5 Questions with Pepi Ginsberg
The relationship drama turned love triangle, “Alba and June,” directed by Pepi Ginsberg, follows two cousins and their flirtations with a friend named Danny. We asked Ginsberg how the project came together, what the biggest challenge was, and what comes next for her…
1) What have you been up to since we last spoke in July of last year?
Finishing up grad school! Sending this short Miss America I made around. Writing a lot, trying to write feature lengths now. Taking a writing class. Making another short in March and hopefully also one this summer. And I just went to the West Texas desert - wow!
2) What’s the backstory here - what was the initial idea and how did it evolve from there?
The backstory is a nice story about female friendship and collaboration. Claire (Lucido), who plays June, is my sister-in-law and very dear friend. I called her up to see if she wanted to come over with any actor friends and do some improv at my place. I offered we could record it and write short shorts from what they created. She brought over her friend, now also my dear friend, Gaby (Campagna), who plays Alba. We started making funny, strange short shorts and then decided we wanted to try for something longer. I started on the idea for Alba and June. From there we wrote it together through many drafts and improvs, both with Gaby and Claire, and also with Zane Pais who plays Danny. Gaby ended up producing it with me. It was the first proper short I made. I entered grad school the fall after we shot it.
3) What was the biggest challenge in making this film? And generally what part of the creative process do you enjoy the most and the least?
Biggest challenge: always just making the day and making sure everyone is safe, fed and that you shoot everything you’re meant to. Also the writing aspect was difficult here because at the time I was so new to it - so that was challenging. I didn’t have many major complaints in this process. I had never directed a narrative short longer than 4 minutes. Most of the time I was on cloud nine in an adrenaline haze, working those classic 17hr days (which were new at the time) and having a very special time with Claire, Gaby, Zane and our crew. Now that I know a little more I certainly have things on shoots that I enjoy the least. But for this I didn’t know any better so it was all fun and all new. Hope that’s not too pollyannaish, but for this one it’s true.
4) What’s a film you’ve seen recently, new or old, that you really loved and why?
I recently saw John Sayles, Matewan. It’s from 1987 and tells the story of the Battle of Matewan, a union battle in a West Virginian mining town in the 1920’s. It stars Chris Cooper as a traveling union organizer, Will Oldham as a miner and budding baptist preacher, and James Earl Jones as a fellow miner, who together organize to fight the oppressive and unethical Stone Mountain Coal Company. It’s beautifully made and told.
5) What’s next for you?
Hoping to finish a newish feature script and make these two smaller shorts before the summer ends! Maybe some traveling?
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http://www.pepiginsberg.com
IG: @newagerealchange