United States
Quinton Jhovonne Mack was raised in South Florida. He received his bachelor's degree from Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida and his film degree from the International Academy of Film and Television. He is based out of Miami, Florida. He won the "Silver Ace Award" for superior filmmaking at the 2012 Las Vegas Film Festival for his directorial debut film "Hidden Agendas", also recipient of the "Diamond Award" in 2012 from the California Film Awards. In 2014 he won the "Award of Merit'' for best shorts competition for co-producing the short film "Waking up Dead" In 2017 "Waking Up Dead" was also an official selection for the PBS "Film-Maker Project". Quinton also has worked on film projects in Shanghai, China Toronto, Canada and Tenerife, Spain. Quinton has garnered over 22 professional accolades, achievements and milestones in his 15 years in the industry.
1. Your film is entered in our Best Director Award. What is your
film about? (Experimental)
Thank
You for this acknowledgment and privilege. AFTER THE PIANO is an
EXPERIMENTAL feature film centering on a young bi-racial young man
named Lance who teeters between following the alcoholic, destructive
and dysfunctional path of his parents or achieving the success that
his musical talents deserve while taking care of his grandmother and
going to a mysterious treatment addiction center which can lead
to his redemption or destruction. Lance is a microcosm of a lot of
young people in America who are trying to overcome their obstacles
from a broken home while also trying to find their own identity and
purpose in life.
2.
What are your ambitions with your project?
My
ambition with this project was to really spotlight kids coming from
broken homes in America as well as worldwide. Lance is a very
relatable character, that I think a lot of young talented men trying
to overcome negative trauma and unfortunate circumstances can look at
as a symbol of relatability. I networked and aligned with
a lot of classical music and piano instructors, non profit
organizations to try to bring more awareness to our youth in inner
cities about encouraging more youth to partake in diverse avenues of
creative outlets,trades,etiquette and technical skill sets.
3. How was the shooting? What pleasantly surprised you?
The
shooting was amazing from top to bottom. I had the pleasure of
working with a phenomenal group of actors and production crew.
Johnathan Bezanis and his little brother Christopher Bezianis were
brilliant in their portray of the lead character Lance. Johnathan
(BEZI) is an amazing actor and had the entire script memorized. This
set the tone for the rest of the filming, as Connell Spain, Olga
Bespalenko, Mierya Kilmon, Celine Alva, Anna Bogomazova,Jennifer
Gasca etc all gave strong on screen performances. Our production team
worked extremely hard behind the scenes, Ina Jitari, Ronald Kaplan,
Henry Lacruz, Hamdy Adel, Leonardo Lopez, Alberto Zorrilla, Lisandro
Vasquez Miralles etc. We utilized the amazing weather and climate of
Sunny South Florida to really maximize our film shoots and locations.
I was surprised the most by the performance of Christopher Bezianins
playing the role of (young lance) . It was his first acting role and
he was a complete natural onscreen. He has a lot of natural ability
and "scene awareness" as I like to say. He has a bright
future ahead of him.
4.
For what target group is your film?
Great
question, the target group is diverse and transparent, in
general we wanted to put a spotlight on disadvantaged and displaced
young men growing up in unstable and challenging households and
social environments in America and worldwide to encourage and show
there's always light at the end of the tunnel. I was blessed to
have two hard working parents, my mother being from Baltimore
Maryland, and my father from Manning,South Carolina that instilled a
strong work ethic and values in me at a young age that's put an
emphasis on me to try to uplift and encourage this generation and
future generations of young people to reach their goals and dreams.
5. Why should distributors buy your film?
After
The Piano is a multi-layered story with a lot of room to expand and
evolve into a multitude of other avenues that has elements that
everyone from any walk of life in society can relate too or grasp.
There is also a lot of MYSTERY and UNEXPECTED TWISTS and TURNS within
this franchise that would be appealing long term.
6.
How would you specify your work? What characterizes your film?
The
premise and foundation for my films has always been allegorical. I
categorize myself as an ALLEGORICAL FILM DIRECTOR and CINEMATIC
CURATOR. There are underlying elements and components in this film
that are left up to the viewer to decipher and internalize. The
viewer can drag and drop their own experience and POV into multiple
elements of the story plot and feel at home and relate to what the
characters in the film are going through in real time while also
interpreting the different algorithms and paradoxes within the
storyline.
7.
Why did you decide to become a filmmaker?
One
of my main reasons for getting into the film industry was
STANLEY KUBRICK. I connected with his work at a young age and I
have shaped most of my paradigm and foundation as a film director,
writer and editor on the principals and ideology of Kubrick. He
is one of the few people I wished I would have the pleasure of
sitting down with and chatting over a cup of coffee so I could pick
his brain. He was truly ahead of his time.
8.
Who is your greatest role model?
My
parents and grandparents. I take pride in my last name and heritage
of where I came from. They have inspired me to always have a good
work ethic and always work hard while staying humble and grounded in
life. They are mentioned in the ending credits of the film.
