By Lucy Spicer
One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festival is having a front-row seat for the bright future of independent filmmaking. While we can learn a lot about the filmmakers from the 2024 Sundance Film Festival through the art that these storytellers share with us, there's always more we can learn about them as people. This year, we decided to get to the bottom of those artistic wells with our ongoing series: Give Me the Backstory!
While filming his feature directorial debut, writer-director Greg Jardin wanted to make the most of his time with the project's cast. Up until now, all of my directorial work had been short-form promo-type stuff, which didn't allow much of a rapport to be built, says Jardin. I really love working with the actors and watching them inject so much life into their roles. In the case of It's What's Inside, that rapport between director and actor proved crucial because the ensemble cast didn't just portray their own characters - they also had to portray each other's.
It's What's Inside brings together seven former college friends for a party to celebrate an upcoming wedding. When Forbes (David W. Thompson) - their friend who had been expelled from college - joins them somewhat unexpectedly with a mysterious suitcase in hand, he proposes an unusual party game. Inside the suitcase is a device that will allow its users to switch bodies. What begins as a surreal guessing game soon devolves into chaos as the group finds out just how difficult it is to keep secrets when someone else is in your body.
I was so blown away by how all the actors had done their homework, came in with ideas, and really just improved the movie overall, says Jardin. The mind-bending film premiered in the Midnight section at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. Read on to learn more about Jardin and his feature debut, including the inspiration for the project and a peek at the filmmaker's fridge and reading list.
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