Meet the 2013 SXSW Filmmakers #36: Real Life Relationships Inspire Josh Barrett and Marc Menchaca’s Debut ‘This is Where We Live’
Josh Barrett and Marc Menchaca both originally wanted to be actors: they met on the set of David Simon’s “Generation Kill.” Their meeting eventually led to a collaboration behind the camera with the duo’s freshman film “This is Where We Live.”
What it’s about: A family’s dynamics are tested and a friendship is born as a
small-town Texas handyman becomes caregiver to their son with cerebral
palsy.
About the filmmakers: Marc is from West Texas and Josh is from rural Maryland. We
both ended up in New York to pursue acting careers. In 2007 we met in
Africa while shooting the HBO mini series “Generation Kill.” In the years
following that we were beginning to feel the limitations and lack of
creative control one has as an actor, so separately began developing our
own work, writing and directing. Marc’s script gave us a chance to
collaborate and make the film we wanted to from beginning to end.
What else do you want audiences to know about your film? While all of the characters and
situations in ‘This is Where We Live” are completely fictional, the
inspiration for the story began with a real relationship that Marc has
with his friend Thomas, who has cerebral palsy and whose physical
behavior is very similar to what Tobias did with the character of
August. Christine Bruno, disability advocate for Inclusion in the Arts,
served as our disability consultant to ensure accuracy and authenticity
with respect to portrayal of disability in the film. Also, we tried to use as much Texas talent in front of and behind the camera as possible.
What was your biggest challenge in developing this project? Our biggest challenge was re-writing a near locked script after
discovering the house that would be used for the Sutton family home.
And while it was a challenge to do re-writes under time constraints it
helped streamline the script, emphasizing the core ensemble and
eliminating less essential characters and scenes.
What would you like SXSW audiences to come away with after seeing your film? We hope they come away feeling they saw a film that is specific in it’s circumstances yet universal in its themes.
Did any specific films inspire you? “The Sea Inside,” “Diving Bell and the Butterfly”
What camera did you shoot on? Sony F3 with sLog
Did you crowdfund? If yes, using what platform? No, private equity.
What did you edit on? Final Cut 7
What do you have in the works? We have a few things we are developing with our producer, Ben
Fuqua, and we’re hoping ‘This Is Where We Live’ is the first installment
of a Texas Hill Country trilogy.
Indiewire invited SXSW directors to tell us about their films,
including what inspired them, the challenges they faced and what they’re
doing next. We’ll be publishing their responses leading up to the 2013
festival.
Keep checking HERE every day up to the launch of the festival on March 8 for the latest profiles.
