Showing posts with label COVID-19. Show all posts
Showing posts with label COVID-19. Show all posts

Monday, June 20, 2022

Meet Thony Loui, visiting Haitian cartoonist

by Mike Rhode

Thony Loui (a pen name for Anthony Louis-Jeune), a visual designer, artist, and cartoonist from Haiti, was at Fantom Comics this weekend signing his new self-published series, Tanama comic books. He says in his capsule bio, "In 2020, I created 'Tanama' a super she-ro with special powers to support smallholder farmers, and women farmers in particular, as they overcome tremendous hardships and fight off evil forces to combat climate change through tree planting around the world." Bruce Guthrie's photos of the event are here.

What type of comic work or cartooning do you do? 

Comic books. I would consider it as Creole-futurism, fantasy and educational.

My comic book, Tanama: Origins was published in 2020 with financial support from the U.S. Embassy in Haiti, the lifestyle brand Timberland, and the Smallholder Farmers Alliance. Tanama was featured in Haiti’s national COVID-19 awareness campaign with her image on social media, videos, billboards, and murals, reaching an estimated 3 million people throughout Haiti. My comic book characters earned me a special recognition by the arts education group Teatro SEA at their 2020 annual BORIMIX festival of cultural exchange between

Puerto Rico and Haiti. The comic book’s sequel, Tanama, Metamorphosis was just released at the Haitian Embassy in Washington DC, following up with a tree planting event at a Montgomery County park. My ultimate goal is to create my own brand of visual art designs that spread awareness on global issues such as climate change, gender equality and migration. Find out more about Tanama at www.tanamaproject.org

How do you do it? Traditional pen and ink, computer or a combination?

I do a combination, but I mostly use my iPad Pro nowadays. I have to tell you that I am color blind. I was born with deuteranopia.

Do you just do comic book stories? Or do you do animation, political cartoons, or webcomics?

I only do comic book stories. I know how to do animation, but I am not doing any at the moment. I do webcomics.

When (within a decade is fine) and where were you born? 

I was born 3 decades ago in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

What's the cartooning scene in Haiti like? 

The cartooning scene in Haiti is growing and there is a lot of talented artists.

Why did you decide to become a cartoonist? 

I always loved comic books and I grew up reading European comic books since Haiti is a also a French-speaking country. I would find some comic books in libraries or supermarkets, because there are no comic book shops.

What type of comics material do you see in Haiti? 

In Haiti you will find local comic books, a few animators and more political cartoonists. In libraries you can find a few comic books, mostly European ones.

Why are you in Washington now? 

I am in Washington because I am traveling with my partner on the way to her new job. I was working on my comic book launch and now I am promoting it.

What is your training and/or education in cartooning?

 I started as a self-taught artist and after the terrible earthquake in Haiti, I went to study fine arts and illustration in Altos de Chavon School of Design in the Dominican Republic.

You apprenticed with American superhero cartoonist Rich Buckler - can you tell us about that? How did you start that? 

It started because my aunt put me in touch with him in New York,  I had an art exhibit and she asked him if he could see me. After meeting, we instantly connected . He mentored me for 4 years while battling with cancer... working with him, I created Haiti’s first superhero “Djatawo.”

Who are your other influences? 

Jean Giraud, Ralph Allen, Uderzo, Salvador Dali, DaVinci, Todd McFarlane, Travis Charest, Jim Lee, Joe Madeuira.

If you could, what in your career would you do-over or change? 

I would have stayed in business administration class. I dropped it because I couldn't understand why my teacher didn't have a lot of money and he was teaching me how to make money...

What work are you best-known for?

I am best known for my work for Conan O'Brien.

Not the Conan tap tap

American tv comedian Conan O'Brien? How did that happen?

I did a portrait of him behind a tap tap bus ( public transportation bus). After ex former president Trump said publicly  that Haiti and African countries are "shithole" countries, Conan went to Haiti  to prove him wrong. Around 3 a.m. in the morning, after breaking up with my ex, I saw him on Instagram dancing at a local bar in Haiti with a local band. I was inspired and happy to see that he was showing Haiti in a positive way, so I decided to make a digital painting of him behind a tap tap bus. I posted the artwork on my Instagram and I went to sleep. The next day I had at least 60 missed calls and messages from friends and people telling me that Conan was looking for me. I was able to meet him and he commissioned me to make the digital painting on a real tap tap bus in 24 hours The link of my interview with Conan O'Brian is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTFmXEDZPWQ&t=4s

What work are you most proud of? 

