00:00:00: Hi Vincent Grascha, we're here at Locarno to talk about your film Bruton running at Piazza Grande.

00:00:05: So yesterday was the big premiere.

00:00:06: how do you feel?

00:00:07: I'm great!

00:00:08: I love this festival my third year here.

00:00:10: i've been here last three years with Three Films in a row.

00:00:12: so...I like coming back.

00:00:14: You are like a veteran because that means..you have been coming as often as

00:00:18: I haven't Pretty much but literally The Last Three Years at locarno is an international premiere of My Last Three Filmes.

00:00:24: World Premiere Of My Film This Year World Premiere Last Year and then Bang.

00:00:28: Bang which was in twenty-twenty four, is my international premiere.

00:00:32: I was at Tribeca right before that.

00:00:33: it's one of my favorite

00:00:34: ones.

00:00:34: When did you first come across the story of Bruton?

00:00:37: First time i came across Brutin Was two producers I'd worked with Before on My first film.

00:00:42: They knew this guy Brian and they said You have to hear a story He wants to commission somebody To tell It...to write it.

00:00:48: And y'know At first I didn't think much Of it..I was like Okay how Much money does he Have?

00:00:52: What's his Story?

00:00:52: Met him From The first Time I sat With Him Talking to him.

00:00:56: I was laughing most of the time Because what his experience in there, although intense and it's the hell on earth place you do not want to go to prison.

00:01:03: Everyday minutiae and things that they'd do just get through today to find humor and levity and make money.

00:01:10: I didn't really know about To That Degree In this specific story i thought was hilarious as well as moving The relationship with His Daughter And so...I was interested..and wrote it thinking its gonna be it.

00:01:21: I didn t necessarily intend direct it right away But I didnt.

00:01:24: It was like several years later five years later, when it came through Demetrius and Theo.

00:01:30: And they were the one who wanted to do.

00:01:32: was that hurt?

00:01:32: To build a script because I imagine for thirty in the year is such an old story pretty hard to decide what you take in as well say a lot of you couldn't keep them.

00:01:40: just beacuse movie would have been on miniseries.

00:01:42: otherwise

00:01:43: absolutely there's so much i had to condense.

00:01:45: it felt like could've done So.

00:01:47: initially after interviewing him I wrote like a novella from their adopted into screenplay and not first screenplay drafts probably hundred seventy three pages.

00:01:57: So I knew, and was like okay.

00:01:58: I have to...I just put everything that could made sense into it.

00:02:01: And now i know how to trim tight knit.

00:02:03: What can I lose?

00:02:04: what needs go Yeah!

00:02:05: so I spent a good amount of time doing that Finding the way To thread the needle.

00:02:09: It's tough because there is so much other stuff That are funny and outrageous That would love been in but couldn't fit right.

00:02:15: Would you tell us one outrageous thing that you spontaneously remembered You couldn't take in?

00:02:20: yeah which one?

00:02:21: Well There Is A Couple One that comes to mind initially he had.

00:02:25: basically when He left his dump truck, pulled the signs off of it and kind of disappeared for he ran away from the whole thing.

00:02:33: And the cops were trying to get hold of him but they couldn't prove that he was driving.

00:02:36: so he just never talked with the cops.

00:02:42: They didn't have enough to arrest them.

00:02:44: literally three years back when he moved into another state The drug business gave over to brother-in-law.

00:02:49: You know...he did not want anything to do with this.

00:02:51: So his brother in law is doing all drugs selling And the brother-in-law was risk, he's gonna get twenty years in jail.

00:02:58: Prison!

00:02:59: The cops were like we're going to charge you with this?

00:03:01: This?!

00:03:01: This?!

00:03:02: Unless... You write who is driving and then dumped when that guy was killed.

00:03:05: If you write Who Is Driving We'll call it today.

00:03:08: Let It Go.

00:03:09: He wrote a statement That said that Brian Was Driving.

