Critic-turned-filmmaker makes his debut at Guam filmfest

 A Seattle-born up-and-coming filmmaker who considers Saipan a second home is setting his sights on Hollywood with the completion of his first feature-length directorial debut, which will have its world premiere at the 2011 Guam International Film Festival.

Joseph Weindl produced and directed Antihero, a “fun, silly movie” about best friends and comedic duo Pork Rind and Weezie who “embark on an all-too-easy burglary spree” after the former discovers “a psychic power he never knew he had.”

The movie, which took 21 days spanning more than four weeks to film, stars mostly students and graduates of Virginia Commonwealth University’s theater department-Brian Gartland, Joe Carlson, Nicole Carter, and Ryan Asher-who either volunteered or were paid very low fees.

Described by Weindl as “mostly a comedy, with a bit of adventure,” Antihero is an 84-minute full-length feature film shot in and around Richmond neighborhood that would most likely give Harold & Kumar movies a run for their money, being a classic road-trip movie “with a supernatural twist.”

Currently working as a bartender in Richmond, Virginia, Weindl said via email that the inspiration for the film originated from an old-fashioned brainstorming session with some of his coworkers during a particularly slow shift at work.

“Restaurant work is kind of cliché for actors and filmmakers, but the reason for that is that you can make an okay amount of money, while having a very flexible schedule, allowing you to actively pursue your artistic endeavors,” he said.

But Weindl-who graduated from Marianas High School, was a teacher at Saipan Southern High School, and built relationships with family and friends who are still on island-was initially a film critic, writing movie reviews for the Saipan Tribune back in late 2004 to early 2005. While he enjoyed his critiquing stint, he said he “often felt like I was on the wrong side of the pen.”

“So, in a way, my writing job with the [Saipan] Tribune served as a pretty major catalyst to get me to stop writing about movies, and to finally pick up a camera,” he said.

That’s when Weindl took off work for a month and, with the help of a filmmaker friend who served as his only crewmember, shot Antihero on a shoestring budget.

“As fun as the process is, overall, there were many times when I just wanted to pull my hair out since I was forced to do so many things at the same time.”

His biggest challenge? Working around a limited budget. The movie eventually cost Weindl $5,000 for production and another $5,000 for post-production.

Still, “the creative process involved with filmmaking is simply exhilarating, so there’s really no comparison.”

Weindl said that having his directorial debut featured at the inaugural year of the Guam International Film Festival is “really terrific” for two reasons.

“First, it’s personal. Even if only a couple of friends that I grew up with are able to attend, I’ll be very happy about that. Secondly, I just really like this festival, and the people who are organizing it, both of whom are filmmakers themselves. I think a prominent festival like this could lead to an influx of filmmaking in the Mariana islands, if not all of Micronesia, and that would only be a good thing,” he said.

Antihero is one of eight feature narrative films in the festival, which runs from Sept. 30 to Oct. 2.

Weindl’s film has also been included in the finalists for the prize of Best Made in the Marianas, the winner of which will be chosen by a grand jury composed of head juror Baltazar Aguon, who received a Master of Fine Arts in Screenwriting from the American Film Institute’s Center for Advanced Film and Television Studies; Gabrielle Kelly, an Associate Arts professor at the New York University; Tom Brilsin, professor and chair of the University of Hawaii Academy for Creative Media; and Daniel Ferranti, who co-founded Boston’s Acme Theatre.

Weindl said he made Antihero “as a way of showing what I’m capable of, as a director, so that I might be able to attract investors for the next big project.”

“I certainly hope this film leads to more being made in the future. In fact, that was the entire reason for making this movie,” he said.

Noting that majority of Hollywood’s top directors did not receive professional filmmaking training, Weindl advised aspiring filmmakers “to just start making movies” after obtaining basic equipment like an inexpensive camera, a cheap personal computer, and PC editing-station.

Weindl said the basics of filmmaking can be found in free tutorials online. “From there, all you need is practice, practice, and more practice. Early on, it’s normal for a first-time filmmaker to rely on friends and family for cast and crew. As your skills grow, so will your contacts, and the caliber of people who are willing to work with you. From there, all you need is patience, persistence, and a whole lot of gumption.”

The up-and-coming filmmaker said that Antihero is recommended only for adults as it “contains mature content and persistent use of language that some might find offensive.”

Weindl invites the mature public to watch Antihero, which screens at 11:15am on Sunday, Oct. 2 at Stadium 5 of the Micronesian Mall Stadium Theaters. Tickets are only $5 each.

To learn about the movie and to view the trailer, visit www.antihero-movie.com.