HFF 2015 Interview: Dakota Director/Co-Writer Greg Kwedar

2015 Heartland Film Festival Official Selection, Narrative Short Dakota is about a Border Patrol Agent who uncovers something that will cause him to question the very nature of his job during a routine investigation of an abandoned truck.

We spoke with Director/Co-Writer about his film:

HF: What is your film about, and how did the project come to be?

GK: Dakota is about a Border Patrol Agent on a normal day on the job who makes a shocking discovery in an abandoned pickup truck. The film came to be as my filmmaking partner and I were searching for a way to present the world of Border Patrol as part of a proof of concept for a feature film we were developing. We wanted the short to stand on its own though, to be a separate story that could have its own life and spark its own conversations about the US / Mexico border conflict.

HF: What was your role in the production?

GK: I was the co-writer and director of the film.

HF: Why did you submit to the Heartland Film Festival? Have you been to the Festival before?

GK: I submitted to the festival because I had been to Heartland with a grand jury prize documentary feature I produced called Rising from Ashes. Our team really felt like we found a family at Heartland and really respected and valued the audiences in Indy. It was a phenomenal experience and I’ll continue trying to bring my movies to the festival and this community.

HF: This year’s tagline is “Movies That Stay with You” – what lasting effect will your film have on moviegoers?

GK: I think Dakota shows us that in an issue as complicated as the border conflict – there is a human component. The closer we can get to knowing the other side on a human level the clearer a path to resolution might emerge.

HF: What has inspired you to become a filmmaker?

GK: I feel movies are an incredible artistic platform, perhaps the most influential of our generation, to ask questions about the human experience. I’m a long way from my days as an Accounting major in college…

HF: What is something that you know about filmmaking now, but you weren’t told when you started your career?

GK: Directing is the most intense and fulfilling management job in the world. Where else do you take hundreds of vulnerable artists with distinct skill sets and rally them around a subjective creative vision?

HF: What are some of your favorite movies? What’s your favorite worst movie (you know it’s bad, but still love it)?

GK: Favorite Worst Movie – Mighty Ducks 2… It’s KNUCKLE-PUCK time!!!

HF: How many film festivals has your film been a part of? What do you like the most about the festival experience?

GK: This will be the 2nd of three festivals for Dakota. We premiered at Aspen Shortsfest and will play at Austin Film Festival after Heartland. I love the opportunity to be inspired by my fellow filmmakers. Especially in the shorts program where you literally travel around the world in one block of short films.

HF: Heartland Film Festival moviegoers love filmmaker Q&As. Let’s say a Festival attendee wants to earn some brownie points—what is a question that you’d love to answer, but haven’t yet been asked?

GK: What was your budget? (JUST KIDDING!!!) In all seriousness, a great question would be “What happens to Daniel after the film ends?”