Photo AYHN ADAM AND GINA RING from ARE YOU HAPPY NOW 

Interview with Director: David Beinstein.

Q: Tell me about the inspiration for this film, where does it come from?

David: It’s really the story about a guy who is certain he is going to screw up his life. And he is holding on his girlfriend that he is loving more than anything. He is holding on her out of fear. I can relate to this idea, this concept . Once the script was together, I did a reading with a bunch of very talented actors. Some of them were in Broadway. And this helped getting the film made.

Q: How challenging was it to film “Are you happy now”, did you shoot at the peak of covid?

David: We were lucky enough to film just before the beginning of the big covid shutdown. Casting the movie wasn’t that simple. But a producer, Kate Geller, came on board and she helped greatly with the process. It was important for me to get the right cast. Kate liked some of the actors who had done the reading so we hired them. We were lucky also to get most of our locations in the yonkers, in New York, where I live. At one point we lost most of them and then we found new ones. In an independent movie you always face some obstacles but we overcame all of them…and here we are.

Q: What is truly the movie about for you?

David: I don’t want to shape anybody’s experience of this film. But let’s say that, for me, it’s about “intimacy”. Intimacy prevails when you see yourself for who you are. It’s a general idea within this movie. Certainly, it’s possible that after this pandemic, intimacy is something that people are craving. Also, the movie is quite funny, and I want to believe people need to smile during these serious times.

Q: Tell me about the process of releasing and promoting a movie during these, indeed, strange times, still “haunted” by the pandemic.

David: For sure, it’s certainly different. We had to put together a strong trailer in order for people to relate and understand our movie. More than ever, social medias are important. Therefore, we have a facebook page as well as an Instagram account. I don’t consider myself an older person but I’m glad I have a younger person handling the PR and the social medias. In any case, it’s important to get any outlet behind our movie, like yours, to help lift up the awareness about our work.

Q: Are you working already on something new? What’s coming next?

David: Actually, I have been working on another screenplay for a long time and it was supposed to be done before “Are you happy now”. It’s called “Wordless” and it’s a thriller. I hope our current movie will help us make “Wordless” come together. Let’s see what happens.