My latest comic book Tanama: Metamorphosis.

Your two self-published comic books about Tanama have a very small first printing - 150 copies, and will be rare. Did you self-fund it completely? How did you decide to do that? Did you use Kickstarter or other crowdfunding? 

No, I received a grant from Smallholder Farmers Alliance, a non-profit planting trees in Haiti. They paid for the limited print runs so I could launch the comic book. I self published the comic book on Amazon's Kindle as well.. I will test their paperback option during this week. 

How did you decide on the charities you're supporting? 

I decided to work with them after having multiple conversations with them, and doing research myself about their operations. I am glad everything worked out and now everytime someone buy a comic book a dollar will go to tree planting in Haiti and in the sub-Saharan Africa. The 2 charities areSmallholder Farmers Alliance: http://www.haitifarmers.org/ and Trees For the Future: https://trees.org/

How can people buy your comic, without seeing you in person?

People can buy it on Amazon. The first book is only in Creole, but soon it will be in translated into English. The print version of the sequel Tanama Metamorphosis is available in  DC at Fantom Comics; it will also be in Big Planet Comics and Solid State Books.

What would you like to do or work on in the future? 

In the near future, I am planning to release a NFT collection of Tanama - a dollar will go toward tree planting in Haiti and Africa. I would like to work on a movie animation of Tanama or a video game. I think would like to be a movie director, NFT artist, or do something related to technology or business.

Are you planning a 3rd issue?
 
Yes, I am. Hopefully I will be able to.

Any thoughts about having your hero travel with you? By this I mean, when you've been to Mexico City and absorbed the atmosphere, would you set a story there about their environmental problems? 

Yes, she will travel wherever I go. I am  planning to put the comic book in Spanish and of course talk about environmental problems in Mexico city.

What do you do when you're in a rut or have writer's block? 

I read or I listen to music.

What's your favorite thing about DC? 

 

Hiking


Least favorite? 

 

Staying indoors.

Do you have a website or blog?  

 

www.thonyloui.com - amd thonyloui for all social media ( Instagram, Twitter, Facebook).

How has the COVID-19 outbreak affected you, personally and professionally? 

Personally it was challenging because I was going through a breakup, and professionally it was good because I could find work. Several NGOS  were paying me to use Tanama as an ambassador and public figure to promote awareness messages, such as social distancing, hand washing, and to wear masks.

Here's a gallery of art that Thony sent in for this interview, and a few more pictures of him at Fantom Comics -




























 


Wednesday, January 12, 2022

Clay Jones buries his conservative COVID-denying colleagues

by Mike Rhode
 
In his cartoon from yesterday "Urine Trouble," Clay planted a bunch of conservative cartoonists, many of whom are anti-vaxxers or covid denyers, under a bunch of tombstones.  I see Scott "Dilbert" Adams, Henry Payne, Al Goodwyn, Mike Lester, Branco, Chip Bok, Glenn McCoy, Gary McCoy, Tom Stiglich, Rivers, Lisa Benson, David Hitch, Dick Wright, Bob Gorrell, Steve Kelley, Gary Varvel, Dana Summers, and of course, Ben Garrison.

Christopher Key is not a cartoonist, but a nut who screams at people about being the vaccine police, and is the focus of Jones' blog post.

When asked for a comment, Clay addressed his technique, "The reason I made the lettering on the headstones faint is that I didn't want to make it the focus of the cartoon. It's supposed to be more like Easter eggs, but I struggled with making them faint while also making them clear enough to see." About the content, he said, "I only aimed at anti-vaxxers or those who have politicized the pandemic. I excluded conservatives like Scott Stantis, Michael Ramirez, and Rick McKee because I've seen them promote the vaccines and ridicule the lunatics."

He's at Tales from the Trumpster Fire

Please visit  Claytoonz,

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Monday, October 18, 2021

Baltimore Comic-Con returns - Randy Tischler on what to expect in 2021


by Mike Rhode

Baltimore Comic-Con is returning live this coming weekend, and I spoke with my friend Randy Tischler of the Con's Executive Staff about what people can expect this year. [UPDATED 10/20: Onsite vaccination and testing IS NOT offered, but unvaccinated or exposed guests should get a rapid test at their local pharmacy, drug store or clinic. And get vaccinated at the same time.]

