In the third edition of our Visions4 Filmmaker Highlight series, we bring you filmmaker Jon Kasbe. His documentary film, Heartbeats of Fiji, documents two individuals, Ben and Masi, as they cross paths at Fiji's Beat Making Lab--an organization designed not only for the creation of music, but to inspire positive change in people and communities through the power of beat making.
Director Jon Kasbe, born in Sydney, Australia, grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina and attended Leesville Road High School, just northwest of the city. Now, many of our V4 selections have described their interest in filmmaking and/or film scholarship as sparking in college, high school--even as early as elementary school. What has been consistent, however, is their layered experience with the film medium--passion for film is not necessarily engrained within or realized at any specific moment in time; it is organic, yet immortal in nature--constantly shifting, changing direction, even going through lulls from time to time. But, most importantly, the light grows with every new experience and opportunity. It can never completely extinguish. Jon has a similar view of his own love for filmmaking: "There wasn’t one special moment where it all just made sense and I fell in love. It’s been an ongoing process, like waves that come and go. The passion doesn’t always burn all that bright, but sometimes I can’t stop thinking about it. Creating videos is one of the few things I’ve found in life I can do without realizing it. As long as that flow sticks around, I’ll probably keep with it" (Kasbe PI).
It can be common for those receiving any formal education in cinema to be uncertain of which path they will eventually take, as with any area of study. What will it be? Production? Scholarship? Ok, production it is! Now, directing or screenwriting? Maybe editing? Documentary? Narrative? Animation? Experimental? It may seem overwhelming, but a lesson can be learned from Jon's perspective--any pursuit or goal one sets out to achieve must be rooted in an unconditional interest that needs to be explored. Even if the experience is not there to complete a project, a filmmaker that is fueled by this interest will take personal initiative to learn the required skills, practice, and eventually complete his/her vision. Although unsure of his future pursuit as a director, Jon is an example of this initiative, as he alone has produced, shot, and edited most of his film projects (Kasbe PI).
Jon's Heartbeats of Fiji will premiere at Visions4 in UNC Wilmington's Lumina Theater on April 4th, as well as the RiverRun International Film Festival in Winston Salem, NC (April 4th - 14th). His film will be the finale of our second and final screening block of the day, scheduled for 8:30pm in Lumina Theater.
Like in any event, it is important to end the day on a high note, or in this case, some inspiring beats from Fiji's Beat Making Laboratory.
Steven Gamble
Marketing Director
Visions Film Festival & Conference
Web: www.visionsfilm.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/visionsfilm
An Interview With Film Scholar Amanda Stonebarger
Author of the Visions4 Conference selection, "Pied Piper vs. Faun: Storybooks and Female Empowerment in The Sweet Hereafter and Pan's Labyrinth"
What made you choose Visions4? Is this your first time presenting your scholarly findings to an audience? What do you hope to gain from this experience?
To
be honest, I completely lucked into Visions4. The paper I’m
presenting was published in Film
Matters
magazine earlier this year, and in January, I received a Facebook
message from Matt Gossett in which he invited me to submit my paper
to the conference for consideration. It was an opportunity I had to
take. This will be my first time to do this type of presentation,
which is both thrilling and nerve-wracking (but more thrilling than
nerve-wracking). I think the thing I hope to gain from this
experience is just that-- experience.
I’ve been to film festivals and panels before, but always as
someone in the audience. Ultimately, I’m eager to share some ideas,
watch some good films, and learn some new things at Visions4.
When did you discover your passion for film and writing? Was it always present, or did you have a particular experience that changed your creative life forever?
I’m
not totally sure where it came from. I don’t know that anything
specific pushed me toward writing. It’s just always been easier for
me to express myself through writing than through any other medium. I
was in college before I truly realized that not everyone else felt
the same way and that my enjoyment of movies and writing didn’t
have to be a hobby.
What
would you say your favorite subjects of film to write about are? Ex.
Feminism, adaptation, genre, cultural analysis, editing?
I’m
so eclectic that it would be difficult for me to narrow it down.
Feminism is obviously important to me—I am definitely a feminist
and my paper is all about female empowerment—but all of those
examples interest me. What’s truly fascinating to me is the way
that people craft effective and interesting stories. I constantly
find myself dissecting whatever type of media I’m consuming
(including books and television) to figure out what makes it work or
how the filmmaker/writer is conveying a message or story. When
choosing a topic for something like a film paper, I tend to go with
whatever part of that specific film strikes me the most.
What
inspired you to write your particular essay?
Well, this paper was written for my senior film capstone over global art cinema. Our final assignment was to do a research paper over any two art films. The only requirement that I can remember was that they be from different countries. I started to consider my topic as I drove home that day. We’d watched Pan’s Labyrinth during one of our weekly class screenings and I’d done a presentation with a partner on The Sweet Hereafter, and the images of Ofelia and Nicole with storybooks just kind of hit me as I was pulling into my driveway. That image got me thinking about how they forged relationships with the fantastic, which pointed me toward the role of those relationships in conflict, which led my wandering mind to how they were confronted with male power, and so on, and so on. The more I thought about it, the more excited I got—which is always a good sign.
Do
you have any current projects in the works? What are some of your
future aspirations?
I
don’t have any film-related projects right now. I’m currently
(very) slowly chipping away at a novel I started during my undergrad.
I also have a blog called “Randomanda,” where I mostly explore my attempts to become a better writer and a healthier human. Each week, I
check in on what I call the 2014 Mile Project, a personal fitness
venture in which I require myself to walk/bike/go 2,014 miles by the
end of this year.
As
for the future, I’m sure a lot of my aspirations are similar to
those of most people. I plan to finish my novel, publish it, try a
screenplay, publish more articles and stories, travel more, and
perhaps live abroad. Mostly, I want to prioritize writing and do it
as much as I possibly can.
Do
you have any authors/filmmakers in particular that you enjoy? Perhaps
a few that inspired you?
Again,
I don’t know that I could list anyone specific. I find that I’m
especially inspired by any artist who is passionate about his or her
craft. Passion is contagious. This will sound so corny, but I also
try to look for inspiration in whatever I’m watching or reading. My
writing classes in college taught me to view all films, television,
articles, and books not just as entertainment, but as opportunities
to learn and to grow as a writer.
What
do you hope the audience takes away from your presentation?
If
anyone gets anything at all out of it, I’ll be happy. These are two
films that I love, and I’m looking forward to discussing them.
Dallis Frie Covey
Print & Media Relations Copywriter
Visions Film Festival & Conference
Web: www.visionsfilm.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/visionsfilm
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