Q&A with John e. Kilberg
A conversation with writer, director, and editor John e. Kilberg, on their short film, ‘GIRLSAM.
When you decided to make this short film, where did you start?
I decided to make this film after the end of a relationship I had for a few years. I had made a short film called Home Alone, Baby Blue that had very little dialogue, even less than GIRLSAM, and was much sadder in tone. I wanted this film to be a bit more uplifting for viewers.
With my gender I’ve had a hard time letting family members know that I was non-binary and that I felt fluid in my gender. They all accept me for being attracted to men but this was another new step for them. So this desire to create a character longing for a place and acknowledgment of who they are became important to me.
Sam is me, a tomboy who struggles to feel loved. I have always felt like a “tomboy” not much of a man and not much of a woman somewhere in between. I am proud to feel that way about myself. It was exciting to create a character like Sam and to see the story play out the way it does.
What kind of hurdles do you face as a filmmaker working in short film?
Funding is the hardest part in making a short film, for the successful filmmakers usually come from wealth and have family connections in the business. Being I don’t have those opportunities and its been fun to try and connect to an audience that appreciate my style and story messages for the queer community.
We ended up filming on the iPhone XS because camera equipment is very expensive. We filmed using moment lenses which attach to the iPhone. Sound recording was also done with an iPhone and a Rode device. All of my films so far have been made with the help of people who believe in them just as much as me.
What projects are you working on next, and how can people who are interested best support or share that work?
I just finished my next short film, “Vestirse”. Vestirse in Spanish is a very complicated and meaningful word. Yes, it does mean to "get dressed," but it can mean much more in the sense of how you dress as a human beyond clothing. Vestirse is going to be available in 2021.
You can follow @johnekil on Instagram for updates on my future work. I am also working on the second draft of my first novel which is to be a fantasy adventure about a non-binary character.
