Luis: What is the theme of your film OFF THE GRID?

Jeremy and Randy: When we started making "Off the Grid"

we thought we were making a film about alternative living, but it's
turned out to be much more than that. We discovered
an underground community in the deserts of New Mexico,
living life on the fringes of American society. Many
members of the community are very attached to the
basic American ideals of freedom and democracy in a
very pure sense of those terms. So the theme of our
film has really evolved into what it means to be
American. We also found that a lot of the people who
had "dropped out" to live off the grid were
disillusioned veterans who had become sick, both
physically and psychologically, because of their
service to America. One of our subjects, Maine, is
actually battling cancer caused by Gulf War Syndrome.
So there's also a lot about death in the film. We
started making this film in the wake of our father's
death. So interestingly enough, a lot of issues about
death came out in the filmmaking process.


Luis: Please give us a background about the story?

Jeremy and Randy: Off the Grid: Life on the Mesa is

about a unique American subculture; a community of

radicals who live in the desert, struggling to survive with

little food, less water and no electricity, as they cling to their
unique vision of the American dream. Mesa residents
really live on the precipice of utopian ideals and
post-apocaocalyptic nightmares.


Luis: How relevant is your story to the situations we have
today?


Jeremy and Randy: We think that the film is extremely relevant. You can
always tell a lot about a culture by examining its
extremes, and America is no different. We hope that
the fact that so many of our subjects are such
patriotic Americans who have served our country during
wars like the Gulf War and Vietnam, and have suffered
the physical mental repercussions, is a prophetic
warning about what might happen if we escalate the
current war in Iraq.


Luis: Who do you think is the target audience for your film
and why?

Jeremy and Randy: Anyone who is politically aware will be fascinated and
intrigued by the film. So, hopefully that means
everyone in the US and the world! Seriously, though
we think that the film is interesting on a lot of
different levels -- from the sheer shock value of
seeing people live in such an extreme way, to having
basic emotional attachments and sympathy towards the
extraordinary struggles that some of our subjects have
to go through.



Luis: Where did you shoot your film?
Jeremy and Randy: In a remote desert in New Mexico.

Luis: How was your shoot like in that location
were you embraced by the community?

Jeremy and Randy: We were ultimately embraced by key members of the
community, but it took a while to establish trust.
Now, we've become close with the people who opened up
to us and we feel very humbled by their bravery.
Making Off the Grid has been one of the greatest
adventures ever. At various points during the
two-year filmmaking experience, we've driven off
cliffs, had our lives threatened, survived a car
breakdown during a snowstorm and in one insane
instance of "friendly fire", Randy almost shot Jeremy
with an automatic rifle.

Luis: Re: the upcoming Oscars:

Which among the films this year are your favorite
Oscar contenders?

Jeremy and Randy: We loved Babe and the Last King of Scotland. We both
tend to be drawn to really dark, emotionally wrenching
material with political undertones, so those really
fit the bill.


Luis: How about Oscar performances?

Jeremy and Randy: Obviously Jennifer Hudson in Dreamgirls! We get the
chills every time she sings "I'm Not Going". And
Forrest Whitaker in Last King of Scotland.
SCARY!

Luis: Oscar Best Pic?

Jeremy and Randy: Babel...but it probably won't win.


Luis: Which filmmakers influenced your style of filmmaking?

Jeremy and Randy: We watched Jennie Livingston's film "Paris Is Burning"
on our laptop while we were shooting. It was a great
inspiration. It's our favorite documentary of all
time. Also Mark Singer's Dark Days was an important
point of reference. Our documentary heroes are, of
course, The Maysles, Errol Morris, Maryann Deleo,
Barbara Kopple and Bennett Miller. Our favorite
fiction filmmakers are Mike Leigh, Woody Allen, Steven
Soderbergh, Faith Akin (Head On), Lars Von Trier and
Scorsese.


Luis: Any favorite actor/actress?

Jeremy and Randy: Johnny Depp, Julianne Moore, Cate Blanchet, Judy
Dench, David Thewlis, the late great Katrin Cartlidge.

Luis: What is your most favorite film of all time?

Jeremy and Randy: Paris Is Burning, Goodfellas,
Woody Allen's Radio Days.

Luis: What words of wisdom do you have for filmmakers who
would like to be in Slamdance Film Festival in the future?

Jeremy and Randy: Do what you fear. You'll get great material.

Websites:

www.stillpointpictures.com

---------------

SLAMDANCE FILM FESTIVAL 2007

Documentary Competition Features

Off the Grid: Life on the Mesa

World Premiere
USA, 2006
61 min / Color

Look out the window while you’re driving through the American Southwest. You’ll see the stark beauty of the landscape, but you won’t notice the underground community living miles in the distance. On “the Mesa”, there is no access to electricity, running water, or police. This post-modern Wild-West is a haven for Veterans suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and "Gulf War Syndrome." Teenage runaways are drawn here for the sense of anarchy.

director	Jeremy Stulberg, Randy Stulberg
producer	Jeremy Stulberg, Randy Stulberg, Eric Juhola
dp	Reed Morano, Ari Issler, Liz Rubin, Isabel Vega
editor	Jeremy Stulberg

Off the Grid: Life on the Mesa

Showtimes:

Fri, Jan 19 @ 4:30pm
Mon, Jan 22 @ 12:30pm

Playing with:

Fat Cake

Websites:

www.stillpointpictures.com