Films Film Directory Billy the Kid | Billy the Kid |
|
|
|
| Friday, 14 December 2007 | |
|
Director: Jennifer Venditti See Billy the Kid See Billy the Kid March 10-12 at the Nickelodeon Theatre in Columbus, SC. See it April 12 at the Belfast Film Festival, Belfast, Ireland. See it April 22nd at Duke University in Durham, NC. See it in July in New Zealand at the Auckland International Film Festival, and World Cinema Showcase in Wellington. Running time: 84 minutes See it March 10-12 at the Nickelodeon Theatre in Columbus, SC See it See it March 12 at the Belfast Film Festival, Belfast, Ireland See it April 22nd at Duke University in Durham, NC. See it in July in New Zealand at the Auckland International Film Festival, and World Cinema Showcase in Wellington. DISTRIBUTION CONTACT: VICKY WIGHT, ELEPHANT EYE FILMS, 150 W. 28th Street, Suite 502,
Synopsis“I’m not black, I’m not white, not foreign…just different in the mind different brains, that’s all…” –Billy BILLY THE KID is a sensitive and humorous vérité portrait of Billy, a 15-year-old outsider growing up in small-town Maine. Billy appears, in many ways, like other teenage boys. He's into heavy metal and martial arts, is desperate to find a girlfriend, and aspires to a career as an actor and rock star. Yet in other ways Billy is unique. A troubled past and ongoing behavioral issues have left him marked. But he is unapologetic about his personality and refuses to be victimized, creating his own techniques to help him survive in an environment of pain, conformity, and prejudice. Billy is funny, sharp, strangely wise for his age, and remarkably candid. We witness life from his perspective—from intimate conversations with his mother, to being bullied at school, to his fantasies of becoming a superhero. We also experience the exhilarating pangs of first love as Billy pursues Heather, a shy 16-year-old waitress. Will Billy get the girl? Will his community accept him on his own terms? BILLY THE KID challenges viewers to imagine themselves beyond labels. (source: film's website) The Underdog Billy Price and Jennifer Venditti at SXSW Film Festival 2007
Statement by "Billy the Kid" director Jennifer Venditti: You could say I'm a sucker for the underdog. In life, I’ve always recognized beauty in the unconventional. As a filmmaker, my intent is to take the viewer into the worlds of complex, unique people. I hope to compel the viewer to recognize the extraordinary in the ordinary, to confront stereotypes and broaden our appreciation for individuality. As a casting director, I cast projects that look beyond the scope of traditional or existing talent pools. During the 10,000+ interviews I’ve done, in the back of my mind I always thought about exploring the most expressive of these people in feature form. I first met Billy when I was scouting a high school in Maine to cast real kids as extras for a film. I sat in the lunchroom for several days, studying the particular cliques and wondering if any kids ever tried sitting with someone other than their usual set. I filmed a table of bullies who recounted a story of inviting a victim to their table. Apparently, this particular kid “freaked out” at the way they treated him. As they all laughed after telling me this story, I asked them who this kid was. They gestured across the room to a boy sitting by himself. “Over there," they said. "His name is Billy.” I introduced myself and within seconds I was both awed and unnerved by his personality. I was mesmerized by his candor and his disregard for any of the usual conversational boundaries. But when I asked teachers about him, they used phrases like: 'emotional disabilities', 'extreme caution' and 'special learning environment'. Other students seemed either jealous that I was so fascinated by him, or expressed concern that he was so volatile. I cast him in the film I was scouting for and a few months later, I returned to film this portrait of him. In making the film, I wanted to convey to an audience the feeling I had when I was with Billy. While many adults were amazed and patient with him, the majority were suspicious, alarmed and cautious. My urge to figure out what was wrong with him was quickly replaced by uncomplicated appreciation and empathy. I became tethered so readily to his feelings and perceptions. His commentary on so many subjects was unwittingly wise and bright, but it was always ignored by his peers and his community. I saw him in some ways as a young Don Quixote. Though I conducted several interviews with teachers, students, family members and specialists, I ultimately threw them out in favor of Billy's voice. He tells the story himself, by being himself. All we have to do is experience Billy while he responds to a painful and intense childhood, first time love, and life as an outcast. The film captures a moment in Billy’s adolescence when his thoughts, dreams, and actions are still actively designing his future. Ultimately, I feel Billy’s journey is connected to all of ours and that what we strive for, no matter how different we seem, is the same: acceptance, understanding, and love. I intend to continue making films that challenge the viewers’ expectations, and my hope is that audiences will leave the theater either inspired or unsettled enough to start their own discussion. (source: film's website) FilmmakersFilmmakers JENNIFER VENDITTI, DIRECTOR/PRODUCER
CHIEMI KARASAWA, PRODUCER
DONALD CUMMING, DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
MICHAEL LEVINE, EDITOR
ENAT SIDI, EDITOR
(source: film's website) PressPress Watch and listen to Lisa Murray of Filmfestivals.com interview Jennifer Venditti at the 2007 LA Film Festival (source: YouTube)
“Many memorable dramatic films about adolescence have been made over the decades, but few of them can match the impact of BILLY THE KID, a striking heartfelt documentary that deserves to have a long shelf life.” –Stephen Farber, The Hollywood Reporter
“The first twenty minutes alone is worth the price of admission for the contribution to furthering the language of documentary.” -Michael Lerman, indieWIRE
“Venditti believes in willing away labels and seeing beauty without demanding to understand it, and the film proves her right.” –Alicia Van Couvering, Filmmaker Magazine
“As quietly inspiring as it is genuinely heartbreaking, BILLY THE KID is an act of passionate empathy.” –Geoff Pevere, The Toronto Star
“The story of Billy resonates as that of an American anti-hero: a loner lost in a fantasy world.” –Claire Birchell, The Guardian (UK)
“BILLY THE KID ventures into a small, contained community to focus on a single life and thereby turns the camera on the world.” –Denis Seguin, Screen International
“Venditti’s enormously affecting documentary about a thoughtful Maine boy’s coming of age has won awards at all four of the festivals it’s competed in. Believe the hype.” –-Josh Rothkopf, Time Out New York Festivals
FILM FESTIVALS CastCREW Director/Producer JENNIFER VENDITTI Producer CHIEMI KARASAWA Executive Producer BARNET LIBERMAN BOB ALEXANDER LUBOV AZRIA Associate Producers JORDAN MATTOS DANIELLE DIGIACOMO Director of DONALD CUMMING Photography Add’l Photography PARIS KAIN Editor MICHAEL LEVINE Add’l Editor ENAT SIDI Sound Design DAMIAN VOLPE Re-recording Mixer TONY VOLANTE Dialogue Editor DAVID ELLINWOOD Original Score CHRISTIAN ZUCCONI GUY BLAKESLEE Production Coordinator NINA DAY CHAUDHURI Story Consultant FERNANDA ROSSI Assistant to Producer JACLYN PARIS Additional Camera ROD LAMBORN Stills Photographer SHANE SIGLER Titles & Graphic SETH ZUCKER Design Assistant Editors DAVID ASLAN JENNY CHIURCO On Line Facility POSTWORKS, NY D I Colorist JOHN CROWLEY Online Editorial PAT KELLEHER Post Audio Facility GOLDCREST POST, NY SOUND LOUNGE Audio Equipment GOTHAM SOUND Share It!                |
