April 10, 2014
by corinna | Apr 10, 2014 | Films, MFF 2013 |
Filmmaker: Brian Darwas
Film: White Knuckle: The Motorcycle Cannonball
Q: What’s the name of your film in the MFF?
A: This year The MFF screened my film “White Knuckle: The Story of The Motorcycle Cannonball”.
Q: What’s it about?
A: “White Knuckle” follows a few of the riders on the first ever Motorcycle Cannonball, a cross country endurance run on antique bikes (pre-1916) that pitts the man against his machine, and his machine against the unforgiving back roads of The United States.
Q: What inspired you to make this movie?
A: I spoke to a friend who was building a bike for the run. Before he could get finished telling me about the trip I interrupted and said “that’s sounds crazy, I need to come along”. I hung up the phone and drove straight up to his place to film him finish assembling his bike. . . and a week later we were on the road to the starting line. I figured this would be the perfect chance to show the world why people get out on their bikes and do crazy shit like this. You get to learn about the people, see their struggles, and gain a whole new respect for people who ride.
Hopefully someone will see this movie and gain a better understanding of why some people are so passionate about motorcycles. . . and maybe it will inspire the younger generation to get out there and build something.
Q: How did you find the MFF?
A: It wasn’t to hard, you guys did a pretty good job promoting the festival. I know Corinna and when I heard that she was putting together a film festival I knew I wanted to be a part of it. I like to get behind any DIY effort. If people are out there making something happen I want to be a part of it anyway that I can. It’s a small world, we all need to support each other.
Q: Have you made any other films, and If so, is there a common theme throughout your films?
A: To date I’ve made five films, and I’m currently editing my sixth. All my films are documentaries that look at people who build and ride/dive anything with an engine. From period correct Hot Rods on The Bonneville Salt Flats, to the vintage bikes you see in “White Knuckle”. I like to give the world a peek into a subculture that they’d have no way of getting a look at, while preserving what’s going on today for future generations. When I build anything I’m always looking back to books and magazines from the 1940’s / ’50’s. . . I’d like to leave a record of what’s going on today for people to look back on sixty years from now. I think telling these stories is an important part our culture.
Q: Do you ride a motorcycle? If so, tell us a little about what you ride, and why?
A: I build cars, period correct hot rods. . . but I have respect for anything mechanical. If you can build it and it runs, I can respect it.
Q: As a filmmaker, what about the MFF and motorcycle films in general speaks to you?
A: Hot rods and motorcycles got hand and hand to me. They’re both built to go fast. . . well, fast for what you have in it, lol. I like to see other people doing what they love, whether it’s building a bike from scratch, or making a movie. . . and with The MFF I get to see both of those things come together. So it’s like I’m getting the best of everything.
Q: Have you had a chance to attend the MFF yet?
A: Yes. . . and it was spectacular.
Q: Possibly impossible question: Favorite bike movie?
A: That’s easy. . . “The Savage Seven“.
Q: What’s next for you as a filmmaker
A: To keep filming anyone who’s willing to get in front of my camera with a story to tell. I like sharing people’s stories.
*Check out all of Brian Darwas’ films as well as the cars he builds on his website Atomic Hot Rods
*Read an review of the classic 1968 biker film, The Savage Seven by filmmaker Brian Darwas, on the Cine Meccanica blog.
April 4, 2014
by corinna | Apr 4, 2014 | Uncategorized |
Filmmaker: Eric Ristau
Film: The Best Bar In America
Q: What was the name of your film in the 1st annual, 2013 MFF?
A: The Best Bar in America
Q: What’s it about?
A: About a guy– a writer– on a cross-country ride on a 1960 BMW R60/2 with a Velorex sidecar. He’s been hired to write a guidebook of every bar in the West. After he splits with his lady friend on the side of the highway, he runs around like a drunken maniac trying to find his soul. A couple of wise, old badasses help him out along the way. Oh, and he does some nasty on a pool table.
Q: What inspired you to make this movie?
A: My brother (and co-writer/co-director) and I have always liked bikes, bars, travel, the desert, Wild Turkey, and sleeping on the ground. We decided to write a script about as many of the things that we love as possible and jam them into one movie. That way, if the film completely failed, we would have had a great time making it. We succeeded.
Q: How did you find the MFF?
A: We were looking for film festivals that weren’t pretentious bullshit. The name sold us too.
Q: Have you made any other films, and If so, is there a common theme throughout your films?
A: Most of the other projects we’ve done have related to travel, searching out what matters in life, and the way that certain machines can affect a culture. It’s been a mish-mash of work for clients and films for our own enjoyment, but those are some of the common threads that come to mind.
Q: Do you ride a motorcycle, and If so, tell us a little about what you ride, and why?
A: I ride a 1974 BMW R75/6 with a 1973 Spirit of America sidecar (the hack comes off easily, however). Riding a motorcycle is the most fun you can have with your clothes on. To me, it falls smack in between Zen meditation and flying an airplane at low altitude. The idea that that you can jump on this elegant machine and head out on the road with no other thoughts but which direction to go is pretty damn sweet.
Q: As a filmmaker, what about the MFF and motorcycle films in general speaks to you?
A: Having attended some of the biggest mainstream film festivals, the concept of a motorcycle-oriented film festival really appeals to me. First and foremost, I love motorcyclists more than most any other group of people. Secondly, unlike a mainstream film festival, no one comes to the MFF with thoughts of seeing celebrities, getting discovered, or making a million-dollar deal – and therefore, people don’t act like assholes. They watch good flicks and bullshit with people they actually have something in common with.
To me, motorcycle films inherently speak of adventure, stepping outside the norm, and maybe taking a different perspective on life – all things that relate to actually riding a motorcycle as well. In my experience, motorcyclists have characteristics that most people equate to long-held, traditional American ideals– independence, individualism, self-reliance, bravery in the face of danger, and an adventurous spirit. While these characteristics may be less and less common in the wider modern world, they remain extremely common (perhaps even necessary) traits in a motorcyclist. Films about these people, and their ways of life is about the best topic for a movie that I can imagine.
Q: Have you had a chance to attend the MFF yet?
A: I missed out on the last one, so my positive remarks about the MFF above may be complete bullshit. But I don’t think so.
Q: Possibly impossible question: Favorite bike movie?
A: My favorite bike movie is an Italian film that will be released to the general public this spring. It’s called 1 Map for 2. You guys should screen it at the MFF next year.
Q: What’s next for you as a filmmaker?
A: We have a couple of documentaries in the works. One is about people who take their dog in the motorcycle sidecar. The other is secret. Long term, I’d like to do another narrative feature.
For more information on Sit Stay Ride: The Story of America’s Sidecar Dogs, check out and support the Kickstarter campaign by clicking the image below.