 What happened to BCC in 2020?

Like so many other shows, our knee-jerk instinct was to nix the show for 2020. One of the folks we'd met the previous year, Chad Ramsden from Comic Corps, gave me a call one day and pitched the idea of doing a virtual event, as they had just had some real success teaming with a few YouTubers to put on Main Frame Comic Con and thought they could do the same for us. They had great thoughts about how it could all come together, how the Ringo Awards could be the first successfully live-streamed awards show, how there could be interactions with the audience, etc. And they genuinely pulled it off as Baltimore Comic-Con Live. You can see the videos on our YouTube channel, as well as in our Facebook videos.
 
Did everyone in the BCC "family" weather COVID ok?

Yes. A few staff members caught COVID, but everyone came out the other side, thankfully.
 
What's different about this year's con from 2019?

Good question! A number of things. First and foremost, we are going to be smaller. This is by design. For those who have been with us for many years, you'll recall that we used to be on the end of the Baltimore Convention Center closest to the Inner Harbor (vs. Camden Yards), with the fountain in the lobby area. We are back there again for this year.

We are requiring either proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test taken within 72 hours of initial attendance, along with a photo ID (unless it's a minor without one, in which case we will trust the guardian). We are offering free on-site rapid testing if you do not come prepared. There will also be COVID vaccinations available for those who have not received theirs yet.

The City of Baltimore has an indoor mask mandate, so those are required, must snugly cover the nose and chin, and must be an actual face mask -- see https://baltimorecomiccon.com/about/covid-precautions-for-the-2021-baltimore-comic-con/ for details about what does and doesn't pass the sniff test.
 
Besides mask mandates and vaccination requirements, what precautions are you taking against COVID?

In addition to w hat was described above, the Baltimore Convention Center has temperature screening at their entrances now, so if someone comes in running a high fever, they will flag them and pull them aside. We will be encouraging social distancing in all queues, there will be cleanings of spaces throughout the day (such as the panel rooms between sessions), there will be hand sanitizer dispensers around the convention center and panel rooms, and everyone (on both sides of the table) will get a specific wrist-band once they have cleared the vaccination/negative test process, which is a prerequisite for getting into the show areas.
 
How many artists and guests are you expecting? (spellcheck initially made that "executing!")

There will be no executions this year, Mike! We're expecting a little over 125 comics guests this year, plus 14 exhibitors, 125 retailers, and 273 Artists Alley guests. The room is full (we're turning away or wait-listing people in all categories at this point).
 
101_9611 Thom Zahler
How many attendees? How does that compare to previous years?

Less. I don't think we'll really know until the event occurs, as we do a lot of on-site ticket sales. We're a little down relative to past years, but again, that is by design. My guess is it will feel pretty similar to past shows and there will just be fewer people in a smaller space.
 
Who should people be looking for, as making a special or rare BCC appearance?

We've got great premium offerings for Joe Quesada (with some exclusive prints available with his tickets) and Brian K. Vaughan this year -- Brian wasn't going to be doing any shows, but we asked and he wanted to come back again, so we were thrilled. Chris Bachalo is making his first BCC appearance, as is Becky Cloonan, John Dell, Kami Garcia, Scott Koblish, Leeanne "Mongie" Krecic, Alitha Martinez, Shawn McManus, James Pascoe, Christopher Priest, Amy Reeder, Doc Shaner, John Timms, and Wayne Vansant, just to name a few. And Joe Giella, the golden age artist, will be with us, which has generated a lot of excitement.
 
Is there anyone who's appearance might be under-sung that you'd like to highlight?

I think we've got some great creative teams appearing -- Brian K Vaughn and Cliff Chiang (Paper Girls), Doc Shaner, Mitch Gerads, and Tom King (Strange Adventures), Chris Bachalo and Tim Townsend (X-Men and Spider-Man titles), etc. I always enjoyed the opportunity to get books signed by multiple creators at once!
 
What companies are attending? Are DC and Marvel, who just sat out the NYCC? DC just did their online Fandome, so I'm guessing they're out.

