Why does this story need to be told now?
I’ve been scared of climate change for as long as I can remember — since I was a really little kid. Since I was told to turn off the faucet while brushing my teeth in elementary school. It never really let me imagine a future. In the news and in art climate change is this thing that’s presented as a choice: we either stop it or we fail. But it’s here. It’s here now and we need art that acknowledges that. [Art] that says, ‘OK, here’s this thing, what the hell do we do?’ And maybe the first thing we need to do is imagine a future, a future that is so hopeful and lovely, because how else can we possibly fight for it? I hope that comes through in this film.
Tell us an anecdote about casting or working with your actors.
This isn’t an anecdote really, but I just want to say that Josh O’Connor is as sweet a man as I’ve ever met and this shoot would have been so hard without such a kind and generous fella at the heart of it.
Your favorite part of making the film? Memories from the process?
I am so lucky. I live in the place I love and make art there with my friends. It’s the best life there could be. The crew was so lovely, and the cast was a really beautiful mix of local folks and pros. It’s cool to be this traveling circus together.
What was a big challenge you faced while making Rebuilding?
The wind, the rain, the sun, the clouds! I don’t know. Maybe it’s all idealized in my memory but it was a nice time. We had a bizarrely hard time finding the right pickup truck.
Who are your creative heroes?
John Prine, Alice Rohrwacher.
What was the last thing you saw that you wish you made?
Fallen Leaves by Aki Kaurismäki
What’s your favorite film that has come from the Sundance Institute or Festival?
Genghis Blues
Why is filmmaking important to you? Why is it important to the world?
Anything we can share is important. A specific room at a specific time. A bright wall in the dark.
Films are lasting artistic legacies, what do you want yours to say?
That home and family can both be constructed and reconstructed in infinite unusual ways, and that is a very reassuring thing.
