He actually gave me a tape of his father who had been in jail for many years and who was reaching out to him to try to mend their relationship. So when I watched the tape I was amazed and thought it would be an incredible story of a man trying to reconnect with his son in such a restricted environment. So I studied the tape and came up with the idea for a drama dealing with that and the issue of a father not being there in the household. I wanted to show the raw reality of that situation but I also wanted to also leave the audience with a glimpse of hope. With this film, outside of just screening it on the festival circuit, I also would like to use it as a form of outreach. I've been approached by it several times by people who seemed to be impacted by it. So I said to myself that this film obviously has a voice that speaks to people so why not use it in that way. cinemATL: Congratulations on all the success and we wish you much more in the future. Banuel: Thank you. Martin Kelley is a local screenwriter and filmmaker who co-founded and became co-president of the Atlanta Screenwriters Group, one of the largest screenwriter organizations in the Southeast. Martin's screenwriting credits include "Loaded Dice," "Behind the Nine" (Echelon Entertainment) and "Vicious" (M.T.I. Home Entertainment). |
Ed Banuel Filmography
Director
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