Look At Me
Genre: Drama
Date: September 2019
Director: Nika Fehmiu
Producer: Nika Fehmiu, Hannah Vicente Kliot, Anton Vicente Kliot
Writer: Nika Fehmiu
Cinematographer: Wayland Bell
Editor: Nika Fehmiu
Composer: Curtis Colton Green
Case Study: The Making of Look at Me
indieactivity: What is your film about?
Nika Fehmiu (NF): “Look At Me” is a story about the different ways in which we prioritize our individual selves above all else, and the consequent inability, fear, and assumed threat of acknowledging another’s humanity. The project began as a reflection of the particular time we live in, one filled with rife social activism and pervasive online communities yet dominated by a generation that appears apathetic and even more disconnected from one another than before. The story itself was pieced together by various incidents I’d observed or been involved in, by creating characters that all stemmed from different versions and identities of myself. So in a way, it was somewhat inspired by a series of true events.
Tell us about the festival run, marketing, and sales?
NF: Our film was selected to have its world premiere in competition at the Tribeca Film Festival 2020. However, due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the festival was partly postponed and partly held online. There have been no sales yet, nor have we done marketing for the film besides running our Instagram and our website. We were nominated for best narrative short at the Tribeca Film Festival.
Narrative/Dramatic Features
Budget: $11k
Financing: IFP Fiscal Sponsorship Program
Shooting Format: 1.85
Screening Format: 1.85
World Premiere: Tribeca Film Festival
Awards: Nominated for best narrative short at Tribeca Film Festival
Website: https://www.lookatmefilm.com
Give the full Official Synopsis for your film?
NF: On a New York City winter night, the fate of a young intoxicated boy is determined by his brief encounters with strangers, exposing a deeper underlying American truth. The modern-day yogi, the pseudo-social media activist, the young binge-drinkers, and the first generation American: all bound by their desire to be seen, yet blinded and divided by it, unable to look into the eyes of another.
Development & Financing?
NF: I wrote the script at the beginning of 2018. It originally started as a screenplay for a competition with the prompt “time”, but quickly developed into something else. I started thinking of the ways we are always trying to move forward, rarely stopping to truly look and see one another. So I began further exploring this American inability to genuinely and deeply connect- a topic I’d spent much time mulling over. Once I finished the script, I began looking for collaborators and producers. I met with Wayland Bell, the director of photography for the film, at the beginning of the summer. I pitched him the project and he became the first person to join my team. My good friend Hannah Vicente Kliot also came on board as a producer. Her brother, Anton Vicente Kliot, joined as a producer in the fall of 2018, along with our executive producer Harry Klein– to whom I pitched the project after accidentally meeting him at a social event. Together, we embarked on pre-production. We were accepted into the IFP Fiscal Sponsorship Program, which helped us collect tax-deductible donations through friends and family. We held a fundraising dinner where we pitched the film. We were able to raise a little over 10k.
Production?
NF: The fall of 2018 was spent casting, making shot lists, location scouting, expanding our team, and confirming our entire crew, acquiring all props and costumes, getting insurance, renting equipment, etc. I cannot thank Wayland Bell enough for his expertise, talent, and hard work all throughout that time and during the shooting. The whole process took about 3-4 months. We shot over a weekend at the start of January 2019- the coldest three days that winter in NYC. We had an incredible team that seamlessly handled all the challenges of guerilla filmmaking, along with no sleep.
I was also lucky to work with such wonderful actors like Hadley Robinson, Juliette Alice Gobin, and Connor Vasile. They’re all forces to be reckoned with. I spent around 3 months editing during that spring. Dylan Hurley did a phenomenal job with sound mix and design, which took about a month. We had to do some ADR for the subway and party scene, along with some recorded voice overs. He also did a fantastic job with foley sound. Color correction was done beautifully by David Torcivia for about a week. Then I took a break for a couple of months and did a minor re-cut at the start of fall 2019.
Festival Preparation & Strategy?
NF: We began submitting to festivals over the summer of 2019. We didn’t really have a festival strategy besides applying to festivals that we think matched well with our film. Ultimately, we were accepted into the Tribeca Film Festival to have our world premiere in competition. After that, London Flair PR reached out to us and they have been our wonderful Publicist for the past month.
Advice from the Filmmaker?
NF: This is a funny question for me because I am just starting out. I would say to just keep pushing. If you have a story or perspective to share, something that stems from a genuine part of your soul, be stubborn, and create at all costs. Filmmaking is a difficult art form because it often requires a larger team and resources. So it’s not an even playing field for those who can’t get access. But there are ways to make it work. Apply for every possible grant, fiscal sponsorship, or crowdsourcing platforms. Almost anyone can be a guerilla filmmaker, especially with our camera phones. Don’t take no for an answer. Ignore when people say an idea is too big or unfeasible. Look for collaborators among your friends and community. And from there, after you put in the work, you can only hope and move onto the next project.
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