00:03:12: It Was An Accident.

00:03:12: But This Is What Happened.

00:03:14: And He Said Brian Was Drivin'.

00:03:15: So They Arrested Him For First Degree Murder At First

00:03:17: Even Though It Was Written That It Was an Accident.

00:03:20: He Really Wanted To Squash The Altrication.

00:03:22: When He Went There They Were Attacking A Truck.

00:03:24: What happened was the guy jumped on it, and he slid underneath him.

00:03:30: It wasn't as much of like that altercation with a car.

00:03:33: He slid under his knee and ran over to kill him.

00:03:35: So Brian kind of just freaked out.

00:03:37: The reality is he shouldn't have drove away but because he ran fled for three years And then his brother-in-law wrote this statement.

00:03:46: They charged him tried throw the book at them and went through whole court process seeing everyone get in Florida convicted.

00:03:52: His own attorney though had really good attorney was like, you're going to get off.

00:03:55: Like they don't have it as an

00:03:56: accident.".

00:03:57: So but he just got nervous and so he pled out to manslaughter so he wouldn't get charged for murder.

00:04:02: He didn't want them even risked in the Florida court system.

00:04:06: Even though there's an accident I'll take involuntary manslaughter and tell the prosecutor They had already offered him that And turned down first time.

00:04:12: But when came back to then all right.

00:04:14: well now its five-to fifteen years.

00:04:16: We will sentence on this date.

00:04:18: Then sentenced him one day.

00:04:20: One of crazy things his attorney did On the sentencing because he wanted to show the judge how crazy his family was.

00:04:26: He printed a billboard of The Dead Body, Of A Guy Who Accidentally Killed And He Presented It To The Court.

00:04:31: and All The Family Attacked and Tried To Attack Brian & The Attorney and it Was Amelie In The Court.

00:04:37: And He Looked At Brian and Goes.

00:04:38: I Just Got Five Years Off Your Sentence.

00:04:40: So Its Like All This Crazy Stuff!

00:04:42: He Got Ten Years Though Because The Judge Said If You Stopped And Talk To Us About After That?

00:04:47: He's like Unconvinced that It Was An Act But you Fled.

00:04:49: You Didn't Want To Address It.

00:04:52: So we pull the exact transcripts from that judge because it's kind of outrageous to acknowledge That.

00:04:57: okay.

00:04:57: It's probably an accident and you'd probably would have got off by

00:05:00: just out of spite.

00:05:01: You know, it's hard she do the right thing in such a situation.

00:05:04: who of us wouldn't now exactly what you Do if its really happening?

00:05:07: Absolutely.

00:05:08: And he I think he really knew He just didn't want to deal with it.

00:05:11: I think you gotta scare it.

00:05:12: There is so much more too than even when he fled.

00:05:14: he pulled all The signs on left the dump truck and he got picked up by his wife Who was her brother-in-law.

00:05:20: they were driving.

00:05:21: He just freaked out got out of the car and went into the woods And slept in the wood.

00:05:25: like there's so many crazy things that happened leading up to even him.

00:05:29: In those three years of him being away he was going to different parts Of Florida because the cops are trying to find them, you stand in different motels.

00:05:35: a lot of him Just avoiding accountability which to me.

00:05:37: The movie is about being accountable To ego and being selfish cuz she has a flawed character.

00:05:42: and really it's like after Jamal Is killed in the movie?

00:05:45: It was the first time I think he starting to kind of go.

00:05:48: One of my friends is killed and sort of based on his Because of Brian's behavior affects other people's lives and it isn't until I think he really knows how to affect his daughter that He goes man, everything.

00:05:58: I've ever done itself And

00:05:59: you shot in three different prisons?

00:06:01: I heard How did dad go down?

00:06:03: well in Mississippi.

00:06:04: we filmed there To cheat at as Florida and what?

00:06:07: every time You do a movie you have.

