BY KRISTIN MC CRACKEN |
Faces of Tribeca Film: David Russo
The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle defies categorization, though the film's director does his best. Now available on DVD, on iTunes, and on Netflix Instant!
Note: This interview initially ran as part of our 2010 Tribeca Film coverage. The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle is now available on DVD, on iTunes, and on Netflix Instant.
TribecaFilm.com: Tell us a little about The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle.
David Russo: It is a spiritual story about men who give birth to a little blue fish, which they love, out of their assholes. The creatures are short-lived and totally harmless. Through their mad visions, mood swings and eventual births, the guys have to pull together to be midwives for one another and to deal with the loss and loneliness of what is essentially miscarriage. So basically it is really about male miscarriage out the butt.
TribecaFilm.com: What inspired you to tell this story?
DR: Being a janitor for 11 years and generally feeling like an invisible, marginalized human being among my own culture and species. This is a janitor movie par excellence. Janitors are like those guys at the end of the parade who scoop up shit and never say a word. This movie posits the importance of their perspective. They have a unique viewpoint on the parade, one that is free from the illusions created by the grand spectacle.
TribecaFilm.com: What do you want audiences to take away from the story?
DR: Hope. I am hope averse, a recovering suicide case. This is a movie about hope for people like me, the hope immune. It's about coming to terms with what you cannot control and finding unlikely spiritual significance in being victimized.
TribecaFilm.com: What's the craziest thing (or "lightning strikes" moment) that happened while making the film?
DR: Finding that 80% of the film that we shot was out of focus, after production wrapped. It was a disaster. The editor quit due to depression, and I found a new editor by the name of Billy McMillin, who helped me save the movie from becoming a total loss.
TribecaFilm.com: What’s the biggest thing you learned while making The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle? Or your advice for aspiring filmmakers?
DR: Don't let ANYONE in your cast or crew that you would not want in your band.
TribecaFilm.com: What are your hopes for the film On Demand?
DR: My hopes are realistically low. We have never been able to pull much press for this movie and letting people know about it has been hard. [Editor’s note: Check out the excellent review in The New York Times.]
TribecaFilm.com: If you could have dinner with any filmmaker (alive or dead), who would it be?
DR: Probably my good friend Craig Johnson. I'm a terrible fanboy. There are filmmakers whose work I absolutely adore, but I would have no idea what to do or say if I was stuck having dinner with them.
TribecaFilm.com: What piece of art (book/film/music/tv show/what-have-you) are you currently recommending to your friends most often?
DR: My favorite TV show is America's Next Top Model, and I don't think people appreciate it enough. I also discovered Mad Men and like it quite a bit.
TribecaFilm.com: What would your biopic be called?
DR: Please Leave Me Alone.
TribecaFilm.com: What makes The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle a Tribeca Film must-see?
DR: Well... It's an indie effects-driven comic allegory that elevates toilet humor beyond the stupid. Not too many films try that. Tribeca is the only distribution company that was not completely scared off by the marketing challenge of trying to find an audience for a religious buttfish movie for intelligent people.
For that, the film should be seen, because where & how you pay to see a movie is exactly like voting. The more folks who check out Little Dizzle and other films on Tribeca Film's plate, the better chance we have that they will keep them coming. You wanna be a part of the problem, or do you wanna be a part of the solution?
The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle is now available on DVD, on iTunes, and on Netflix Instant.
Read The New York Times review.
Become a fan of Little Dizzle on Facebook.
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