An Eye for an Eye

I conceived the story for An Eye for an Eye after hearing about a string of hate-related crimes being committed in and around West Hollywood. I also had this subject matter on my radar as a result of working for Lawrence Bender in 2001 as he was executive producing Anatomy of a Hate Crime, the first of several films made about the Matthew Shepard tragedy.
 
While the subject matter of the film is undeniably serious, the experience of making the film was entertaining in and of itself! Initial meetings began at a Starbucks on Santa Monica Boulevard. From there, the script began to evolve but alas the project was still producer-less. As I pitched the idea to various producers I knew, I was also encouraged to search for a potential producer on the phenomenon that is Craig’s List. Extremely hesitant, I posted a listing and much to my surprise, I actually found the one diamond in the ruff producer! Somehow I managed to convince Carlo to come on board and his friendship, talent, dedication and guidance helped elevate the entire project to a level beyond what I could have imagined.
 
Once Carlo joined the team, we had to move into a production office more suitable to our needs, so we moved a few blocks west to an internet lounge called Hybrid. Nearly all of our meetings were held at this location and as innocent bystanders tried to work and check their email, we were strategizing, interviewing and holding auditions right outside the bathroom! As for auditions, we ultimately ended up casting the roles of Joseph and Derrick with the first two actors we met. We auditioned many other actors but there was no contest and Juri and Aaron quickly signed on. Casting the attacker role was a real challenge - how do you ask an actor to audition for a significant role in the film when most of his “dialogue” consists of nothing more than moans and groans? Paul came in and exuded everything we needed through his eyes. He is the best thug and the nicest guy. Then there was the role of the mother. We were not expecting to see such a high demand for strong motherly roles. An abundance of actresses auditioned for the part, many of whom were seasoned professionals. However, we had Sally Kirkland in mind for the role from the outset. Carlo tracked down her direct contact information and after several calls during which he pitched the whole script to a voice message, she called back and agreed to read the script. As several weeks passed and production loomed closer, we were convinced that Sally just wasn’t interested. Then, about a week before the camera was to start rolling, both Carlo and I received late night calls from Sally saying that she wanted to chat with us. A few phone conversations and an in-person meeting later, we were exceedingly fortunate to attract an Academy Award-caliber actress to our project.
 
The rest of the crew came together quite easily. Shooting a low budget film always presents plenty of challenging situations that later become anecdotes to tell your friends. Our production was no different and despite all the fun and chaos of low budget independent filmmaking, we did pull together an amazingly talented group of cast and crew to bring to life a story that needed telling. With the love and support of countless friends and family, by calling in lots of favors and through a year of intense work, all of us involved in making this film are extremely proud of the final product.
 
What began as a simple idea about hate crimes and the loving relationship between a mother and son has transformed and surpassed any of my expectations. This has become more than just a short film project. As a result of making this film, people have shared their stories with me, people I never knew were themselves the victims of hate crimes. This film is not about sexuality but about the atrocity and senselessness of hate and violence. It is not about revenge, but about empowerment, inspiration, and ultimately, love. I feel fortunate that this film has facilitated my being able to speak with different people and have them open up about things that most would probably rather not talk about. If you leave this film with your heart a little more open and accepting of others, then we have accomplished far more than just making a film.

– Matt