An independent film by Wisconsin filmmaker and Tomah native Nathan Deming is getting some good buzz following a big win at the Wisconsin Film Festival. “February” has been honored with the festival’s Golden Badger Award.
Nathan Deming is the film’s writer and director. He says he wants his films to show a slice of life in western Wisconsin.
“The general idea is to tell Wisconsin stories in this larger framework, all set in the same town. They all stand alone,” said Deming.
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He spoke with WPR’s Ezra Wall on “Morning Edition.”
This conversation has been edited for brevity and clarity.
EW: First, let’s let’s talk about the big concept. “February” is not only a month in the year, but it’s part of what you hope to turn into a 12-episode series of films. How did that idea get started?
ND: I’m calling it the “Year Project.” Basically the idea is, I want to make a film for every month of the year. I was inspired a little bit by a musician I love named Sufjan Stevens, who tried to do an album for every single state. He only got two done, which is how many of the films I have done so far. So the first one, “January,” is about an aging church volunteer in a small church. The second one is about a recent Mexican immigrant who is struggling to fit in, and he’s trying to get in his groove. He finally does when he discovers ice fishing.
EW: These stories are not just set in any old small Wisconsin town, they’re set in in Tomah. Tell me about writing 12 movies set in Tomah.
ND: I was born and raised in Tomah, although I haven’t lived there for a little bit. I live in Los Angeles now, and I guess the distance also helps make me more nostalgic. I was really lucky. I got to study under my favorite filmmaker, Mike Leigh. He’s a British filmmaker at the London Film School, and he does for England something that I’d love to do for Wisconsin, which is he’s just a master at character studies. That’s that’s another reason I’m trying to do this, to make these little character portraits of my home state.
EW: In “February” the main character is a recent immigrant from Mexico. A lot of this movie is in Spanish, especially as Miguel is interacting with members of his family. Was that a challenge for you?
ND: I do not speak any Spanish, so it was partly a collaboration with the actors themselves, who are Spanish speakers. Then during the script writing stage I had to work with somebody who helped me not just literally translate, but kind of help me understand the rhythms of the dialogue. For me it was really thrilling. So I was really excited to tell a story showing that there are tons of languages spoken here. We’re a super diverse state. I mean, most places in America are, but you don’t always necessarily think of that when you think of a small town in Wisconsin.
EW: What’s it like mounting a film production in the middle of western Wisconsin, as compared to your current home, Los Angeles?
ND: Really fun! More fun than LA in some ways. People here have more of a can-do spirit, you know? They’re excited to be making a movie. In LA, everybody knows the value of film production. Everything gets way more expensive. But in in Wisconsin people are just really collaborative. We shot in a hotel for free. We shot in the Toma cash store. The owner, John Rose, just let us in and let us take over the store for a bit. It was just so fun and, creatively, it was just really invigorating.
EW: A pivotal figure in the movie is a guy named Carl. He’s played by Ritchie Jordan. Is it true this is his first experience with any kind of acting?
ND: I’m super proud of his performance, and I think he is, too. He just won an award at the Milwaukee Film Awards for his best supporting role, so he’s he’s got his own award now. I was just looking at actors for an ice fishing character, and I was worried about it coming off as inauthentic, or that I’d have to teach them about ice fishing and a million other things about being from the midwest. So I put up an ad on Craigslist and Ritchie’s wife, Anna, responded first with just a picture of him in an ice fishing tent. It could have been a close-up from the movie. Anna’s reply just said, “This is my husband, lol.” And with that, the whole movie just came to life.
There will be a screening of “February,” followed by a Q &A with Nathan Deming, at UW-Eau Claire on Monday, Dec. 9. Ticket information and other details are here.
