Giovanni Zelko – He Who Dares Wins
Giovanni Zelko directs a shot on the set of The Algerian
Photo by Orsoya Tucker
First-time director Giovanni Zelko is enjoying success with his feature debut, a compelling and well-acted international political thriller that he wrote, directed, edited and executive produced. Zelko, passionate and hardworking, honed his skills as a filmmaker by working on hundreds of Hollywood sets.
Award-winning actor Ben Youcef (Munich, Homeland Security) delivers a powerful performance as Ali, a young Muslim man who, post 9-11, finds himself involved in a deadly international conspiracy. Ali is part of a sleeper cell based in Algeria who are plotting to harm America. Things get very complicated when he finds himself interacting with the very people he is planning to destroy. Additional cast members include, Harry Lennix (Man of Steel); Sharon Ferguson (Quarantine); Candice Coke (Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor); Josh Pence (The Social Network); Said Faraj (Green Zone); Zuhair Haddad (Pursuit of Happiness); Alicia Mitchell (The Dark Son) and Oscar-nominated actor Seymour Cassel (Rushmore).
The Algerian was shot in New York, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Algeria and has been selected to screen at film festivals around the world, winning the Grand Prize International Visions Prize at the Rhode Island Film Festival and a Best Director award at the IFQ Festival among others.
IFQ’s Briege McGarrity enjoyed chatting to Zelko about the making of his impressive multi-layered feature debut that leaves you with something to think about.
Independent Film Quarterly (IFQ): You’ve worked in Hollywood for years – How did you get your start?
Giovanni Zelko (GZ): During my junior year at Boston University, I submitted my thesis film to Roger Corman’s Concorde Studios in Los Angeles for an internship program and got a gig as a Production Assistant for the summer. It was a gritty film noir short I shot on 16mm BW reversal film. That was back in ’95. It was a great experience because Corman was a true believer in giving everyone a shot at different positions on a film set. I started as an unpaid P.A., then became a lighting technician on salary, and ended up as the Gaffer by the end of the summer! It was lots of fun to be around enthusiastic and open minded filmmakers, especially for an eager 21 year old film student. It was a magical place where I met a dear friend and mentor, John Pedone, and other up and coming filmmakers. Plus, Corman’s studio was unique because some of Hollywood’s greatest legends like James Cameron, Ron Howard, Dennis Hopper and Jack Nicholson all got their start on his movies and at his little indie studio by the beach. I went back to Boston after the summer and finished my last year before graduating and returning to Los Angeles where I began working as a lighting technician with some of the people I met at Concorde. Years later I wound up working with James Cameron on “Avatar” and I asked him about his days at Concorde Studios and let him know that a memorable metal prop he built and initialed was still there when I was. It was great hearing his stories and how he got his start at the same place that I did. Jim was gracious at answering questions I had about how he started out with traditional photographic plate visual effects pioneered by Harryhausen and what he was in the process of doing with Avatar. The guy’s a true visionary genius and a brilliant filmmaker. I hope some of that rubbed off on me!
IFQ: How would you rate the experience of writing and directing your first feature film?
GZ: It was a tremendously rewarding experience while also physically and mentally exhausting. I would have had an easier time if I was just the writer/director, but I am also the Executive Producer, the editor, the location scout, the distant location cinematographer, and helped with recording sound effects and Adr. It took five years to make this film from story development, to writing the screenplay, to casting, to finding locations, to raising money, to hiring crew, to getting equipment, to drafting legal documents and agreements, to rehearsals, prepping shooting days, and then the massive amount of work on post production. I am also the editor on the film, so I didn’t sleep much during two years of post! My apartment became the film’s production office, test scene shooting location, editing facility, post sound lab, test screening room, and meeting place for everyone. The film has become a part of my very being as an artist. I had fun throughout all the stages of filmmaking, each with their own challenges and learning experiences. I am a better filmmaker today because of my experiences in making The Algerian.
IFQ: You really nailed a multi-layered film. Tell us a bit about the catalyst and any challenges you had with script and production and the end result.
GZ: The catalyst for this film was an idea to show the secret life of a sleeper cell, based on the 19 hijackers from 9-11 as well as the idea to make a film about tolerance and coexistence. I developed the story with Ben Youcef and from the beginning, he and I wanted to create a film that dealt with a fish out of water story so the audience can see America through the eyes of a foreigner. Ben is himself an immigrant and I am the son of immigrants, so he and I had that perspective and wanted to add that layer to the political plot, the terrorist plot, the love story, the tolerance story, and the coexistence story. Our multi-layered film ultimately places a mirror up to society and shows that people in real life are complex and not usually what they seem, so to simply judge a book by its cover is selling yourself short. Each of our characters have at least two faces, two lives, and that makes the film and the performances engaging.
IFQ: Is a political thriller a challenging genre for you?
