Interview with Filmmaker Chris Hale (EVERYBODY FALLS DOWN)

Chris Hale’s short film EVERYBODY FALLS DOWN played to rave reviews at the May 2016 FEEDBACK Short Documentary Film Festival.

Interview with Chris Hale:

Matthew Toffolo: What motivated you to make this film?

I’d previously worked out in Iraq and Iraqi Kurdistan for the BBC, and the place and the people really got under my skin. They were so welcoming and open despite decades of suffering and so I was always determined to return somehow to help tell their story. Everybody Falls Down itself actually came about somewhat by chance as this was always meant to be a small part of a bigger film about Kurdistan’s quest for independence, but when it quickly became apparent that these people deserved their own story.

I went to film a series of interviews the mostly Kurdish refugees from Syria of the Darashakran Refugee camp in the Kurdistan Region of Northern Iraq. When I started editing what they had to say, I was struck by how these people could have been me, or you or our families. They’re just a small percentage of the millions of refugees impacted by the war, but when you look past the politics at the people, they just want to raise their children somewhere safe that they can call home and I found that incredibly moving.

And so what was meant to be a sequence within the bigger film took on an urgency and a life of its own and became this film.

MT: From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film? 

Well, the idea to do something in Kurdistan was with me for 5 years, but turning the idea into reality built up steam over just a couple of months, then I was out there filming for 2 weeks and in edit for about 2 months before Everybody Falls Down started to stand out as a separate film. Its hard to put an actual time on it though as its been a labour of love, edited in what little spare time I had.

MT: How would you describe your short film in two words!? 

heartfelt tragedy

MT: What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film? 

Time. The plan was to take a month off from other projects to complete it, but the freelance life is never that easy, especially as I’d spent all of my money on the production. So I ended up editing at evenings and weekends and early in the morning, whenever I could. I was watching rushes on planes, transcribing interviews on the train. I even took a mobile edit suite with me when I went to China on another project so I could edit in my hotel room. Not ideal but I was surprised how much spare time I could find in a day if I tried hard enough.

MT: What were your initial reactions when watching the Toronto audience talking about your film in the feedback video? 

I was pleasantly surprised watching the feedback video, I was glad someone noticed the use of music for instance and even the mildly negative comments were useful as a filmmaker as they were about things I’d purposely chosen to do or not include and it made me realise I was comfortable with my decisions. Also the fact that someone said they’d be more likely to help because of watching this film was fantastic as thats all I ever wanted.

MT: What film have you seen the most in your life? 

I’d love to be able to say something profound or that had an impact on how I make film but honestly, its probably Platoon.. I used to watch that a lot as a kid.

MT: What is next for you? A new film?

A new film is underway as we speak. its the film about Kurdistan and the Kurdish struggle for independence that I was cutting before Everybody Falls Down took over. Its even more pressing now as there is talk of a Kurdish referendum taking place before the end of the year. Again time isn’t on my side and I’ll be pulling some weird edit hours but there are some incredibly powerful interviews in the film so its the least I can do.

Watch the Audience FEEDBACK Video of the Short Film: 

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Interviewer Matthew Toffolo is currently the CEO of the WILDsound FEEDBACK Film & Writing Festival. The festival that showcases 10-20 screenplay and story readings performed by professional actors every month. And the FEEDBACK Monthly Festival held in downtown Toronto on the last Thursday of every single month. Go to www.wildsound.ca for more information and to submit your work to the festival.