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STEVE LOUDEN
interviews
JACOB STRUNK
PART TWO
7: What are you working on now (as far as films)?
I’m working on the next film. This October, I’ll be shooting a feature film in Wisconsin. I’ll be importing a lot of cast/crew, but will also be tapping the local resources. I have a point man in Milwaukee helping out on that end. Making a film is hard. Getting it going from over two thousand miles away is near impossible.
8: What are you doing now (as far as school/life in general)?
A Shadow Before Sunrise has begun making the festival rounds and seems to be doing pretty well at winning over viewers and even snatched up an award at its premiere in L.A. in October. I’ll be pushing that film this year while working on the next. I’m also pursuing my terminal degree, an MFA in Creative Writing. Those are full-time jobs unto themselves, so other than pre-production and writing…I’m dealing with a heat wave following the flooding, reading books, playing music, and watching a lot of pretentious art films. The more subtitles the better.
9: Tell our readers a little bit about Valhalla ...
Valhalla is a short film I wrote and directed in 2003. I suppose it’s my most “successful” film to date, with a handful of awards and nominations, a strange but loyal cult following, and a legion of scarily devoted naysayers. I’m incredibly proud of that film and it’s been wonderful to see the response, the good and the bad. There’s no middle ground with that film. People either go out of their way to show their appreciation or shout from the rooftops about how much they hated it. I couldn’t ask for more. Any honest, visceral, and emotional reaction (even the worst) is candy to a crazy filmmaker. In September of 2004, I was invited to the One Reel Film Festival in Seattle to show Valhalla and do a Q&A after the screening. That was…interesting. Interacting with all the people who love the film is always great fun and I always walk away a little bit more enlightened.
10: Tell our readers a little bit about A Shadow Before Sunrise ...
Sunrise is my most recent film. It was shot on 35mm in 2004. In October of that year, it premiered in Los Angeles at the New York International Independent Film Festival and took home “Best Film Noir.” Like all my films, it has its devotees and detractors. Look for it in 2005 at a festival near you…
11: Tell our readers a little bit about Sand Country ...
Sand Country is the little-seen experimental companion piece to Valhalla. I shot them back-to-back: same crew, same camera package, same sets. I wrote it years ago as part of a larger work and – after it resurfaced several times in different forms – finally brought it to the screen in 2003. Other than that, not much else to say. Some people love it, some don’t.
12: Tell our readers a little bit about Jake the Filmmaker ...
Jacob Strunk the person is a gentle soul who is as confused about the world as he is about the fundamental physics of hyperspace travel.
Jacob Strunk the filmmaker just tries to speak honestly through his work…and, of course, encourages everyone to go to www.sevenmileswest.com and have a gander, even sign up for the mailing list. You won’t regret it.
