"We wanted to make a movie that combined the real and the surreal in a different way than you've seen it before. We wanted to take the reality of digital video and mix it with the surreality of 35mm film and beautiful animation and incredibly surreal, dissonant music. We got the best people we could, the best people anybody could of and they did an incredible job." Artist Isaiah Zagar served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Peru in the 1960's.
The film In A Dream by director Jeremiah Zagar may have begun as a film chronicling the life of his famous father, but it turned into an incredible glimpse into the struggles of a family in crisis and the toll of creative passion
More Than Mosiacs "In A Dream"
Caption: Julia and Isiah Zagar in "In aA Dream."
PHILADELPHIA (CBS 3) ― Walking around the streets of Philadelphia it is nearly impossible to miss the ornate mosaic murals adorning the walls of dozens of buildings. Made up of everything from mirrors to bike tires, the vast works of Isaiah Zagar are an important and iconic part of the city.
Behind the tile and the glass, the bike tires and the bottles, is a man as fascinating as his artwork. The film In A Dream by director Jeremiah Zagar may have begun as a film chronicling the life of his famous father, but it turned into an incredible glimpse into the struggles of a family in crisis and the toll of creative passion.
Having already shown and won awards at the Full Frame and South By Southwest Film Festivals, In A Dream proved to be a forced to be reckoned with at the 17th Philadelphia Film Festival. Aside from screening an incredible four times to sold-out crowds, the film was also award the DIVE Technical Achievement Award.
Jeremiah Zagar spoke to CBS3.com about the film and how it is not just about his family, but the city they love.
CBS3.com: Obviously this is a personal film for you. How has it been showing it to a Philadelphia audience?
Jeremiah Zagar: Philadelphia people are amazing. I mean, the movie's about Philadelphia, it's about them in a weird way. I mean, it's about me and my family, but it's about Philadelphia. It's hard to explain. It's in everything he (Isaiah Zagar) does and everything that I do. My father's an artist in Philadelphia, so it's intrinsic in his work. My mother, her store is a staple here.
CBS3.com: How long did it take you to go through this process?
JZ: Seven years. We started shooting in 1999. We didn't really begin serious shooting until 2001, so that's why I say seven years. We just finished the editing process in September.
CBS3.com: Your family seems incredibly open. Was it hard getting them to accept this film?
JZ: They're very honest open people. Anybody at CBS who wants to visit the garden on 10th and South or my mother's store, which is on 4th and South, is free to talk to them about it. My brother's store is on 4th and South too, so like I said, we're part of Philadelphia so it's an easy connection to make to an audience.
CBS3.com: What inspired you to make this film?
JZ: My mother asked me to do it, that's what inspired me. My mother said, 'Jeremiah, film your father,' and it ended up not being about my father, but a love story about the two of them with me and my brother as supporting characters.
CBS3.com: Aside from the amazing story, how did you decide to use music and animations in the film?
JZ: We wanted to make a movie that combined the real and the surreal in a different way than you've seen it before. We wanted to take the reality of digital video and mix it with the surreality of 35mm film and beautiful animation and incredibly surreal, dissonant music. We got the best people we could, the best people anybody could of and they did an incredible job.
CBS3.com: This film has been shown four times already at the Philadelphia Film Festival, how does that success feel?
JZ: It feels great. It's nice the people in the city want to support people from the city that are doing things about the city and giving it to a wider audience. You want your base to be Philadelphia, it's best city in the world.
(© MMVIII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
