by Abe Duenas

A lot has taken place since launch night of this festival back in October.  Pre-production online meetings, storyboarding, scouting, casting, online meetings with a CGI animator in Brazil and countless other related tasks.  As I type this, I will have completed 95% of my principal photography.   I know my other fellow filmmakers are just as hard at work crafting their stories. I have heard from the underground com lines that we are all in for a treat come “Premiere Night.”  For me, this has been a truly satisfying experience not just because of completing a film, but mostly due to the experiences shared during this voyage.  There is Peter, who is my lead, an extremely gifted actor about whom some may say is in the twilight of his career, but has shown me that he is still in his prime.  

There is Fabiano and Renato out all the way in Brazil, who have worked tirelessly on creating a character who I thought would have to be played by a folkmani finger puppet.  The amount of hours they spent on just one shot dwarfs any other task I had to complete.  Working with them has really impressed me how hard artists will work on a labor of love if they believe in the story.  There is also Earl from Earl’s Tire here in Gaffney, who willingly allowed me to shoot at his location.  Sometimes as artists we feel that the community will not support our work because they don’t always support us with their checkbook.  But I appreciate his contribution more than if he would have given this film money. I still cannot believe how perfect the location was for this film.  I cannot forget people like Billy, who lent me his Gramophone, or  the wonderful ladies of downtown Cowpens antique shops who opened their arms to this film by lending us tons of props, and other passerby people who would give me a good lead on a hard-to-find prop.

Ian, an extremely talented photographer, also helped light my scenes with the always willing Joe and Beau. I can’t forget Jeanette helping out as AC and April– she is like the person in jail who gets you stuff you need. I had the support of Emily and Katherine for the film with their acting.  All of these experiences occurred because we simply wanted to tell a story. 

Donde Come Uno, Comen Dos, at it’s core, is a film about friendships. I am glad to have been able to come away with many of these because of this project. This will mark my most creatively ambitious film to date.  I hope the audience is entertained and I look forward to making new friends come Premiere Night.