Alexis Jacknow Talks The Tribeca Experience and AGAIN Directorial Debut

by Adnan Kundi
April 28, 2017
in interviews, USA
0

Alexis Jacknow Talks The Tribeca Experience and AGAIN Directorial Debut

Alexis Jacknow is a new name in the directorial world of film making. She has in the past worked as an actress in TV series which include American Horror Story (2011) and Whitlock (2014) along with short films Close-Up (2015), Distance (2014) and The Story of Isabella and Sofia (2013). Getting a hands on experience while working as an actress, Alexis has now enhanced her skills by directing a short film of her own. Alexis Jacknow Talks The Tribeca Experience and AGAIN Directorial Debut

The short film AGAIN, is Alexis’s directorial debut which got selected in the prestigious Tribeca Film Festival 2017, founded by the actor and director Robert Deniro. AGAIN has a very humane and an emotional touch, which deals with an issue which touches the lives of countless people around the world. I was very lucky to have talked to Alexis about her experience at the Tribeca and her directorial debut.

The London Tree: How does it feel to have your film screened in the prestigious Tribeca Film Festival?

Alexis Jacknow: It’s such an honour to be selected to screen at Tribeca, especially because this is my first film. I lived in New York for seven years and studied my craft here, so this feels like a wonderful homecoming.

The London Tree: What made you want to direct this short film?

Alexis Jacknow: I come from a theatre background, but really wanted to try my hand at film. I had directed one of Bekah Brunstretter’s plays a couple of years ago and when I mentioned I wanted to work on a short, she lit up and told me about Again, which she’d written for her husband for Valentine’s Day. It felt like the perfect fit.

The London Tree: How did you come up with the idea of taking Groundhog Day as the basis for this film?

Alexis Jacknow: Morrison (the creator of the story and our lead actor) thought it would be very meta.

The London Tree: The actors Aubrey Dollar and Morrison Keddie both gave a very satisfying performance. Can you tell how you managed to get them to perform in a very humane and emotional way?

Alexis Jacknow: Both Aubrey and Morrison have both worked extensively as professional actors, so they came with a great set of tools to begin with. We rehearsed for a few hours the day prior to our shoot and then shaped and refined the piece during our two days on set.