DGA Monthly

N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 6 I 2 5 A fading actress attempts a comeback in Director Chris Rock's comedic-drama, Misty Green. Rock's film follows a talented award-winning actress whose career has stalled. In a fight for her second act years after her Hollywood breakthrough, she revisits her past and plans to make a comeback while reconnecting with her former talent agent and others. Following the DGA membership screening in New York, Rock discussed the making of the film during a Q&A moderated by Director Spike Lee where he spoke about his directing process on the feature. "When you have no money (to shoot a film), you can almost never look at the monitor. You peek at the monitor, and you trust your DP. Honestly, when you are directing something at that price point, it's all about your ear — and you are trying to find a rhythm. It's not that you are watching the playback, you are listening to the playback. You are basically a good Director if you were just there to capture the truth." Chris Rock discusses Misty Green photo by Marcie Revens Photo: Chris Rock (right) and Spike Lee (moderator) discussed Misty Green following the New York DGA screening on September 26. Membership Screenings Q&As listed in alphabetical order by Director. See more detailed descriptions, additional photos & podcasts online at www.dga.org. DGA Screenings Q&As Director Don Scardino's drama, A Break in the Rain, tells the story of a widower who has been on the road ever since his wife died of cancer. Ten years later, after his son dies of the same disease, he returns home to help support his daughter-in- law and meets Nashville singer who ultimately changes his life during a two-week musical road trip. Scardino discussed the making of the film during a Q&A moderated by DGA National Vice President Laura Belsey, and revealed that he was able to make the film by utilizing one of the DGA's Low Budget Agreements. "Well thanks to the DGA, they made a special kind of tier for us for us to do it. It's that low, low, low tier. And we just insisted on paying the actors SAG-AFTRA scale and I gave them all points in the movie if it ever makes any money back. You know how hard that is. But we just managed to make it that way. What I will say is all of the unions are open to cutting deals and making it work so they can spur film making activity in New York state — it was all made in and around New Paultz. It's another reason we could make it for the money we made it for." Don Scardino discusses A Break in the Rain photo by Marcie Revens Photo: Don Scardino (right) and National Vice President Laura Belsey (moderator) discussed A Break in the Rain following the New York screening on September 26. Director Bassam Tariq's action thriller, Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother, tells the story of a contract killer who strictly follows his Islamic faith. When his wife suddenly dies, he is left to raise a teenage daughter, a preteen son, and an infant daughter who refuses to drink formula, setting him on a desperate journey to find frozen breast milk while protecting his children and confronting forces closing in. During a conversation moderated by Director Walter Thompson-Hernandez, Tariq revealed how observation is integral to his directorial process. "I started off in documentary and what I loved about documentaries is it requires you to surrender and to learn and listen to the frame. You have to be patient because the world's unfolding in front of you. Of course there is an element of you intervening in the frame, but how much you intervene is something that you're always negotiating with. Whereas in fiction you say 'Action!' and then the film begins. And then you are intervening at every moment. But how do you create an environment where your characters are leading it? The way I saw it was like I'm an air traffic controller and I got everyone flying. I've got you all up in the sky. Y'all are flying now and I'm just going to help you guys land." Bassam Tariq discusses Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother photo by Shane Karns Photo: Bassam Tariq (right) and Walter Thompson-Hernandez (moderator) discussed Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother following the LA screening on October 10.

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