00:06:09: the goal is to find a Swiss army night type person That just knows everybody.

00:06:12: town knows him.

00:06:13: they have A lot of relationships and he Just knew Everybody.

00:06:16: this guy named Bill E helped us Really secure those prisoners because it logistically was hard.

00:06:21: It took a lot of time to get inside, you had go through the whole process and then once your'e in side you're dealing with real inmates walking by.

00:06:27: there's alot o that...it wasn't level four yard cause theres different yards.

00:06:31: prison like rapist murders..there wasn't one of those.

00:06:34: There were some murderers but its not a level four.

00:06:38: lets say A Level Four and above is worse.

00:06:40: this probably a level two or three yard.

00:06:43: so yeah walkby inmates and very courteous people.

00:06:46: they are working sort-of.

00:06:47: if u become trustee of a job and we encounter it wasn't as hard you may think.

00:06:53: A lot of logistic hoops

00:06:55: was the hardest part o

00:06:57: one.

00:06:57: I just have to, th things happen that yo no matter how much y something happens in t into grinder.

00:07:06: And so when mora driving trying esca prison car broke down an with the prison being rea because were in the middle They're running a prison, and so they were not happy with us.

00:07:21: The car wouldn't drive.

00:07:22: We had to like get it tow trucked To put in on the tow to drive for rest of scene.

00:07:26: So It was like chaotic day.

00:07:27: That one is really chaotic.

00:07:29: that's probably the most stressful thing.

00:07:30: Most time its just fun.

00:07:32: I mean thats why i do this.

00:07:33: Its a fun making movie.

00:07:34: How did you get the UROSI for the main role?

00:07:36: And knew he was right guy!

00:07:38: I'd seen him in Emily the criminal.

00:07:40: That was first thing I've ever seen him In.

00:07:42: I didn't watch some of Anarchy so... I don't know who He Was.

00:07:45: When I saw Emily the Criminal I wrote his name down Cause I'm like.

00:07:47: I don't know who this actor is, but I'd like to work with him one day.

00:07:50: And Ronnie Gene Blevins, he played one of the guards in this movie and he was at my previous film.

00:07:55: we were just catching up on the phone.

00:07:57: In twenty-twenty four September.

00:07:58: He called me back right after we got off the phone said hey do you have any projects that are ready To go?

00:08:03: That fit Theo Rossi The Actors.

00:08:05: Wow!

00:08:06: I love Theo.

00:08:06: You knew your friends or them?

00:08:08: Yeah i did a movie With him.

00:08:09: It's One Of The Best Productions I've Been With This guy Demetrius Great Producer.

00:08:13: They Wanted Do Another Movie Before End of Year Have Anything.

00:08:16: And I Thought About it and I was like, well...I wrote this movie about this guy's crazy journey in prison five years ago.

00:08:21: And my son, I'll send it to you if Theo can do that.

00:08:24: He looks he could be the guy!

00:08:25: And i wanna work with him.

00:08:26: Sure Send It.

00:08:27: So I sent him that.

00:08:27: A few days later, he goes, Theo loved it.

00:08:29: Demetrius loved it.

00:08:30: I think they want to do it.

00:08:31: That is how fast.

00:08:32: Two or three months later we are in Mississippi.

00:08:34: shooting Demetrios is a real deal.

00:08:36: He isn't no nonsense producer Or that.

00:08:38: If he wanted to Do something made of hell

00:08:39: You also worked with the real Brian Bruton?

00:08:42: Actually met him Our friends now and still on contact.

00:08:44: Yeah

00:08:45: No, Brian lives.

00:08:46: He could Florida or North Carolina.

00:08:48: after obviously I wrote it gave him the material.

00:08:50: five years later Here we are about to make it and so I got back in touch with them.

00:08:55: They said hey man, this is gonna happen.

00:08:56: We love you to be there.

00:08:57: So he came out while filming was there as a consultant an exec producer?

