A Case Study
Narrative | Dramatic Features
Film Name: Welcome Back
Genre: Drama
Date: September 2019
Director: Tiffany Kontoyiannis-Guillen
Producer: Roy Arwas, Karly Perez Arevalo, Tiffany K. Guillen
Writer: Tiffany Kontoyiannis-Guillen
Cinematographer: Becky Baihui Chen
Production Company: Creative X. Entertainment
Financing: Self funded
Shooting Format: Digital
Screening Format: .mov
World Premiere: Athena Film Festival
Awards:
– HBO Semi-Finalist 2020
– Student Emmy Nomination 2020
– LA Shorts Festival 2020
– Winner of Best Live Action Short Film at HollyShorts Film Festival 2020
– Winner of Best Short Film at Guayaquil International Film Festival 2020
– Winner of Best Actress (Short) at Mammoth Film Festival 2020
– Winner at WorldFest Houston International Film Festival 2020
– Winner of Best Student Narrative Short at Global Impact Film Festival 2020
The Official Trailer for Welcome Back written and directed by Tiffany Kontoyiannis-Guillen
indieactivity: What is your film about?
Tiffany Kontoyiannis-Guillen (TKG): “Welcome Back,” is a film that follows a mother and daughter who are deported back to Venezuela, one of the most dangerous countries in the world. Throughout the film we see truly what it means to send people back and are brought along their journey as they try to escape their fate in Venezuela. Having my entire family there, Venezuela’s circumstance is a pain I have carried in my heart for years. There was this sense of hopelessness I felt, while also feeling tremendous guilt for the opportunity I was so easily granted by being born in the United States. I ultimately decided I needed to do something, and that I would do it through the medium I knew best—film. The idea was ultimately inspired by my parents, who both have sacrificed so much to give me a better life. This film in its purest essence is the love story between a mother and daughter, while portraying the repercussions of deportation and Venezuela’s situation as our backdrop.
Tell us about the festival run, marketing and sales?
Tiffany Kontoyiannis-Guillen (TKG): The festival run so far has been incredibly exciting despite all the adjustments that were made for the pandemic. The film was nominated for a student Emmy, a semi-finalist for HBO Access and won best actress at Mammoth Film Festival to name a few of our recent awards! We recently won best live action short at HollyShorts, which is an Oscar qualifying award. That perhaps was one of the most special awards for us considering it is one of our dream festivals.
Give the full Official Synopsis for your film?
Tiffany Kontoyiannis-Guillen (TKG):
Logline: After being deported back to dangerous and communist Venezuela, Rosa and her daughter must find a way to escape to a nearby town in Colombia.
Synopsis: “WELCOME BACK” centers around Rosa and her daughter, Sophie, who have been deported back to the extremely dangerous and communist Venezuela.
Prior to leaving Venezuela, Rosa was once an opposition student protestor, an act that is deemed unforgivable by the Venezuelan government. Deeply fearing her life, Rosa was forced to escape to the United States—but now is being sent back to the country she fled from.
After arriving in Venezuela, and managing to obtain an illegal passport, Rosa is able to enter the country, but knows it is too unsafe for her and her daughter to stay. Rosa and her daughter must find a way to escape to a nearby town in Colombia without getting caught by the Venezuelan government.
An insightful short story, inspired by real life events, observing one of the most oppressed countries, while exploring the incredible bond between a mother and her daughter.
Development & Financing?
Tiffany Kontoyiannis-Guillen (TKG): This was an idea I had been marinated in my head for quite some time, when it finally came time to it, I remember having tremendous writers block for months. Then suddenly, on a random night, at like three in the morning, I opened my eyes and just knew what the story would be from beginning to end. I wrote it shortly after, and the rest was history.
The development for this project was definitely intense. Because we were filming internationally, I personally knew that the script would have to be tight and exactly what I planned on using in the film. Everyday abroad was costly since we brought crew with us from the United States, so I made the choice to “edit” the film in the writing phase. There was no time to waste. The budget for this project was definitely tough and required a lot since we were shooting in two countries. We did a lot of crowdfunding and had the great fortune of finding incredible executive producers who believed in the film!
