"Now that the year starts for real, let's carve the diamond in the rough! Me and my big partner Karen Akerman dive into this mission! #Sandcastle."
We're starting the week with exciting news on Sand Castle, so let's get right to it!
Director Fernando Coimbra has been busy since the beginning of the year editing the war drama, based on the life of screenwriter Chris Roessner. In the film Henry plays an American special forces captain, assigned to an Iraqi town where Nicholas Hoult is sent to fix a broken water system.
Roessner's screenplay was on the 2012's Black List, and the hype is just starting to build for the film.
2016 off to a great start. Sand Castle shares list with SOYL @HIGHzurrer @AndyDahm https://t.co/0Dzj81ikU9
— Christopher Roessner (@CitizenRoessner) January 15, 2016
Ion Cinema, named Sand Castle as one of its Top 25 Most Anticipated Studio Films of 2016. And we are so happy for director Fernando Coimbra!
congratulations to Fernando Coimbra for his nomination!
https://t.co/aNSFb92As0
— Treehouse Pictures (@Treehousepic) January 13, 2016
Coimbra received a Director's Guild nomination, in the category of 'Outstanding directorial achievement of a first-time feature film director' for A Wolf at the Door.
The director talked to Otempo about that honor, and also shared an update on Sand Castle (google translated, tweaked by us):
You were in the Middle East until recently, making a new film.
When I entered "Sand Castle", in the middle of last year, they already had the main actor Nicholas Hoult and told me they wanted to still shoot in 2015. The story is set during the Iraq War in 2003, during the first invasion. The protagonist is a soldier who did not want to go to war, he enlisted in order to pay for college. And he ends up being sent to a small town where the U.S. destroyed the water station, and they will try to solve the problem. A seemingly easy thing, that ends up being very complicated, and will reveal all layers of this war: a conflict that was won and took over ten years for the army to get out of there. What attracted me is that it shows the civilian side, soldiers will deal with people and local issues. It shows the relationship with the Iraqis and a picture of the Iraqi people that we do not see much in American cinema (..) And the producers wanted to show this other side of the war. The script was written by Chris Roessner, which went to war to pay for film college, and later wrote about his experience. I finished shooting just before Christmas, and the goal is to launch at some festival in the second half of the year.
Many Brazilian directors who film out there have problem of control and being able to execute their vision. How has your experience been?
Quiet, quiet, I cannot say that's the case for me. In American cinema, when you are hired, it depends on who you're working for. In "Sand Castle," I could do things my way and use ideas that I thought best. But in between, there are things that they did and ended up better than I was thinking. Everything will be engaging there. The producer wanted to make a film that felt more pedigreed instead of purely commercial. They have not sought a high investment, to not need a very high return. They wanted a director with style, vision, and I joined because I felt I really wanted to make a different film from this long war. They sought this balance between authorship, pedigree and a commercial vision (..) I did not want to leave Brazil and go to Jordan to face a project where I could not do anything.
You also directed two important episodes of "Narcos." How was the experience, and are you coming back for season two?
I did not do the second because of "Sand Castle." I called, but it would have been while I was in the Middle East, and I had to choose. It was not easy because it was a great experience. It's TV, but it's a huge production, with a proportion that you do not see in Brazil. It was the first time I did something that size, international, with the entire structure in two other languages, a backdrop of war, and this was a good school for "Sand Castle." I learned a lot there, the American way, how it works, the relationship with the producer.
Many Brazilian directors who film out there have problem of control and being able to execute their vision. How has your experience been?
Quiet, quiet, I cannot say that's the case for me. In American cinema, when you are hired, it depends on who you're working for. In "Sand Castle," I could do things my way and use ideas that I thought best. But in between, there are things that they did and ended up better than I was thinking. Everything will be engaging there. The producer wanted to make a film that felt more pedigreed instead of purely commercial. They have not sought a high investment, to not need a very high return. They wanted a director with style, vision, and I joined because I felt I really wanted to make a different film from this long war. They sought this balance between authorship, pedigree and a commercial vision (..) I did not want to leave Brazil and go to Jordan to face a project where I could not do anything.
You also directed two important episodes of "Narcos." How was the experience, and are you coming back for season two?
I did not do the second because of "Sand Castle." I called, but it would have been while I was in the Middle East, and I had to choose. It was not easy because it was a great experience. It's TV, but it's a huge production, with a proportion that you do not see in Brazil. It was the first time I did something that size, international, with the entire structure in two other languages, a backdrop of war, and this was a good school for "Sand Castle." I learned a lot there, the American way, how it works, the relationship with the producer.
Henry shared several updates from the set of the film, and we can't wait to meet Captain Syverson on the big screen. We'll be on the lookout for the very latest on Sand Castle in the coming months.
Ohhhh love a man when he's a man, rocking the rugged look yum yum, looking forward to this film, interesting to see how true it is.
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ReplyDeleteCant wait 4 this! The movie was shot pretty fast no?? Probably only in abt 6wks. Henry's role might b really really small like Humphreys in Stardust... but, who cares?! Im still gonna go watch it :D
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