GZ: I think any film worth making is challenging, regardless of the genre, because anyone can take a screenplay, sit at a monitor with a coffee and bark out orders and “direct” a movie. When I work as a director, I get my hands dirty, never sit by a monitor, and am usually the A-camera or B-camera operator. I’m in the trenches with the crew, making adjustments to everything on set in real-time. I’m not doing an extra five takes to fix something I can do instantly. I move very, very fast on set, whenever possible. My record is 79 set ups in eight and a half hours with three cameras. I like keeping the actors fresh and on their toes and not letting scenes get stagnant. Of course there are instances where you want to wear down an actor to mentally exhaust them on camera to deliver the best performance, but that is an exception and not the rule. I am fortunate to have the unique skillset of writing, directing and editing, so I only shoot exactly what I need for coverage, which gives me time to grab complex specialty shots, which take time. I picked up that work-method from my experience on set with director John Frankenheimer on an Angelina Jolie movie (George Wallace Story). Frankenheimer was on fire all day long, and because of that, and because he edits his movies and knows exactly what he wants and needs, he was able to get lots of extra specialty shots and angles because he didn’t waste time on “traditional” coverage. James Cameron also edits his films, which I think is part of his magic.
IFQ: Your lead actor Ben Youcef was outstanding – I take it your film connections helped with the strong cast?
GZ: Yeah, Ben did an amazing job on this film, not only as an actor but also as the co-executive producer. He won the Best Actor award at this year’s Downtown LA Film Fest against fine actors in 20 other features. My film connections over the past 18 years helped enormously with assembling the cast, crew and equipment. Ben and I were able to call up actors we were friends with and had worked with in the past and asked them to be a part of the cast. We didn’t have a traditional casting system, in that respect. I actually wrote dialogue for much of the script already knowing who most of the cast was going to be, so I was able to weave in personal characteristics and speech patterns into each character.
IFQ: Is it scary to make a film about terrorism?
GZ: I was definitely sensitive to the potential risks. We were conscious in our process of telling a balanced story with perspectives from all sides, which ultimately makes our film all the more believable. It’s not the normal Hollywood cartoon depiction of what we call terrorists and what the terrorists think of as freedom fighters. Our terrorist cell is a political one, not a religious one, and that makes them all the more believable and thus more dangerous. Audiences in post screenings have more than once asked me if the terrorist cell is based on a true story or real people. The answer is no, but we did take elements from newspapers and cold war sleeper cell operatives to help construct the cell members backgrounds, movements and ideology. The fact that audiences think of our characters as real people is a testament to how effective and provocative our film is.
IFQ: Is there a specific message you wanted to convey?
GZ: There are many messages in the film that deal with tolerance, coexistence, misperception and the ability for an individual to change, so I wouldn’t say we have a singular message, but a collective one: humans are more alike than different in our global community, and we should embrace one another’s likeness rather than focus on differences in skin color, religion, social standing, culture, language, etc. Most people want the same thing in life: a safe place to raise their families and live a positive existence. I know my response seems utopian and idealistic, but it is a positive goal we should all be reminded of, regardless of politics, war and crime. If my film can change the perception of one person in the world, then I have succeeded as an artist and filmmaker. I believe cinema, as a mirror of humanity and as a collective global artistic experience, has a unique place in society with the potential to affect millions of people from all walks of life.
IFQ: I know you are a well-traveled native New Yorker. How was the shoot in Algeria as compared with Las Vegas?
GZ: I’ve made it a purpose and passion in life to travel, and have been fortunate to have travelled through 49 countries as of today. Much of my writing comes from those travels, incorporating experiences I’ve had and conversations I’ve had with people from all walks of life across the globe. Shooting in Algeria had its own set of challenges but was for sure one of the best experiences I had in making this film. The locations were exotic, of course, which add a sense of realism to the film, but the people who helped us and the people I met while filming there were all incredibly gracious and welcoming. I had a wonderful time there. Vegas, well, is Vegas, and it was exciting shooting there and getting some really cool shots, like the helicopter establishing shot I filmed, and the time-lapse sunset shot on the Vegas Strip, but I’ve spent quite a bit of time in Vegas over the years both for work on movies and for personal vacations, so it’s not exactly exotic to me. It’s a great city that I’m familiar with.
IFQ: Any memorable moments on your festival tour?
GZ: We have enjoyed many great screenings and networking is always valuable. Just screening our film at the Mary Pickford Theater at Raleigh Studios for the IFQ Festival was a great thrill for me, not only because I was tapping into a part of Hollywood history by screening in a historic theater, but especially because I had worked at Raleigh Studios many times in the past as a lighting technician since I arrived in L.A. in 1995, and now I screened my own award winning film there. That is the true award for me personally. Winning the Best Director award at this festival is icing on the cake!