Filmmaker Profile: Michael Calciano
Michael Calciano
Michael Calciano is a NYC-based filmmaker and writer. Always playing with genre, he makes uncanny and surreal horror and comedy films but especially loves to play in the delicious in-betweens. His films as both a writer and director have played internationally at film festivals including: Fantasia Film Festival, Brooklyn Horror Film Festival, Picture Farm Film Festival, Boston Underground, Bushwick Film Festival, and more. His film work can currently be seen online on Short of the Week and Alter.
This Q&A is part of the Bushwick Film Fest Filmmaker Q&A series.
What inspired you to create this film, and how did the initial idea come to you?
The actual catalyst for the idea came from experiencing a considerably less dramatic version of what unfolds in the film— A friend of mine who was seemingly still hung up on her ex-boyfriend (five years after the relationship) who is now out as gay. It sort of haunted me that she could still have this wound after five years. It caused me to reflect on my own high-school girlfriend and my uncomfortability with that era in my life before I came out. The blurry lines of the situation and the question of where the blame should lay and what/who caused the most harm came up and felt like a movie to me!
What do you hope audiences will take away from watching your film?
I hope they’ll leave unsure of exactly who to side with. We start by assuming we have a clear cut villain but we end up seeing lots of questionable behavior from both sides. The fact is, there isn’t an easy answer. I think the once-straight-now-gay-ex-boyfriend is an almost universal experience and I want the nuance of that to shine through - especially in a time where we are constantly demanded to take sides.
Films are lasting artistic legacies; what do you want yours to say?
Absolutes make me angry. I think a lot of my films deal with questions that don’t have easy answers. I am constantly on the fence about things and I like to make movies that in that in-between whether in genre, subject, or the questions the films are posing.
What’s your history with the Bushwick Film Festival?
I was involved in 2018 with a short I wrote, Come Be Creepy With Us. We had an awesome time and I'm psyched to be back as a writer/director this year!
What’s the last film you watched?
Queer
Early bird or night owl?
Night owl slowly morphing into the early bird. It's true, they really do get the worm.
Michael Calciano’s Q&A is part of the Bushwick Film Fest Filmmaker Q&A series.
