In this episode, writer, actor and director Andy Kastelic is discussing his new film, The Countryman, and his advice for other filmmakers looking to make an impact in the industry through short films.
Andy is from Albuquerque and, after training at the Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute in Los Angeles, earned a BA in Film from the University of New Mexico. Through his production company, Balian Pictures, he has written and directed several award-winning short films of varied form, genre and period and is guided by timelessness and universality. He has two feature films in development, with a third also in the works.
His latest film, The Countryman, is of major significance to Andy and Balian Pictures. Andy describes it as a summation of learned storytelling techniques and aesthetics — with subject matter after his own heart — and a farewell to short-form filmmaking. In The Countryman, from Balian Pictures: “Bitterness threatens to destroy a small 1950's American farming community until a stranger arrives with a curious proposition.”
The film is receiving rave reviews since its premiere in July 2023. Indie Shorts Magazine has this to say: “The Countryman has blossomed out of the Western, owes its distinction to the genre, and leaves behind the impression of something that is, in many ways, truly remarkable.”
Catch The Countryman at this year’s Albuquerque Film & Music Experience on October 1, 2023 at 12 pm at the Historic Lobo Theatre: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/block-23-new-mexico-shorts-tickets-685360972117?aff=oddtdtcreator
Film trailer link: www.vimeo.com/786451575/da72aed942
For more info: www.andykastelic.com