00:09:02: It wasn't invaluable because have the real guy they're not just tell me all About stuff that he did but just to see any sort of prison dynamic whether people how they were their shoes How they wear their clothes how they folded their shirts well how they rolled the toilet paper and put it on their bed.

00:09:16: Whatever that is, I was like tell me everything!

00:09:18: I want to be as accurate and realistic towards what life's in there... On the little thing because THAT IS WHAT REAL.

00:09:23: INMATES WOULD SEE WHEN THEY WATCHED THAT MOVIE AND SO HE WAS THERE THE WHOLE TIME.

00:09:27: IT WAS GREAT IT WAS A REALLY POSITIVE FORCE AND HE'S ACTUALLY IN THE MOVIE TOO.

00:09:31: HE WAS ONE OF THE GUARDS WHO BRINGS BRYANT BACK IN AFTER AND PUTS HIM IN SOLITARY CONFINEMENT.

00:09:36: THAT'S THE REAL BRYAN.

00:09:37: That's a pretty ironic role.

00:09:38: so did you actually watch the film or parts of the film with the inmates into prison?

00:09:42: We haven't shown inmates from The Prison.

00:09:45: I think we're gonna have some screenings, hopefully in like San Quentin Film Festival.

00:09:48: Like there's other avenues that will... We would love to show prisons and inmates or people who had used to be in prison.

00:09:55: Brian has seen it at once And i think is really tough for him because he holds a lot of guilt about just stuff That happened!

00:10:02: It was really too surreal experience.

00:10:04: He was really emotional..I think It was hard....He's coming To our next festival He'll come out with his wife.

00:10:11: Yeah so he'd be here.

00:10:13: He's very excited about everything going on.

00:10:15: So he really wanted to be here, but you know... ...he works and has a regular career now.

00:10:20: But yeah Pleasant pleasant charming guy Really interesting person.

00:10:22: What would you hope for this film?

00:10:24: To achieve or to happen to it?

00:10:26: Now that is about being released I want

00:10:28: us make a movie That was not your conventional prison film.. ..but had everything that was funny Had entertainment It was emotional.

00:10:35: so i want people see that Prison isn't necessarily all those nightmares You hear about with when comes to mean that happens.

00:10:42: its definitely a thing and you definitely don't want to be there.

00:10:44: Most of the time what these guys experience are more along the lines of boring, they find ways out smart people.

00:10:50: They get very clever and creative because their forced into it.

00:10:53: You're in a cell all day.

00:10:54: What do ya gonna do?

00:10:55: I think theres just different point-of-view here with this movie And i hope that people can see like really These peopelre human beings Just cause they re in prison.

00:11:01: There's alot there!

00:11:02: I Hope People Can See It and kind of Experience whats its like good or bad.

00:11:05: Do have any other projects lined up That your allowed talk about?

00:11:09: Yeah...I Have few things.

00:11:11: One..i cant Talk About The other one, I'm doing a horror movie which i love.

00:11:15: I love doing horror can't get too into detail about it but really scary and Really cool.

00:11:19: that'll hopefully go first half of next year.

00:11:22: And then I'm dealing in the movie after.

00:11:24: That deals with Jonestown.

00:11:26: what happened there?

00:11:27: In the cults of Jonestoun But also compare.

00:11:29: basically It's About A man who left the Italian mafia because thats its own cult.

00:11:33: So it analyzes two cults.

00:11:34: One is an italian mafia built very pro america Very capitalist driven.

00:11:39: The parallels are you never leave You have to pay up to the boss and he leaves that.

00:11:43: He falls in love with a woman, she's part of The People's Temple In San Francisco And you see how that develops.

00:11:48: All he cares about is protecting his nuclear family His wife & kid from what happens in Jonestown.

00:11:53: That sounds definitely fascinating.

00:11:54: Thank-you so much for this interview Vincent Grescher.

00:11:57: Thanks Lita.