Manhattan Short Film Festival includes film from Latvia

By Katie Chicklinski-Cahill Staff reporter

Thursday, Oct 5, 2017 9:35 PM

The short “Just Go!” will be shown this weekend at the Manhattan Short Film Festival.

Courtesy of Pavel Gumennikov

Courtesy<br><br>Gumennikov

A still from the Georgian film “8 Minutes,” one of 10 shorts that will be screened at the Sunflower Theatre in Cortez and Animas City Theatre in Durango as part of the Manhattan Short Film Festival.

Courtesy Sunflower Theatre

One of the shorts to be featured in the Manhattan Short Film Festival is “Just Go!,” directed by Pavel Gumennikov from Latvia.

“Just Go!” is about a young man who lost both his legs in an accident. When he sees the girl he loves being victimized, he comes to the rescue.

I had the chance to talk with Gumennikov by email about becoming a filmmaker and what inspired him to make the film.

Q: How did you get into filmmaking?

A: I always remember how I saw my first film. It was behind the fence, as cinema was packed so my uncle and me were standing outside and I was looking through the back wall. But it still felt magical; it was an old King Kong movie. And I remember that feeling really strong, that this is magic, this is an amazing story that talks to so many people. And from that time, I can’t stop telling stories. I think storytelling comes from my grandfather, who created stories every night when I went to sleep. When he became very sick, I started doing it to him, and it never stopped.

Q: Can you talk about the true story “Just Go!” is based on?

A: I met a group of people from a sitting volleyball team, and they were discussing how sports and playing together in a team had changed their lives.

It interested me so much that I wanted to know more, and I went to one of their games. There, I saw Aleksandr (Just) playing, and after the game, he told me his life story. It moved me a great deal. And I felt the story needed to be shared to a wider audience. I felt there is something special about him.

He is now 19, but when he was 16, he was homeless, living on the streets. He had run away from his family and given up on life and every day had to fight for his survival, until he developed an interest in sport, and in time it helped him find a new inner-self, and he became a very different person. And then followed his heroic story, when he saw a girl in need of help and without hesitation jumped in to help her and to stop the thieves.

As Aleksandr (Just) says it best: This story is about a person who is desperately in love with life.

And that is the message we want to send to everyone “Never give up, believe in yourself and when the going gets tough, dig deep and find that love that exists within you” – You can overcome anything which seems to be fighting hard against you, by remembering your principles and keeping your focus and by believing in yourself at all times, however hard it may seem to be, everything is possible, nothing is lost.

Q: What were some of the challenges you faced making the film? Was it fun?

A: The most difficult part was the weather. It was one of the worst summers in Latvian history, not that we have good summers, but it was terrible! It was “raining cats and dogs,” and all the scenes were shot outside, which gave us lots of stress.

Another difficult aspect was the acting, as Aleksandr (Just) had never done any acting before. I worked with him for four month prior to filming and rehearsed every part of the movie. This was challenging, boring, interesting and time consuming, but also awesome for both of us as we got to bond together before the actual shoot. It also gave Aleksandr (Just) more confidence, especially after he saw the film for first time – there were tears in his eyes, his shoulders went back and he was very proud and ready to rock this life and follow his dreams!

Q: What’s next for you?

A: At the moment I am working with two great, young and talented script writers from USA. My goal was always to work in big market and develop films watched by millions. At the moment we are working on two different feature film scripts, that I plan to start shooting next year!

And I always look for people to meet and make great relationships. The most important every next step I take is based on will I love what I do and am I scared from what is next. If answer is positive I always go forward. When you scared, that is the thing you need to do!

katie@durangoherald.com