Staff Pick Award at Palm Springs ShortFest 2022: "Meantime" by Michael T Workman |

 I'm so sick with waiting.

 Aren't you,

 To help the world improve

 Beautiful and sweet?

 Let us take the knife

 and cut the globe in two

 And see what the worms consume

 At the edge.

-Langston Hughes, Good Morning, Revolution: Uncollected Social Protest Writings

The winner of the Staff Pick Award at Palm Springs Shortfest 2022 will be "Meantime" by Michael T Workman. Michael planted a camera in his Dad Tim's house to make an "deeply personal examination of memories, guilt, labor as well as the desire to keep the momentary." In fact, this is what the logline reads. The beauty of this film is the fact that it doesn't really focus on these vague descriptions of human emotions. "Meantime" is a magnifying glass on the causes of negatives that devastate the United States: capitalism, inhumane labor practices, inadequate assistance for those suffering from mental illness, and an understanding that the American principle that says "pull yourself by the bootstraps" is a physically impossible undertaking. The movie explains the various different ways that it is that the United States fails to fully provide for its citizens all the way from birth until death. In the words of Michael says in a lyrical way in our Q&A "

 "It isn't evident, but I am convinced that the subject of the film is the inhumanity that capitalism has created. ...My father is the product of a culture that sees individuals as "human resources," a system that dehumanizes those who are unable to fit into a strict regime of labor exploitation. "

In its production, as sombre as the bleak Montana winter its set in, "Meantime" is a film about wounded souls who nonetheless grew into kind and compassionate people.

We were able to ask Michael some questions regarding his personal portrait of the family and were thrilled by his thoughtful and warm answers. Find out more about our conversation with him.

 Inspiring:

 "The idea for this film came to me as I assisted my dad in digitizing his videos from home. As I watched them I was struck by these deeply moving instances in the tiniest, seemingly unimportant moments my dad captured. It was not the celebrations for birthdays, Christmas parties, or weddings that were the most affecting. It was the moments where my family was caught in the middle, waiting for something important to occur and then talking, arguing or joking. These were the times I could see the people I knew at different phases of their lives. My knowledge of their experiences was beginning to grow. I've always been anti-the idea of making personal films, but reviewing that footage and returning to Montana made me want to create this film ."

 His tips on filming family:

 "Working with your loved ones is so difficult. Being able to know when it was time to shut off the camera, and to simply be was the most difficult thing. In the middle of the day, my father and I had stopped recording. I'm comfortable being able to hide behind my camera for the moment. The best advice for filmmakers who work in a family setting is to plan the times and events that you plan to film and use that as a limitation. Don't shoot everything all of the time, and don't follow what's going on. Consider what you would like to film and then let your camera roll. Once you're done, you are finished. It is possible to miss some things, and that's fine. What's important is that you create a scenario in which the images you capture increase the likelihood of being deep and compelling. After that, turn off the camera and go back to living your daily life ."

 Reaction of his family to the movie:

 "My family has seen the movie. I played it for my mother when I finished that; it was one of the most emotional viewing experience I've ever had. Because this film is personal, I experienced moments of being completely indifferent to it and instances of deep emotional turmoil. As I was watching the film with my mom, tiny little details of the film caused me to cry in a way that was hard to control. It just goes to show that the perspective of the people you're watching a movie with could dramatically alter your experience this film. It was an uplifting experience for both of us and she gained a deeper understanding of the perspective of my father that she couldn't see then.

 I was most nervous about showing the film to my dad. We had planned to sit down and watch it, but the timing wasn't right so he decided to go watch the movie by himself. After he called me and informed me that he'd was watching it, my heart sank. He said something along the lines of "Mike I have watched your film and it's an excellent film and I'll never watch it again." The main cause of stress for him was not the vulnerability that was said, but rather it was his own reflection in the film as well as hearing his own voice. It was the voice that made him feel uncomfortable (for me , too). )."

 On challenges faced:

 "The most difficult part of creating this film was creating a distance between myself and the film. This is my opinion as the primary struggle with personal projects, and the area the most frequently, it doesn't work. Personal films can be emotional to the filmmaker however not to the viewers. I tried to stay clear of the situation at all cost and attempt to distance myself from the film and view it as someone who doesn't know myself. Since I was editing, this was a constant problem. I was able overcome it with the help of many trustworthy people around me who gave me honest critical feedback ."

 What he'd like us to take into consideration when viewing the film:

 "It might not seem evident, but I am convinced the theme of the film is the cruelty of capitalism. This is, in the end, the root of my father's struggles to live an enjoyable and secure life. Though abuse might be the cause of my dad's struggle, the inability to recover from that trauma is a societal failure rather than an individual one. My father is part of a system that views the human being as "human resources," which is a system that dehumanizes those who are unable to conform to a rigid system of labor exploitation.

 Capitalism offers working-class people two choices: work or beg on the street. While this is never explicitly made clear in the film it forms the underworld basis of the plot. If the people who were in my father's position had access to robust mental and physical healthcare as well as housing and food and did not have to prove their human rights by being in horrible conditions They could lead happy and safe lives where they could heal their wounds.

 The most important information on the titles in the movie is dad's stroke was brought on due to a panic attack during workplace because the firm wanted to increase profits by understaffing the nursing home where he worked. It was clear that this was a frequent occurrence for him while making this film after I realized that stress at work rather than stress from having a family was what led to my father's mental illness when I was a child.

 It is also my hope that this film encourages viewers to value the time they get with their beloved ones and discuss the effects of hardship and trauma with compassion and an open atmosphere. In the end, the heart of this film is about taking care of our parents by knowing them as complex human beings and respecting the precious amount of time they have ."

 Michael's tips for aspiring film makers:

 "I constantly tell my students to be a fighter in order to retain their youthful enthusiasm to make movies. Every step of the way the industry will attempt to push you into the middle of the road to make you someone other's instrument. They'll try to take enjoyment out of it and set up artificially high stakes in order to make some of the most sloppy media. Anyone who has worked in a big advertising team knows this. My advice is to always do something that gets you excited even if your wage-labor job doesn't. Keep working on the films you make yourself or on hobbies that make you feel as if you're an artist. If you're a part of Sundance however, you've totally forgotten the pleasure of making films, why are you even working on this? ?"

 What's next?

 "I'm developing a feature documentary idea that will be an observational film with a character driven woven narrative set in a town that is mining in Montana. It's in the early stage of development, so I can't say much more than that right now.

 I'm currently working on a story about people who have work that they realize is completely unproductive. If you're looking for a job like this, please reach out by email. We're currently hiring ."