ATLFF Filmmaker Julian Higgins Aces the Mix-and-Match Questionnaire

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Complete this sentence: "If you liked _________ or _________, you'll love my film."

 If you liked "No Country for Old Men" or "Winter's Bone," you'll like my film.

Is your film for cat people or dog people? Why?

 Cat people, because it's moody, quiet, and intense.

What's the most challenging part of making a film for you? Do you enjoy the challenge or is it something to be avoided?

Writing the script is the most challenging and the most important part of making a film. It's a tough process which I liken to hammering a piece of wrought iron into a razor-sharp blade. And to extend the metaphor: without first going through that long, difficult and painstaking process, the rest of production will be like trying to chop down a tree with a blunt axe. You can't save a bad script, but with a good script, the sky's the limit.

Of the filmmakers working today, whose talent do you want to steal?

Bennett Miller's work is a perennial source of inspiration for me. 

Name three films you consider unappreciated and explain their hidden genius.

INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS (The Coen Brothers, 2013) – With humor, pathos, and grace, this gem of an under-appreciated film perfectly captures the cycles of hope and despair that make up the life of an artist.

SINCE OTAR LEFT (Julie Bertucelli, 2003) – A simple story about two sisters caring for their elderly mother... and yet, this film will make you feel EVERYTHING. What a gentle, closely-observed, deeply-felt, and impactful film.

DOGTOOTH (Yorgos Lanthimos, 2009) – It's impossible to describe this movie. Attempting to do so would be foolhardy. Suffice it to say, this kind of tonal, structural, and formal wackiness is only possible in cinema. Hilarious, terrifying, daring, gorgeous, disturbing – this one's a must-see.

What are your three favorite ways to eat potatoes?

 1) Fork 
2) Chopsticks
3) Mechanical claw

Julian's film, "Winter Light," screens with "Holbrook/Twain: An American Odyssey" to a SOLD OUT Serenbe audience tonight at 8pm. But there are still tickets available to the Encore presentation on Sunday, March 29th at 4:00pm at The Plaza Theatre!