Heartland: Gordon Strain of We Strangers
The producer -- and more! -- of the eclectic, thoughtful drama about race relations talks about mining the talent of his Hoosier writer/director and the state of indie film.
For Heartland Film Festival schedule and tickets, please click here.
Film Yap: Writer/director Anu Valia is a Hoosier from The Region, as we like to call the northwest corner of the state. How did you come to be involved in working with her, and what is she like as a filmmaker?
Gordon Strain: My partner Zach met Anu and read her script. Shortly after that he sent it to me and thought it was a story we might like to help tell. As a filmmaker Anu is collaborative, but also has a clear vision of what she wants. She spent countless hours with the DP (director of photography) and the PD (production designer) going through the look of the film, which had a lot of locations.
FY: There's plenty of humor in "We Strangers," but also some challenging looks at race relations. What do you hope people take away from the film?
GS: It's tough because everyone sees each film so differently... especially this one. We've been at a few other festivals with it and had a wide variety of reactions. I hope that people watch it and are able to relate to at least one of the characters in one way or another.
FY: How did you find your leading actress, Kirby Howell-Baptiste? She's just got a ton of screen presence.
GS: I can't tell a lie, Anu found Kirby and/or had her in mind when she wrote it. By the time Pigasus was on board, we already knew Kirby was going to be in the film. Kirby is amazing. I feel so lucky that I got to work with her. She doesn't just have a presence on screen... she has a presence everywhere. Truly a delightful person to be around.
FY: Tell us about Pigasus Pictures, which you co-own, and your take on the state of independent film production in 2024.
Pigasus Pictures has been making feature films since 2016 (I think that's right). Our first feature was “The Good Catholic” and we've made plenty since then. We try to work with writer/directors that are early in their career and help them to tell their stories. “We Strangers” happened to take place in "the Region" and we try to film as much as we can in Indiana, but that doesn't always mean the stories take place in Indiana. We had a film released this summer, “The Duel,” that was filmed in Indiana but takes place in California and Mexico. Our hope is that by filming in Indiana we can help to build a community or network here... and then when Hoosiers want to make a film, they don't have to leave the state.
As for my take on independent film production...I would say it's mostly good. I love it. There are a lot of questions in the industry around distribution. The ultimate goal is for people to see your art...is that in theaters? Is that streaming? Is it 2 minute clips on social media? I'm still a lover of the theater and I get a little sad anytime someone tells me that they watched one of our movies on their laptop. I mean, I love my laptop but it is NOT a premiere viewing and sound experience. But I do believe we are all searching for the right way to get the art out there. That's one of the reasons festivals are so fun...it's a group of people getting together with the sole purpose of watching films, in a theater. So, all of that is to say, I am going to keep making things and I hope that people keep watching.
FY: A lot of people don't really know what a producer does on a film, mainly because the role varies so much. For "We Strangers" you did everything from promoting to helping paint the set! How do you see your role on a project like this?
GS: It's so hard to explain to people what a producer does. I've emptied toilets in trailers. I've raised money. I've cooked meals for our cast and crew. In many ways it's about plugging holes and also preventing holes in the system. My partner, Zach, spends more time on his phone than anyone I know. I do not envy that...and that's also not my strength. I am much better on the ground helping to problem solve. With We Strangers one of my big jobs was helping the art team. The film has so many locations and they all needed some kind of work... from painting to wallpapering, or cleaning, or setting up furniture, the list goes on and on. It's much cheaper to give me a can of paint than to hire a paint crew...and then we can use that budget for other things. And I would MUCH rather be working with my hands than looking at spreadsheets.
FY: Any other projects you're working on you'd like to mention?
GS: We are currently working on a "based on the true story" of the first women's Little 500. It is an amazing story...but I don't want to give it all away. It's not really a sequel to “Breaking Away”... but by default it is. If that makes sense. We have some other things in the works, too.