Publishers in the room include AfterShock Comics, AWA Studios, Dead Reckoning, Rocketship Entertainment, and Source Point Press, plus a number of smaller press houses. A lot of the publishers currently have corporate policies against doing shows right now and are not even sending staff or talent at all. A number of our industry friends who are always at the Baltimore Comic-Con, even if they aren't exhibiting, won't be there this year unfortunately -- we miss seeing our pals! And while DC and Marvel won't be exhibiting, they'll have a lot of current representation in the room anyway (certainly in the form of Mr. Quesada for the latter!).
 
101_9592 Bob McCleod
Did NYCC have any lessons for you, or was it too close in time to change anything?

We really didn't hear anything that moved the needle far from where we already were. Our policies were pretty much in line to start with, though we did hear about a few of their vendors getting ousted for flaunting the mask mandate and it spurred some conversation about how we would react in a similar situation (not whether it would be replicated -- just who would have responsibility for getting that vendor out of the room!).
 
Are you having retailers of old comics and other vendors as usual?

Yes, as usual, we will have a very healthy retailer presence. We expect some amazing purchasing opportunities, from comics to merch and a whole lot more. People come to our show expecting to find amazing buys, and are rarely disappointed! And our Artists Alley will be filled with small press, self-publishers, artists, crafters, and more.
 
What's the theme of the annual yearbook? Are previous editions still available? How many years are there anyway?

This year is the Trick or Treat Edition -- no specific character or property, but guests were encouraged to incorporate their own characters into the yearbook's theme

 
This year's covers were by the inimitable Marty Baumann of Pixar fame (who unfortunately had to cancel his appearance this year, but we hope to see him again next year!). This is our ninth year with a show yearbook (Liberty Meadows, Usagi Yojimbo, Grendel, Mouse Guard, Archie, Tellos, Strangers in Paradise, and Blacksad prior to this year)! Fans can purchase previous years' editions through the show sponsor's website, Cards Comics & Collectibles.
 
What are the actual days and hours of the con?

You can come September 22-24th, Friday 1pm-7pm, Saturday 11am-7pm, or Sunday 11am-5pm!
 
How was your volunteer situation this year? Same people, same numbers?

Smaller show, so smaller numbers. We had some turnover by design, we had a few people with underlying health issues unable to perform in the same role, and we've got a handful of new people that will be on-hand to help us out. If anyone reading this wants to give us a hand, please reach out to us through baltimorecomiccon.com and we'll see if there's a place we can use you!
 
Unlike many other larger and mid-size cons, BCC is still mostly comic book-focused. Do you anticipate that to remain the case as the industry seems to be actively shifting away from comic books?

Until Marc Nathan, the show promoter, decides he's going to sell the show, yes, I fully expect the Baltimore Comic-Con to emphasize the "Comic" part of the name. Even when we get media guests, there is a connection to comics adaptations (either from comics to screen or vice versa!). But this year, the only media guests in the room, of which I'm aware anyway, are Susan Backlinie (Jaws) and Noah Hathaway (Neverending Story) as guests of Unusual Company.
 
Is there a webcomics presence?

Oh definitely. While Rocketship Entertainment is a print publisher, much of their work adapts existing webcomics to print form. They'll be bringing Leeanne Krecic, the cartoonist behind the WEBTOON hit Just Play (you may know her as Mongie!) to the show, as well as Tom Akel, their publisher, who is responsible for Stan Lee's Backchannel on WEBTOON. And Saturday at 1pm, there is a panel called Making Webtoons with Trevor Mueller, Dean Haspiel, Thom Zahler, and Steve Conley, all of whom have work in that medium. And there are plenty of others doing webcomic work on the guest list and in Artists Alley too.
 
How about comic strips? 
 
Joe Staton of Dick Tracy, Steve Conley of The Middle Age webcomic, Alex Saviuk from the Amazing Spider-Man, Frank Cho did Liberty Meadows... some of our usual comic strip guests like Ramona Fradon had to skip this year due to the epidemic
 
How does the cosplay contingent seem to be this year?

20180928_155633
I think it's going to be strong. Saturday at 12:30 is the Annual BCC Photo Shoot, presented by Bishop Cosplay (Harry Cee!), and our Annual Costume Contest is sponsored by the Hard Rock Cafe Baltimore, has ALL CASH prizes, and the judges are a panel of cosplayers, so we think people are going to really enjoy that this year. And we've got professional Captain America cosplayer Knightmage appearing with Hake's Auctions (in support of their bringing a Captain America shield from the MCU movies, which is up for auction), plus a number of other big-name cosplayers attending in general like Michaela Lee.
 
