Jami Gertz: A Better Life
“A Better Life,” co-produced by Jami Gertz’s company Lime Orchard Productions with Summit Pictures, kicked off its World Premiere at the 2011 LA Film Festival. The film follows the heart-felt story of a gardener (Demian Bichir) in East L.A. who struggles to keep his son away from gangs and immigration agents while trying to give his son the opportunities he never had.
“A Better Life,” easily one of the most underrated films of 2011, shined during the 2012 awards season with Demian Bichir garnering a series of prestigious nominations: Academy Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role; Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead; Screen Actors Guild award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role.
Independent Film Quarterly caught up with Jami Gertz after the World Premiere of “A Better Life.”
IFQ: Could you briefly summarize the aim of your new production company, Lime Orchard Productions? Why did you decide to shift into producing?
Jamie Gertz: I started Lime Orchard Productions to help artists in the movie and television industries who are creating today. I’m trying to age as gracefully as I can in an industry that does not always value the hard work you have done in the past and is just always looking for the next big thing. As an actress, I knew about script, character development and how to hit my mark and say my lines. As a producer, I did not know much of the development process. I knew that I would need a partner who could fill in the missing blanks. I was introduced to Stacey Lubliner (former literary agent at ICM). She had her first child and was looking to change the focus of her career. We met and thought we would take a chance and see how it worked out. Two years later, we just finished our first feature film “A Better Life” and have many more projects in development.
IFQ: How did you get Chris Weitz, director of “New Moon” and “A Single Man,” on board “A Better Life”?
JG: Stacey’s husband David Lubliner, an Agent at WME, represents Chris Weitz. Stacey knew of the project and told Chris about our company. Chris came to us knowing that he wanted to make the film for a certain price. I read the script—one of the best I had read in 25 years of reading scripts. We climbed on board! There was a pie and we helped with a piece of that pie.
IFQ: How did you go about casting the lead actors?
JG: Chris had started the auditioning process. He was a huge fan of Demian Bichir. Joseph Middleton (casting director) showed us a video of Demian. We were blown away by what we saw. We looked at lots of footage of young men to play Luis, the teenage son of our gardener. Jose Julian, who had no previous professional acting experience, was shown to us and we all just looked at each other and said,he is it!
IFQ: What was the most challenging aspect of producing “A Better Life”?
JG: The most challenging part of filming “A Better Life” was the 69 locations in 40 days of shooting. This movie is really a love letter to Los Angeles. East LA, South Central, Boyle Heights—all areas that we bypass on the freeways. These neighborhoods have life, sounds and families and are overlooked. We turned on our camera and told this beautiful tale.
IFQ: “A Better Life” is a heartfelt story that focuses on a father-son relationship, with issues of immigration in LA. What is your take on the situation in the story?
JG: Illegal immigration is just a small part of this story. At the heart of the film is a father and son who have lost touch with one another. The son is embarrassed by his father. He refuses to learn Spanish. He hates that his dad is a gardener. He is a typical teenager. The dad just works and is emotionally shut down. What is so simple and beautiful about this film is that it could be any father and son. Rich or poor. They happen to be poor and the dad happens to be illegal. They make certain choices because of their situation.