The Bite Magazine - Spring/Summer 2021 - Issue 29

Giedre Jackyte interviews director Nino Aldi and co-producers Patricia Chica and Jake Hunter for the short movie TRIBES, which examines societal tribalism and unity through diversity. W hen your movie is part of an Academy Awards conversation, you know you have connected and awakened compassion within viewers through your cinematic storytelling. Nino Aldi’s live-action short film TRIBES (2020) has won numerous awards in the United States and is still making noise in Europe, months after its public release. The Oscar contender also won the Best Comedy Award at LA Shorts Film Festival and 1st Place at the Just For Laughs funniest short films global competition. It had its world premiere at the prestigious Santa Barbara International Film Festival, followed by Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival and the Cannes’ Film Festival American Pavil- ion Emerging Filmmaker Showcase. TRIBES , written by Andy Marlatt, is produced by Nino Aldi’s Flixseed Productions. The co-producers are Patricia Chica and Jeion Green, and actors DeStorm Power, Adam Waheed, and Jake Hunter, who play main characters Jemar, Amed and Kevin. The film is executive pro- duced by Will Meldman of Double Down Pictures and Jordan Taylor Wright of Taylor Cut Films. The film looks into cultural issues such as race, identity and socio-po- litical dilemmas through the prism of satire references. It uses storytelling and metaphors relevant to today’s society that resonate with people worldwide. Looking at it from the perspective of Sigmund Freud, who saw humour as thoughts that society usually suppress or forbade, this is an excellent creative avenue to spread the message of unity, inclu- sion and race. Andy Marlatt has worked in televi- sion, radio and print. He co-created and wrote the BBC television show Comic Side of 7 Days and authored Economy of Errors (Random House/ Broadway). After winning the 2018 Page International Screenwriting Awards Short Film category for TRIBES, he said, “I’ve always found it ironic that the more connected the world becomes, the more ways we find to put distance between ourselves.We align with this group but against that group. We identify with this subgroup, but not that one. With TRIBES, I wanted to take that dilemma to its rational and ridicu- lous conclusion. Hopefully, people will identify with it. Ironically, of course.” Set in a subway, TRIBES intro- duces us to three young men Jamar (African-American), Amed (Arab-American) and Kevin (white American), who attempt to rob a train. As the train pulls out of the station, Jamar pulls out a gun and shouts, “This is a robbery!” Kevin and Amed begin taking valuables from the cowering passengers. When Jamar refuses to seize valu- ables from two African-Americans, the other two question his motives, and he explains he doesn’t want to rob his people. This action sets off a series of argu- ments between the three men over self-identity. It leads the would-be bitefilmreview TRIBES Director’s Spotlight Bite Magazine Short Film Review TRIBES - Adam Waheed TRIBES - DeStorm Power TRIBES - Jake Hunter