Are there panels as usual? If so, is there a streaming component?

Yes, we have our usual programming this year, though again, it will be a little smaller (giving cleaning crews the opportunity to clean the space), and our ASL interpreters will be back for those in the deaf community needing their services. We will not be streaming or recording them this year (though I really wanted to -- it was just something we couldn't pull together with all of the other moving parts!). The Ringo Awards will be live-streamed on Facebook and YouTube though!
 
101_9588 Don Rosa and Team Cul de Sac art 
What's the furthest someone has come to attend BCC? How about the furthest a cartoonist has come?

Asia and/or Australia in both circumstances. I recall some fans coming over from the Philippines at our last in-person event. We've had guests from Australia and the Far East, as well as South America. They've come from all over the world. We'll have a lot less of that this year, especially because of travel restrictions to the States currently in place until the beginning of next month. I saw a few folks who weren't able to come that were either supposed to be exhibiting, had tickets, or were planning to come in a Press capacity that, unfortunately, could not make it happen after all. But we're hoping the world is closer to it's normal axis of rotation next year and we can see so many of our friends (old and new!) that couldn't be with us this year. Fingers crossed!
 
Personally, I recommend supporting Hero Initiative, and stopping by the Kids Love Comics Pavilion.
20180928_180116
 
The guest list at press time (with local cartoonists bolded) is Tom Akel (Stan Lee’s Backchannel, courtesy of Rocketship Entertainment), Chris Bachalo (Non-Stop Spider-Man), Art Baltazar (Big Alien Moon Crush), John Beatty (Secret Wars), Carolyn Belefski (Curls), Ziggy Blumenthal (Operation Pajama Pants), Ivan Brandon (VS), Russ Braun (The Boys), Brett Breeding (Superman), Reilly Brown (Deadpool), Greg Burnham (Tuskegee Heirs), Jim Calafiore (Welcome to Megalopolis), Chris Campana (The Adventures of Parker Reef), Castillo Studios, Cliff Chiang (Paper Girls), Frank Cho (Harley Quinn), Becky Cloonan (Dark Agnes), Steve Conley (The Middle Age), Steve Conte (Action Figure Kingdom), Jamie Cosley (Light Side), Kevin Cuffe (Metalshark Bro), J. Robert Deans (Crass Fed), John Dell (Lobo, courtesy of Hero Initiative), Vito Delsante (Stray), Todd Dezago (Perhapanauts), Jason Douglas (Parallel, courtesy of Source Point Press), Charles C. Dowd (Lilith Dark), Ryan Dunlavey (M.O.D.O.K. Reign Delay), Garth Ennis (The Boys, Friday and Saturday only), Trish Forstner (My Little Pony), Franco (The Ghost, The Owl), Bob Frantz (Metalshark Bro), John Gallagher (Max Meow: Cat Crusader), Kami Garcia (Joker/Harley: Criminal Sanity), Mitch Gerads (Mr. Miracle), Joe Giella (Green Lantern), Mike Gold (Green Arrow), Michael Golden (Micronauts), Jimmy Gownley (Amelia Rules!), Dawn Griffin (Zorphbert & Fred), Gene Ha (Mae), Scott Hanna (Icon and Rocket), Dean Haspiel (The Red Hook), Glenn Hauman (They Keep Killing Glenn), Mike Hawthorne (Happiness Will Follow), Marc Hempel (The Sandman), Jamal Igle (Wrong Earth), Dave Johnson (The Good wiAsian), Phillip Kennedy Johnson (Alien), Karl Kesel (Impossible Jones), Tom King (Batman), Scott Koblish (Deadpool, courtesy of Hero Initiative), Leeanne M. Krecic (Let's Play, courtesy of Rocketship Entertainment), Robert Lemieux (Life in the Comics), Kevin Maguire (Justice League), Dirk Manning (Buried But Not Dead, courtesy of Source Point Press), Chris Mariano (Claire Lost Her Bear At The World's Fair), Mark Mariano (Far Out Firehouse), Alitha Martinez (Nubia), Whitney Matheson (Pandemix: Quarantine Comics in the Age of 'Rona), Ian McGinty (Adventure Time), Bob McLeod (New Mutants), Carla Speed McNeil (Finder), Pop Mhan (Aquaman Annual), Karl Moline (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Mark Morales (The Next Batman: Second Son), Trevor Mueller (Albert the Alien), Josh Neufeld (A.D.: New Orleans After the Deluge), Jamar Nicholas (Leon: Protector of the Playground), Jerry Ordway (The Power of Shazam), Steve Orlando (Midnighter and Apollo, courtesy of AfterShock Comics, Saturday and Sunday only), James Pascoe (Azrael), Andrew Pepoy (Simone & Ajax), David Petersen (Mouse Guard), Khoi Pham (Star Wars: Crimson Reign), Andy Price (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic), Christopher Priest (Black Panther, courtesy of Hero Initiative), Joe Quesada (Daredevil), Tom Raney (Guardians of the Galaxy), Amy Reeder (Wonder Woman: Black and Gold), Afua Richardson (Omni), Andrew Robinson (Halo), Don Rosa (Uncle Scrooge), Jennifer Rouse (Frankenstein Mobster), Craig Rousseau (The Perhapanauts), Alex Saviuk (Web of Spider-Man), Stuart Sayger (Army of Darkness: 1979), Gregg Schigiel (SpongeBob Comics), Chris Schweizer (The Six Sidekicks of Trigger Keaton), Doc Shaner (Strange Adventures), Jim Shooter (Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars), Matt Slay (Equilibrium), Mika Song (Donut Feed the Squirrels), Joe Staton (Dick Tracy), Brian Stelfreeze (Black Panther), Paul D. Storrie (Storm Kids: Stanley's Ghost), Arthur Suydam (Merc with a Mouth), Martha Thomases (Dakota North), John Timms (Superman: Son of Kal-El), Peter Tomasi (Batman and Robin), Ben Towle (Four-Fisted Tales: Animals in Combat), Tim Townsend (Non-Stop Spider-Man), Billy Tucci (Shi), Fred Van Lente (Action Philosophers), Brian K. Vaughan (Saga, Friday and Saturday only), Emilio Velez Jr. (The Dodgeball Teens), Robert Venditti (Hawkman), Mark Wheatley (Songs of Giants), Emily S. Whitten (The Underfoot), Matt Wieringo (Stargate Atlantis: Gateways), Keith Williams (Thor the Worthy), Marcus Williams (Tuskegee Heirs), Renee Witterstaetter (Guardians of the Galaxy), Javier Cruz Winnik (Puerto Rico Strong), Rich Woodall (Electric Black), Kelly Yates (Doctor Who), and Thom Zahler (Love and Capes). And Wayne Vansant (Courtesy of Dead Reckoning; All Quiet on the Western Front, Katusha: Girl Soldier of the Great Patriotic War, Savage Tales), Alitha Martinez (Black Panther: World of Wakanda, It’s a Bird, Nubia)