9. Which movies are your favorites? Why?
A lot
of the early Kubrick films, A CLOCKWORK ORANGE, BARRY LYNDON, 2001 A
SPACE ODYSSEY, THE SHINING, EYES WIDE SHUT. These films shaped who I
would eventually evolve into as a director and the nuances, precision
and technical attention that went into these works was revolutionary,
Outside of Kubrick's films, I'm a huge fan of A COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN,
A BRONX TALE, PURPLE RAIN, ATL, ABOVE THE RIM and SLUMDOG
MILLIONAIRE,THE HOLY MOUNTAIN, ROSEMARY'S BABY, THE WICKER MAN,
CASINO, GOODFELLAS to name a few.
10.
Where do you look for inspiration for your films?
My
inspiration is purely what moves and inspires me within that time of
space when I'm going through a curation process. I explore all ends
of the creative universe and spectrum when I'm brainstorming new
projects to commence.
11.
Which topics interest you the most?
Anything
that has an allegorical meaning and underlying purpose aside from the
traditional story plot. I try to make films that a viewer can watch
10 years from now and still find little elements and intricacies that
they missed previous times they watched the film. It's always
exciting to discover new elements in film that you watched previous
times prior and didn't catch.
12.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
The
birth of my son, Tyler Patrick Mack is the proudest moment in my
life. I dedicated AFTER THE PIANO to him. Aside from AFTER THE PIANO
getting positive accolades, acknowledgment and reviews, My new film
that just released entitled DEPARTURE MESSAGES is an Egyptian movie,
filmed in its entirety in the beautiful country of Egypt. My
publicist did some research and cross referencing and discovered I'm
one of the few AMERICAN DIRECTORS of my heritage if not the first to
film, direct, produce and edit a film made in Egypt. I feel it was a
monumental and historic feat that I'm proud to say that maybe 10-20
years from now, the impact of this will have been cultural, iconic
and prevalent in the world of Cinema and beyond to future filmmakers.
It's a great feat achieved by our team, myself, Hamdy Adel, Hamed
Adel and many others.
13. What do you consider most important about filming?
The
attention to visual detail, aesthetics, acoustics and the art of
storytelling is essential in the filmmaking process and normally
makes the difference between a great film and a good film.
14.
Which film technique do you consider the best?
I
cater too and have a high regard for a lot of different techniques to
name a few CROSS-CUTTING, UTILIZATION OF LONG AND ESTABLISHING SHOTS,
PROPER BLOCKING TECHNIQUES, SCENE TRANSITION, BIRD EYES SHOT,
MASTERING THE 180 RULE, QUADRANT TECHNIQUES, MOOD BOARDS AND
MASTERING THE CLOSE UP SHOT. It's so many and hard for me to narrow
it down to just one, but I would have to say MASTERING THE 180 RULE.
15.
How would you rate current filmmaking?
The current state of filmmaking is to what I would compare to the
California Gold Rush of the mid 1800's as technology and social media
has evened the playing field in the world of independent film
and has allowed a new hybrid breed of filmmakers to emerge globally.
Previously you had to have access to expensive cameras and equipment
to be able to make a decent fillm and make a dent in the industry.
Now a 16 year old with an IPHONE can make just as good a movie as
someone with expensive equipment with all the bells and whistles.
It's more of a balanced playing field then in previous decades past
and we are seeing a renaissance of new and innovative films emerging
across the globe.
16.
What can make you angry in a movie?
Not
a lot makes me upset in a movie, I think each film created is that
director's piece of visual art thru their eyes as they want the story
to be conveyed. I try to keep a level of transparency and neutrality
in that regard when viewing and engaging movie content. The old rule
is that there is always an audience for every film that's made.
17.
Who supports you in your film career?
My
film support team is composed mainly of my film business partners and
close friends in Egypt, as well as other creative and like minded
acquaintances in London, Spain and Canada. I'm thankful for my small
inner circle of creatives. Makes the journey all that much more
exciting.
18. What are the reactions of your surroundings to your film?
The
reactions have been well received and humbling. After The Piano has
surprisingly developed a strong international following of support
and great feedback. I hope to garner more of that same energy
state side in the coming months. Overall it's been a great experience
and a testament to the cast and crew of After The Piano.
19.
Have you already visited any of the prestigious film festivals?
Unfortunately
I haven't because of the COVID and pandemic crisis that has affected
us all worldwide over the last year. As things are slowly getting
back to normal, I'm looking forward to getting back on the film
circuit in the coming months, traveling to the festivals domestically
and internationally and doing some press and media to maximize my
film projects and support others in the film community worldwide.
20.
What are your next projects?
My
new film that just released May 4th 2021 entitled DEPARTURE MESSAGES.
My production team is extremely excited about this project and we are
preparing an extensive and innovative campaign to market and promote
the film worldwide. It's based on a true story and was very rewarding
to see this film come full circle. I will definitely share this
project with BFA. I always appreciate you guy's feedback and support
of my film projects and allowing me the platform. Cheers!