Directed by Elvis León & Gastón Yvorra
Produced by Elvis León & Sasha Milonova
An award-winning LGBTQ+ documentary short about partners coping with a diagnoses of advanced dementia and the decision to seek the help of a nursing home.
READ OUR INTERVIEW WITH ELVIS
Tell us a bit about yourself and your filmmaking background.
Since I was a kid, I always had a tough time expressing myself. This changed when I discovered film school and a few years later, I graduated with a Film Producing and Screenwriting degree in 2013. Making movies has given me an outlet, and I feel lucky to have found a passion that keeps me marching forward. My career has taken me to massive productions such as Fast and Furious: Hobbs and Shaw and adverts for high-profile name brands, but my focus lately has been to complete my first feature documentary film called, We Are Lions. It's a true crime story about my family's pursuit of justice.
Tell us about the genesis of Cecil & Carl. How did the project come about?
A few years ago, we were working on a comedic web series project written by Elvis called Charlie’s. The story was about a straight bar owner that attempts to open a gay bar. The production took place in a gay bar in Denver, Colorado. On one of our production visits, we encountered a group of around 50 elderly gay men, gathered around tables having lunch. We soon found out that the group of men was in fact a club called The Primetimers. They meet every Wednesday.
Our first impression was that there were a lot of stories in that place. We also imagined what it was like for these men to be gay 30 or 40 years ago, in a society less open [compared] to the one that exists today. We felt the need to learn these stories. One day, we asked the Primetimers group if there was anyone who would be interested in participating in a film project that would take their story and turn it into a visual portrait.
We had a lot of people approach us that day, but long story short, Cecil Bethea was the first one to step up and open up to us. We eventually learned his story and that of the relationship he had with Carl Shepard — we were immediately hooked. On a side note, after completing the Cecil & Carl documentary, Cecil volunteered to do a cameo appearance in Charlie’s. He has a memorable five seconds in the film!
How did you get access to such a personal story and what was your relationship like with your subjects? What obstacles did you overcome while in the making of this film?
Gaining Cecil's full trust was the biggest challenge. This required going to many coffee meetings prior to and between filming days, where Cecil would tell stories and smoke a pack of cigarettes in one sitting. Cecil and Carl love to smoke, as you will see in the film. It took us a few weeks before he gave us permission to enter his home. We weren't sure where this documentary was going, but once he opened his doors to us and showed us pieces from their 40+ year relationship, it changed the course of our film. After we wrapped filming, Cecil and I would still meet for coffee and cigarettes. This film became a highlight of his life, and it was an honor to tell Cecil and Carl's story.
Tell us about the journey of getting this film to audiences.
Our film festival journey began with 20 festival rejections in a row, and we thought we made a terrible film. Everything changed when it Toronto picked us up, and then Cecil and Carl took off like a rocket. We have been fortunate enough to have screened at 50 festivals and some of the most recognized LGBT film festivals, such as the Gaze International in Ireland, Vancouver Queer Film Festival. We were nominated for the prestigious Iris Prize that takes place in Wales and at the New Orleans Film Festival in the Documentary Shorts section, which is an Academy Award qualifying competition.
Now that you're working on a feature, in your experience what's been the biggest or most surprising difference about making a feature vs a short. Is it just the difference between a sprint and a marathon, or how much does the craft change?
A 3 month film process on this project still took about a year to complete. With no budget, it was tough recruiting a team to help us edit and score the film. Making a feature is a different animal. I'm working on a story about my father's kidnapping and his quest to get closure the legal way, but when that fails, he considers taking matters into his own hands. This being a personal family story requires you to be more patient and delicate when it comes to trying to be a neutral storyteller when the subject is your father. When I began filming, I had no idea that I would be working on this film for over seven years. Principal photography has been completed and we still have a few months of editing to go! Not all features will take this long, but just keep in mind that the more complex the story, the longer it will take. Whatever you think it's going to take, double that time period.
What do you think is the biggest challenge short filmmakers face trying to break into the industry?
There's no one way solution to make it in the industry. Some people don't go to film school and have incredibly successful careers, and others go to film school and end up finding a "real" job. Filmmaking is about persevering through the challenging times in the name of telling a story only you can tell. The biggest challenge is finding your voice as a filmmaker, the thing that will separate you from the rest. Finding mentors and collaborates can also be really tough, so a lot of networking needs to be done to find your tribe. You can't do this alone, so look for assistance in any way that you can.
Any film recommendations that we should add to our watchlist?
The Fire Within: Requiem for Katia and Maurice Krafft by Wernor Herzog! One of the most visually satisfying documentaries that I've ever seen. It's an incredible story of a married couple that research and visit the most dangerous volcanos around the world.