Ansonia native John Denton, a filmmaker currently living in San Francisco, plans to shoot a film in Ansonia beginning next June.
Titled “Ansonia,” the film is about a man in his 20s who suffers a breakdown and returns to his hometown to find meaning to his life.
The Valley Indy asked Denton about the film and his background in an e-mail Q&A below.
Click here to go to the film’s Facebook page. Click here for the IMDB listing.
The filmmaker is also trying to raise money for the film through a Kickstarter project. Click here to read more or donate.
Valley Independent Sentinel: Give us some information about your background. You’re from Ansonia originally but are now in San Francisco — how’d you end up there?
John Denton: While growing up in Ansonia I felt lost and with little to no direction in life. I was seen as a black sheep and kind of awkward. In high school, everyone was gearing up to go off to college while I still had no idea what I wanted to do. I watched “Garden State” on my 18th birthday and it completely changed my life. I became a new person and knew right then and there that I was to make independent and personal films. I spent two years after high school learning my craft with my friend Brian Wells who basically taught me everything about making films — he really helped shape me into the filmmaker that I am today — we made many short films no matter what the story was like, we just shot because we loved it and learned that way. In 2010 I decided that I needed to gain support and make contacts, so I enrolled at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco and the rest is history.
VIS: You write on your blog about being inspired by Zach Braff’s “Garden State.” How so?
JD: I was able to connect with this film in a way that I’ve yet to find again in another film. After watching this film I just laid in my bed, speechless. I know that when you turn 18 you become an adult, but I never thought that my life would change so drastically that day. This film saved my life and gave me direction. I hope Zach Braff reads this one day.
VIS: Pursuant to that last question, will your movie involve you hooking up with Natalie Portman? If not, too bad, but do you have a script or plot outline?
JD: Yeah, you know, we’ve talked to her agents, but I’m sure we’ll hear back from her any day now!
Ansonia is about a twenty-something year old named, James Young, who after suffering from a mental breakdown, must return to his hometown of Ansonia, Connecticut in order to find meaning to his life again.
VIS: Top Five Favorite Films, with a sentence explaining why you love each one?
JD: Top five, huh?
1. “Garden State” (2004) dir. Zach Braff
This should come as no surprise — - this film represents what it means to be misunderstood and to finally find meaning in your life. I’ve never seen a more perfect opening dream sequence than that of Braff’s character, Andrew Largeman, sitting calmly on an airplane that’s plummeting to the ground— everyone is in hysteria, but Largeman feels nothing. This film will change your life, I swear.
2. “Stranger Than Paradise” (1984) dir. Jim Jarmusch
Jim Jarmusch is such a fascinating director with such an eclectic filmography— this picture is the perfect film to poke fun at Americans and life in NYC; it’s as if we’re seeing America for the first time. It’s just a wonderfully enjoyable film.
3. “Stardust Memories” (1980) dir. Woody Allen
Woody Allen’s controversial “8 1/2 ripoff”— I thought this underrated film was his most personal of stories; it’s Allen showing everyone that he’s sick of being just the comedic director and wants to be versotile. He’s constantly haunted by people saying “we were fans of your earlier funny films”— this film is amazing.
4. “Away We Go” (2009) dir. Sam Mendes
Sam Medes’ best film— John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph knock it out of the park with their performance. It’s a film about finding home— but ultimately asks us to define what home is. With an amazing soundtrack by Alexi Murdoch, this is one of the most touching pictures I’ve ever seen; it still makes me teary eyed every time I watch it.
5. “The Dreamers” (2003 ) dir. Bernardo Bertolucci
This film is one of those where you either love it or hate it— it’s a film that celebrates being a cinephile, but also shows us how contrived our expectations of reality are when we live by what films tell us. A very fascinating film.
VIS: Do you have a favorite director or directors? What makes them good?
JD: I strongly admire Martin Scorsese — he is considered the master of cinema. He’s made some of the most memorable and classic pictures and has done so much in order to keep film alive and restored with his World Cinema Foundation.
VIS: You plan to start shooting in June 2014? Any specific locations scouted yet?
JD: Most of the places are secured — I have a couple of places in mind that I will be speaking to upon my visit in October.
VIS: What do you want people to think about after viewing the film?
JD: I want to give someone hope — I want to inspire someone who’s going through what I was when I saw Garden State. If I could touch one person’s life with this film, then I’ll know I’ve done my job as a filmmaker.
VIS: You plan to launch a Kickstarter campaign to finance the movie. How much do you need to raise? What kind of incentives will you offer for donations?
JD: We’re aiming for $20,000, which will help pay/feed our cast and crew, secure our housing, pay for travel expenses, camera equipment, and much more. By contributing to this, you’ll receive incentives such as; the script, behind the scenes videos, the soundtrack, even a chance to be in the film— there’s so much to offer here, but in reality, I just want to give people a chance to go on this journey with us and know what it’s like to make a film— this will be something truly special and history in the making, so why not be part of this?