Wednesday, April 14, 2021

Meet an Icelandic cartoonist: A Chat with Animator Gísli Darri Halldórsson, part 2

by Alexandra Bowman

 (continued from part 1)

Alexandra Bowman: So what do you hope that people come away from this film thinking? How do you hope that their daily lives change?

Gísli Darri Halldórsson: I hope people will look at their own life and their daily life, you know? That's why I've made this film for myself. Somebody told me, and I really took that comment kindly, is that somebody said that the film had just felt like a hug.

Alexandra Bowman: I was looking at the comments on YouTube and   the comments are beautiful. You should read them, if you haven't already. Someone said, “This really hit me hard. I feel this is what life is. We're a bunch of lonely people who are just trying to get along together. And this film kind of shows that amidst all the sadness we're going to keep progressing.”

Gísli Darri Halldórsson: It's funny because it seems like nothing's going on, but somebody said there's a lot of movies about Marvel superheroes saving the world but it feels like this is the battle of the everyday people, just people, who have normal jobs. And this is the biggest thing, how do I make life a bit more meaningful?

Alexandra Bowman: Realistically, like these are the battles we’re all are going to be fighting. There's so many definitions and concepts of what it means to see yourself on screen, but this is very much a way for everyday people to see things that they might not expect to be cinema-worthy on screen, in terms of “Wow, this is something that other people are dealing with and these are interesting kind of conflicts all their own as well.” How did you develop the humor in this film? Because there are a couple moments that are pretty dang funny.

Gísli Darri Halldórsson:  I don't know how to answer that…

Alexandra Bowman: Did you get it instantly or did you have to like think it through?