Production?
Tiffany Kontoyiannis-Guillen (TKG): Despite this being a short film, this production really required the planning of a feature length film. We were set to shoot in two countries, with over 150 cast and crew members, and had a lot of locations. Our team had to fly to Ecuador twice prior to shooting, and we had to really trust our team in Ecuador to help us in putting this shoot together.
Perhaps one of the most difficult parts of the process for me was casting. Luckily, I found the most incredible Ecuadorian casting director, Alejandra Corman, who found all of the actors in the film. I had a lot of roles to cast for this film, where they all demanded a high caliber of talent. Carmen and Rosa, who were played by Diana Aboujian and Joselyn Gallardo, were essential to the film because not only did they need to feel like family, but they really needed to complement each other while also bringing different elements to the table. We found Diana almost instantly, which was such a relief because that role was so particular, but we didn’t find Joselyn until three weeks prior to production, which was perhaps one of the scariest challenges.
Little Sofia, who was played by Marina Lalama Noboa, was perhaps our biggest miracle. For the role of Sophie, I was looking for a little girl who could play as a 5 or 6 year old but was actually a little older in real life. She had to speak both English and Spanish for the film and needed to handle really emotional scenes. We needed a girl who was not only talented enough to carry the leading role, but one who was responsible enough to handle the long hours. I will be honest and say I was prepared to find a little girl who was decent enough to do the job, and someone I could at least edit around. However, our reality far surpassed our expectations when we found Marina Lalama Noboa. She came into the audition, and immediately took our breath away. I did an improve session with her, and she actually cried during the audition. I still look back at it often with complete awe. She is perhaps one of the best actresses I have ever worked with. She is only 8 years old and has the mental capacity and talent of an adult working in the industry for over 30 years.
Prior to shooting, I worked heavily with our DP, Becky Chen, who truly was a mastermind when it came to the visuals of the film. The film had to basically be shot as a documentary in many regards, since we were constantly moving. Movement was a very big theme in our film, and we worked hard together to make sure that every camera movement had purpose and reasoning.
Thanks to our incredible producers, Roy Arwas and Karly Perez Arevalo, we were able to pull everything off, including our long list of locations. It was beautiful to see our crew, filled with people from different cultures, work together to bring this story to life. On one of the days, we lost a location and had to all come together to find a solution. One of our producers in Ecuador, Joaquin Gonzalez, ended up taking us to another neighborhood, and we ended up knocking on doors to see if we could shoot in one of them. We ended up having a multitude of options and found one of our locations that way. These were the memories that stuck with me because it brought us all together.
Directing this entire project was definitely a large undertaking. It was both emotionally taxing, and physically required a lot. It was so great to work with actors who came from different backgrounds, and it gave me the opportunity to approach them in different and unique ways. That was definitely my favorite part of the process.
In terms of post-production, my editor Roy Arwas, was a complete genius. He truly elevated the project to another level and luckily came together better than I had hoped. We had to do our ADR session via facetime, which was definitely tricky, but it all worked out.
This entire process taught me that there are truly solutions to every problem, and that even the most ambitious of projects are possible. My producers Roy Arwas, and Karly Perez Arevalo were imperative during this process, and I could not have done it without them.
Advice from the Filmmaker?
Tiffany Kontoyiannis-Guillen (TKG): My biggest piece of advice would be to surround yourself with the right team. I remember once watching an interview where Quentin Tarantino was asked what made him such a good director. His response was simple, “I hire the right people.”
Although there are several components I believe are important to directing, there is one in particular I fundamentally believe is essential—collaboration. From the beginning of my filmmaking journey, I have come to realize that you are only as good as those you surround yourself with. That being said, appreciating who you have around you, is perhaps the most important aspect of collaboration. I would have never been where I am today if it weren’t for the people who gave me their time and passion.
My second piece of advice is to take risks. At the end of the day, playing it safe is often the riskier choice. My most cherished accomplishments have all stemmed from big risks I took, especially on myself.
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