Daniel Mehrer and Andrew Becker knew by chance the history of the disappearance of Martin Verfondern in the tiny Galician village of Santoalla. A mystery that led them to embark on his first feature, 'Santoalla'.
Daniel Mehrer and Andrew Becker discovered by chance the history of the disappearance of Martin Verfondern in the tiny Galician village of Santoalla. A mystery that led them to embark on his first feature, 'Santoalla'. A film already screened at the film festivals of Edinburgh, Austin, The Hamptons and Tallgrass, which won two 'Best Documentary' prizes, and a film that will be opening the 21st edition of the International Film Festival Ourense, the OUFF, on the 28th of October.
A conflict about two very different families in a tinny village of Galicia... How did you know about this history?
Daniel: We learned of this story because my brother, Paul, was a volunteer on Martin and Margo’s farm. However, the day he arrived in Santoalla was the same day that Martin disappeared. He spent 10 days in the village and when he returned to NYC he relayed to us the strange circumstances of this man’s disappearance and the village.
None of you went to the film school although you ended up in production… How or why did you decide to make a bet in your first time as directors for this story?
Andrew: I think it’s completely unnecessary to attend film school in order to make a movie. I fell into television production after working on a documentary for a while when I first moved to New York. After spending some time in the industry I was feeling pretty creatively unfulfilled and wanted to create something over which I had control. Daniel was also feeling the same way, so we decided to start this project together.
Daniel: We both wanted to take a break from TV production and make something. We wanted to have creative control and be able to tell a story that we were captivated by. There were a lot of conversations before we finally decided to jump on a plane and head to Galicia.
Also is this your first film together…
Daniel: Andrew and I have been friends for a long time. We had a similar desire to break free from our jobs and make something of our own. And I think we trusted each other’s creative instincts.
Santoalla is a really small and nearly abandon village in the mountains, what did you think when you arrived there?
Andrew: “The first time you drive to Santa Eulalia, you have the feeling that you’ve gone off to a different world.” This is Margo’s quote from the film…I think that sums it up pretty accurately. It’s a unique place that possesses a tragic beauty unlike any other I’ve seen…
Daniel: I agree – Margo’s quote always comes to mind when I try to describe Santoalla. I had seen some photos from my brother’s first trip and a few news stories online but it didn’t prepare me for how beautiful and remote it actually was. It almost didn’t seem real.
You were in contact with Margo Pool, the wife of the murdered guy, Martin Verfondern. What did she think when she heard about the project? And about the result of the film?
Andrew: We contacted Margo in 2013 and inquired about her interest in taking part in a story about the village. She agreed and a few months later we set off for Santoalla. Everyone, including the Rodriguez family were pretty cooperative for the entire shoot. Margo has seen the final cut of the film, and she seems to like it.
Was something especially surprising about Galicia or Santoalla? Something you did not expect?
Andrew: The only thing that was really surprising was the way the story of Santoalla evolved during the course of our filming… and it’s resolution.
Daniel: Yes, we began making this film assuming that the cause of Martin’s disappearance would remain a mystery.
You started with a crowd funding in Kickstarter and an objective of 20,000 dollars. Was it difficult making the film a reality? Finish?
Daniel: Initially we didn’t start with crowd funding. We just borrowed some cameras, got a credit card and figured it out. But, we eventually ran out of money and needed to resort to Kickstarter so that we could continue forward with the project. It’s definitely been difficult.
Andrew: Yes – it was difficult. We decided to embark on this project with no support of any kind. That’s why we ended up handling all of the creative duties ourselves. Partially because we wanted to, but mainly because we couldn’t afford to pay anyone else to do them.
How is the film being received? You already took part into four festivals and won a couple of prizes…
Andrew: Thus far we’ve screened at four film festivals and have won two “Best Documentary Feature” awards. But, more importantly, it seems to be having an impact on our audience. We’ve been having very enthusiastic question and answer sessions after many of our screenings, which is probably the most enjoyable aspect of the whole thing.
Daniel: Judging from the audiences responses and interactions with us after the screenings – it seems to have been received quite well.
How you feel opening the Festival Internacional de Cine de Ourense with a film recorded in its county and what do you expect?
Andrew: We’re honored. It’s a great opportunity and a great festival. I’m not really sure what to expect…I suppose we just hope that people like it.
Daniel: We’re also excited and glad that it will have a chance to screen in front of a Galician audience and just hope people enjoy it…
You will take part in the DOC NYC with the film, how do you feel about this and which are you plans from now on with the film?
Daniel: It’s going to be fun to screen here in NYC – there are still a lot of family and friends who haven’t seen the film. As someone who grew up in NYC getting a chance to have a film screen here is special.
Andrew: DOC NYC is a great festival… and again, we’re honored to be chosen to participate. The main goal with the film now is to find distribution so that the film can be available for a wider audience.
Apart of the film recording I guess you had the opportunity of visiting Ourense and Galicia, did you like our land? Or if not… Would you take the opportunity with the festival opening?
Daniel: Our shooting schedule was demanding, but we had some time to travel around Galicia. It’s an amazingly beautiful region that many in the United States aren’t very familiar with. Maybe it’s best to keep it a secret?
Generally, everywhere we went, we found architectural beauty and kind, welcoming people.
Did you already try the Galician food? Did you like it? What did you like the most?
Daniel: The wine. The cheese. The pork. The pulpo. The empanadas... I could keep going on and on.
Andrew: Yes. Pulpo would probably be my favorite.
