Indep Arts & Film Festival | Interview with Ya'Ke Smith

KLRN is proud to support the upcoming Indep Arts & Film Festival taking place June 11-14, 2015. The Indep Arts & Film Festival “is committed to supporting artists and filmmakers in their abilities to create, inspire and share within our community. By providing a space to celebrate the artists’ talents, we will strive to enhance our community’s public awareness and appreciation of all arts.”

Filmmaker and film professor at the University of Texas at Arlington Ya’Ke Smith will participate in Indep’s Film Festival on Thursday, June 11 from 6-10PM at Santikos Rialto. Smith has received worldwide acclaim for his films which have screened at over 80 film festivals. NPR called his debut feature, WOLF, “an impressive piece by a young director,” and his most recent short, dawn., premiered on HBO in February 2015.   

The following is a short Q & A with Smith:

Describe your life as a movie genre.

I'd have to say dramatic comedy, because I experienced some pretty dramatic things as a youngster, but my family and I laughed so much that we created magic out of madness. Still to this day, I'm more prone to dramatic film making and delving into the sometime tumultuous terrain of the human psyche, but I'm a jokester and can find the humor in everything. 

What’s your favorite movie?

CITY OF GOD – The mix of lush cinematography and downright gritty cinematography was groundbreaking for me. Also, the way it depicts cycles of violence and how those cycles are handed down from one generation to the next is quite extraordinary. 

Who’s your favorite filmmaker?

My top three: John Cassavetes for the rawness and realism in which he tells a story; Spike Lee for his unapologetic and bold voice, and for the difficult subjects he tackles; and Alejandro González Iñárritu for telling the stories of the forgotten, the marginalized and the invisible. 

Who would be your dream collaborator?

I'd love to have the opportunity to direct Viola Davis in a story about Stephanie St. Clair or Jurnee Smollett in a film about Marie Laveau. 

What film(s) of yours will be screening during Indep Film Festival?

My latest short, ONE HITTA QUITTA, which tells the story of a young boy who has a severe addiction to watching internet violence, will be screening during the festival. The film has been making the film festival rounds and won a Special Jury Prize for Best Short Film at the Dallas International Film Festival and will be screening in Los Angeles at the Texas Filmmaker's Showcase in a few weeks. The film was shot using only iPhones. I will also be giving out the second annual Ya'Ke Smith Youth Filmmaker Award to a deserving high school student from a Bexar County school.  

What are you currently working on?

I am currently writing my next screenplay, HIJABI JIHAD, which I plan to shoot next summer. 

To follow what Ya’Ke is up to, find him on Facebook and on his website.