FATE, GRIEF, AND ACCEPTANCE: INTERVIEW WITH “PAST THE PAST” WRITER pAUL BACERA

Losing a loved one causes pain and regret beyond apprehension, and grief is not a linear process. Oftentimes grief repeats in cycles, from denial, to anger, to bargaining, to depression, and finally - to acceptance and hope - only to present itself again, over and over. “Past the Past” is a beautifully and poignantly executed film that addresses grief through the lenses of denial and bargaining (written by Paul Bacera, directed by Kody Newton). And it asks the questions: What could I do differently to change fate of my loved one, even if I harnessed the power of time travel? Would the outcomes be the same? Are our fates predestined? Would fate come knocking at the door regardless of my attempts to change it? Past the Past won the following awards in the winter season of ZFA: Best Drama and Honorable Mention: Best Actor (Paul Bacera).

ZFA: What inspired you to create this film? Any inspirations?

Paul: Since I was a little kid, I've always been fascinated with time and time travel in movies. So naturally I wanted to make a movie with time travel myself. 
This movie was inspired by a lot of other different films, the biggest of which were About Time, Your Name, and Groundhog Day.

ZFA: Where did you film it? And how long did it take?

Paul: This whole film was filmed in Utah. From the first day of filming up until the first official premiere was about 2 years. 

Screen grab - Paul Bacera as “Brad”

ZFA: The jurors commented on how emotional they got at the ending of the film. How were you able to achieve that emotional reaction?

Paul: Whether it's a break up, the death of a loved one, or a missed opportunity, we like to get hung up on things and dwell on the past. We think to ourselves "man, if only I would have done something different we would still be together, or if only I invested in Bitcoin! Oh man! If coach woulda put me in fourth quarter, we would've been state champions. No doubt. No doubt in my mind." At some point in our adult lives, we have all probably lost someone dear to us. And it's hard, especially if we never got the chance to give a proper goodbye. So I think moving on past our failures, defeats, and darkest moments is something that we can all relate to. Additionally, Sahviena's phenomenal acting really added some power and emotion to it to make it that much better. 

Sahviena Ballard as “Towa”

ZFA: What was the biggest challenge you faced during production and/or post-production?

Paul: Just the waiting for everything. As I'm sure many of you filmmakers have experienced this, you want your film to be finished asap, but the reality is that indie films take a lot of time to get made. Whether it's waiting for the composer to make a track, the editor to make changes from the revision, or the colorist to get the color and grade done, it is very much a waiting game. So I guess for me it was learning to be patient with the whole process. But it helped me learn from my mistakes and I will be sure to be much more efficient on my next project. 

ZFA: What was the most memorable moment on set?

Paul: Sahviena, the actress who played Towa, had an emotional crying scene. Our director Kody was masterful in guiding her to get that raw powerful authentic emotion out of her. I think her acting and range of emotions really took this film to the next level. 

ZFA: Any lessons learned or things you would have done differently?

Paul: I definitely would have tried to set a couple more days for filming. There were so many scenes I felt were rushed or didn't have all the coverage and angles that I wanted. I also would have definitely tried to plan better, there were many problems and mistakes on set that could have been avoided if I just planned better. 

ZFA: Any advice for aspiring filmmakers?

Paul: Unless you are in the 1% of top filmmakers, you are not going to be famous or rich doing filmmaking. If that is your ambition, quit right now. You should pursue filmmaking because you enjoy making art, because you want to create something amazing, beautiful, and inspiring. So I would tell you to love the art. 

ZFA: How can we find you and follow your work?

Paul: Instagram is the best way to follow me, @paulbacera. 
I have Star Wars fan film in the works, so keep an eye out for that!

Interview: Alicia Oberle Farmer

Director Kody Newton