At home in San Francisco and the World: A Conversation with Daniel Kremer

Mitch talks with Daniel Kremer about both his cinema scholarship as well as prolific filmmaking on the occasion of the release of his Overwhelm The Sky.  “I guess I first became acquainted with Daniel Kremer before actually seeing any of his films because the man has an encyclopedic knowledge of film history; he knows as much if not more about cinema than anybody I have ever met. But being an expert on film doesn't necessarily mean you can make good or great ones. In Kremer's case I have to say that all of that knowledge has more than paid off. In terms of his output of movies since he is quite prolific, patterning his production procedures on the Zoetrope model of  Francis Ford Coppola in the 1970s. Region is also important, in terms of connecting the art to a unique place and the people within it, in Kremer's case, San Francisco. Kremer's beat is the power and centrality of the actors. In his films this approaches the quality of Cassavetes, or Rivette or Pialat. Kremer's films do have structures and plot, in some cases quite intriguing, even suspenseful ones, but he is also committed to the art of improvisation within that narrative structure and what it cam do for a narrative film. In a Daniel Kremer film there are never overlooked characters and everyone matters and has "their say". His current film Overwhelm The Sky is becoming something of a hit and I have to say that every positive review is well deserved. The film has an epic feeling and is visually beautiful while holding to Kremer's commitment to respecting the actor. His Raise Your Kids On Seltzer is one of 4th most interesting films I have ever seen on the subject of fundamentalism and the effects of cults on family life. Kremer is also a film archivist, working with the celluloid itself as well as a writer and critic. His book on film director Sidney Furie is highly recommended, and I eagerly await his forthcoming book on one of my favorite film directors , Joan Micklin Silver. " IMDb Bio: Filmmaker, film historian, biographer, and professional film archivist Daniel Kremer grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He graduated Temple University's film program and now lives in San Francisco. In 2007, while living in Philadelphia, he directed his first feature Sophisticated Acquaintance (2007) and was presented with four Best Documentary prizes for Yarns to Be Spun on the Way to the Happy Home (2007), a personal essay film about having grown up with a severe stutter. His second feature A Trip to Swadades (2008), which was shot on black-and-white super-16mm film, won three Best Feature Film awards. Following that film's international festival tour (which included Rotterdam), he moved to New York City, where he lived for nearly seven years. At one point, he studied to be an Orthodox rabbi, but gave it up to continue pursuing film. In 2011, he completed his acclaimed follow-up feature, The Idiotmaker's Gravity Tour (2011). The film was lensed predominantly in India and is distributed on Fandor. Subsequent to that, he directed Raise Your Kids on Seltzer (2015), Ezer Kenegdo (2017), Overwhelm the Sky (2018), and Even Just (2019). www.bricolagefilms.com www.confluencefilm.com Trailer for Overwhelm the Sky: https://vimeo.com/305461750 Check Journey of an Aesthete Facebook for more details.