Interview with Adam Minnick
by Christina G. Sato
CGS: What does your film add to the conversation?
AM: It brings attention to the Polish Catholics who make up the 2 nd highest
concentration of victims who survived or died during the Holocaust just
behind the Jewish people.
CGS: Why now? Why is it relevant?
This is a demographic of people who have been left out of the history books
and movies whenever the Holocaust is the focus. It is relevant because there
are very few survivors left to this day. When interviewing survivors of the
Holocaust for my film, the most popular question by the Polish Catholics was
“Why have we been forgotten?”
CGS: Why film? Why is this the desired medium to tell this story?
AM: I envisioned this story to be told through film. When I first sat down to
write the script, a book had crossed my mind. So, I began writing the first
chapter. I didn’t get very far because the thought of having this as a film would
be far more effective than text. For the viewer to understand my vision for this
film… I felt that as a medium, film would be able to capture this story best.
CGS: What resources (local or via internet) are available for someone who wants to
produce? What has been the biggest asset to you during this process?
AM: When I had finished my script, the only resources I had regarding
producing were articles online and a couple books I picked up at the
bookstore. I knew that film school was not an option, I thought it would be a
waste of time and money. Surprisingly a lot of the very well-known producers
and directors have all said the same thing about film school. Their #1 advice
was to just pick up a camera and start filming.
I think the biggest asset to me during this process was my persistence. It
helped that I’m a comedian, and in the comedy business there are a lot of no’s
and rejections. I felt that comedy has made me callused to the negativity so in
the end this made me even more persistent. If you want to produce you need
to believe in yourself and stay focused on what you want to do. There’s going
to be a lot of rejection, but you have to know what you are doing is well worth
your time. Ignore those who doubt you and say otherwise.
Another asset regarding the actual producing was my vision on how each
scene should play out. I think a lot of people fail at starting this process
because they like to talk about it but following through is another story. I
spent a lot of nights, including Fridays and Saturdays sitting at the same coffee
shop, in the same seat at the same table writing for 5-6 hours each night. Write
everyday and hold yourself responsible with this task.
CGS: Congratulations on having “Forgotten” accepted to the recent New Filmmakers
Film Festival in New York. What did you take away from that experience?
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