IFC presents Rooftop Films Short Film Showcase

Interview With Kelly Sears, Director of "The Drift"

Wednesday, September 3, 2008 | 5:27 PM

Q & A

Rooftop Films: Tell us about your film.

Kelly Sears: The Drift is the tale of a 1960s space journey that goes awry and launches the counter culture revolution at the end of the decade. It's made up of collected images that are slowly animated and make you wonder if you are seeing astronauts and dropouts float away from you.

RT: What was your inspiration?

KS: I am interested in dystopic manifests destiny fables that draw largely on American history but uses fictional hinges to connect moments of time. I mine pop history images, National Geographic's, cultural encyclopedias, and ephemeral documents to find cracks in these images that could open up a different way of retelling something between a fiction and a history.

RT: Holy cow! How long did it take you to find all the images? Where did you do most of your searching?

KS: Lots of aimless treks to thrift stores and garage sales. It becomes about the thrill of the hunt, not knowing what you will find but that as soon as you see it, it will make sense in some larger narrative puzzle. My apartment is a backlog of everything that other people have ditched.

RT: Is there anything you'd like to share about the film that might not be immediately apparent (your conception of the film, backstory, production methods, etc.)?

KS: This film is one of several I am working on from mid century cultural markers and looking back on them from today to think about where things could have worked out differently in the past 50 years, how this all could be framed differently, both visually and ideologically.

RT: Any interesting stories about the production? Any particular difficulties or serendipitous events or pleasant/unpleasant surprises?

KS: I listened to David Bowie's Space Odyssey and Hawkwind's Space Ritual on repeat to get into a floaty place with the piece. As I was working on the piece, the news story broke about the astronaut love triangle that involved an attempted murder, wigs, pepper spray, and astronaut diapers, and it was timely to see actual odd stories about the trajectory of our space program circulating along with the one I was working on.

RT: Are you a full-time filmmaker? If not, what else are you up to?

KS: When I am not digging up old images or film and staying up late animating, I teach college and graduate classes on video, media research methodologies, and media history.

RT: What is your current/next project?

KS: I am working on piece that supposes a moment in a modern telecommunications network where spiritual energy invades our communication systems via suggestive emergency calls to exchange operators.

RT: If you've been to a Rooftop show, how was the experience?

KS: I happened to be in New York this summer during a screening and it was amazing to see hundred of people together enjoying movies in the summer night air. Usually I see my work at festivals and galleries and this crowd was made up of people who wanted to get out of the house on a weekend night and see something new. There were so many people there and was great to have so many new faces seeing the work.

RT: What excites you about having your short film on Rooftop Films at IFC.com?

KS: IFC.com hosted my last short and it looked wonderful. I was able to have folks see a great resolution version of the piece online. Also, it's great that these shorts can be hosted under the banner of IFC as a way for people to get access to newer shorts.

RT: Do you have any questions for the viewers? They'll post comments.

KS: Sure - I'd love to hear recommendations for thrift stores that are great to pick up old Life magazines and other general interest periodicals from the 50s-80s?

To watch The Drift, scroll below or click HERE.