Gísli Darri Halldórsson: Some of them, some of those things have happened. I've seen a moment. I've seen an old man break wind and his wife go “Eww.” I knew I definitely wanted to have it light because I knew it was a really dull subject matter and it was going to be not very exciting. I was trying to go for the silent film format where you don't cut a lot. You don't have that relief, because that didn't seem right with that subject matter. [The film has] one still camera and it doesn't move or anything. So I knew it needed to be light. In fact, during the writing process, my grandparents died and they came into the story. When people die, you just suddenly see the big picture of their life as well. That's kind of what really inspired me about their life - they were married for 65 years or so. I know they got on each other's nerves and stuff like that, but they just had this unbelievable way to turn something into a game, or just make a life out of things. I guess maybe that's what you learn over time, kind of rebelling against the mundaneness. I don't know…

Alexandra Bowman: Rebelling against it, but almost reveling in it and seeing the beauty in it at the same time, maybe rebelling against thinking about the mundane is mundane.

Gísli Darri Halldórsson: It's just like a twist in attitude. This person may annoy me, but we can have fun. I don't know, that's not the right way to say it.

Alexandra Bowman: This is in a way, even though it's so “every day,” and even though it seems boring and unexciting and regular at the time, there a beauty in it, and it probably is different, in terms of what that beauty is for everybody. But there is beauty there.

Gísli Darri Halldórsson: Yes, a little bit refusing to take part in this everyday-ness, you know, without having fun, your own fun, something like that. So I'm really happy because I did, even though the characters aren't really them, the energy between them is from my grandparents really.

Alexandra Bowman: So what will you be doing on Oscar night?

Gísli Darri Halldórsson: I'll be in LA. I'm going to LA soon and we'll be quarantining until the ceremony. So I'm looking forward to that. Obviously if I'm COVID positive, I won't be going. [laughs]

Alexandra Bowman: So you're going to be in the Oscar auditorium then. When your film gets nominated, what does that look like? Do you get an email or…

Gísli Darri Halldórsson: I just have to watch the live show and then you get an email later after that.

Alexandra Bowman: You don't get anything in advance?  You find out that your film got nominated at the same time as the rest of the world?

Gísli Darri Halldórsson: Yeah. Also when it was shortlisted, it was the same. I heard they I think I have Price Waterhouse Cooper to hold the envelope of the results, so nobody knows apparently who wins and stuff.

Alexandra Bowman: How do you submit a film to the Oscars?

Gísli Darri Halldórsson: Well, it has to be eligible, so they have a rigorous process. You have to go through to make it eligible. And to be honest, I have to say, I was just happy that it was eligible. That was my peak. And then I got nominated and I'm on cloud nine.

Alexandra Bowman: What makes a film eligible? Is it length requirements or what does that look like?

Gísli Darri Halldórsson: Yeah, a lot of requirements. It has to win in a certain film festival or be screened in a major city for a week in the cinema. Some other ones - obviously the year counts as well.

Alexandra Bowman: What do you hope wins the best animated feature Oscar? Do you have preference for those?

Gísli Darri Halldórsson: I've seen Soul. It's beautiful. I really like it. I have a three-year old, so I haven't been able to see a movie in a long time. I managed squeezing Soul there, but I'm hoping to use the time in quarantine to see them. Cartoon Saloon did WolfWalkers. I'm always a fan of them. I went to the same college as the founders of that studio.

Alexandra Bowman: Speaking of filmmaking, what is your next project?

Gísli Darri Halldórsson: Oh, I have a few. I'm not sure which one is next. I think after this Oscar discotheque I'll know better, but I have a book that I want to do that’s almost ready. And I have a TV series and a live-action film and an animated film.

Alexandra Bowman: Any sneak peaks or into what they're about?

Gísli Darri Halldórsson: No. I burned myself on this before, about revealing something too soon that takes a bit of the edge in your head about it. I've learned that hard lesson before, but believe me, I want to say it…

Alexandra Bowman: Do you have anything else that you want to say to the masses about filmmaking or inspiration or art, creativity, any of that?

Gísli Darri Halldórsson: I don't know. I don't think so. Probably when I'm in bed tonight, I’ll go “Aha! I have this golden nugget that I could have shared.”

[End part 2, as the conversation turns to Georgetown University and basketball…]