And Then I Go Archives | NICKSAV Film & Music SHOW

This is the first part of my coverage for Louisiana International Film Festival 2018, which happens in Baton Rouge from April 19-22. In this episode, I talk to director Vincent Grashaw about his film And Then I Go. His film tells the story of two young people who contemplate a potential school shooting against their classmates as retaliation for the slights they’ve endured.

Unfortunately, the Parkland shooting and other recent events have made And Then I Go all too topical, but unlike certain outspoken figures who have argued the issue, the film doesn’t point fingers or offer easy answers. Instead it explores a difficult issue in a thoughtful, nuanced way. It’s the kind of contemplative approach that could serve us well to emulate, whether in discussing school shootings or in broaching similarly polarizing issues.

After all, the answers to the troubling problems that plague our society, if any answers are to be found, probably won’t come from more heated vitriol. They seem more likely to emerge from the quiet determination in enough hearts to stop searching for someone else to blame and to start taking responsibility for making things better.

Vincent’s film subtly asks us all to consider what that might look like, and he expands on that in his interview with me. If that’s not the ultimate solution to a vexing issue that has sadly become all familiar, then it’s at least a step in the right direction, and even a small step forward is a welcome one at this point.

In addition to how Vincent’s film wrestles school-shooting issue, we also discuss

How Vincent prepared his young actors to explore a challenging issue
The way the cinematography and music in the film helped him tell the story
Why he likes to bring the composer early in the development process
How he partnered with The Orchard to get the word out about his film

My podcast coverage of #LIFF2018 begins below with director Vincent Grashaw discussing his film And Then I Go:

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How to Tell a Nuanced School-Shooting Story #LIFF2018

Vincent will be attending LIFF 2018, so if you plan to attend then you can continue the conversation there.

And Then I Go will be playing on Saturday, April 21 at 2:15 – 4:00 PM and on Sunday, April 22 at 4:15 – 6:00 PM, and he will be participating in a filmmaking discussion on that Sunday from 12:30 – 1:15 PM. Tickets are available through LIFF’s website.

Want to learn more about The Orchard, the distributor behind And Then I Go? Then check out this interview I did with Richard Matson, The Orchard’s VP of distribution: