Game Night is a movie about a lonely taxi driver, who when happens upon a football field, he falls into a memory of his past. Here’s excerpts from conversation with the director of Game Night, Joel Fendelman.
Art Shrian: What inspires you to be a storyteller? And as a storyteller, what kind of story you want to tell?
Joel Fendelman: Storytelling to me is a vehicle to look within and outward at the same time. It is the method as to investigate and heal blocks with in myself and then through that I can connect with other people, many times people I would otherwise never connect with otherwise which what makes it so special. These are the stories I am interested in telling, the ones that show the universality between all of us showing how alike we are.
A: What inspired you to make this particular film?
J: For this film I was looking at the idea that when we are younger we have certain ambitions of what we make accomplish in the future. It is usually very rosy fantasies and since it can be 10, 15, 20 years or more in the future it all seems possible. But one day we wake up and those years have passed and the future is now the present so we must confront the unfulfilled ambitions. For me this film spawned from this concept. I think we all in some way or another can resonate with that feeling.
A: What was the most best & worst part of making this film?
J: The best part about making this film was filming. We could only shoot 2hrs a day for three nights because the field closed at 10pm. It was fast paced and exciting. The biggest challenge was the rain. I literally had to post-pone three times because of the rained out field. Sometimes minutes before call time. With that said, it was the best thing to happen because the days we did end up filming were much better in many ways.
A: How do you feel about being at Tribeca Film Festival, and NYC?
J: Screening at the Tribeca film festival has been a dream come true. It has been a pleasure feels really good to be validated in such a way. I lived here for ten years and feel tingling sensations every time I come back. New York city is the best city in the world!
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
Joel Fendelman has worked ten years in the film industry in New York City producing content for companies such as A&E, PBS, American Express, Ovation TV, Allure, and MTV. His films have shown around the world at prestigious festivals such as Cannes, Chicago, Miami. He has lectured about Independent filmmaking at various film festivals and is currently pursuing an MFA in Film at the University of Texas.
Further details and Tribeca 2016 schedule here: