Summary
The Badlands is a tough place to be in.
Despite her rebellious heart, Tabatha is wounded by the death of her husband.
A project that took five years to make,East of Wallcould not get any more personal for Beecroft.
Image by Photagonist
Living with Tabatha and her daughterPorshia Zimigafor three years, Beecroft got a first-hand account of Zimigas unique ranch.
Kate, would you mind telling everybody whatEast of Wallis about?
KATE BEECROFT:East of Wallis a docufiction film in the NEXT Program.
Image by Photagonist
It’s inspired by her life and her family’s life in the Badlands of South Dakota.
First, you mention that you were driving around the country filming at the time.
What were you filming?
Were you deliberately seeking something to turn into a feature?
BEECROFT: Absolutely not.
Me and my DP, [Austin Shelton], were just driving around.
Image by Photagonist
That’s exactly what I did.
They were so young, too.
Porshia was a tween at that point.
Image by Photagonist
I’m trying to think about my aha moment, but there really wasn’t one.
I’ll ask for the reverse now.
Porshia and Tabatha, someone comes your way and wants to make a movie about you.
Image via Sundance Institute
PORSHIA ZIMIGA: She came over to our house, like, five years ago.
I was 12, and she was super sweet.
She gained our trust, and she just became part of our lives.
Image via Sundance Institute
BEECROFT: Love you too, baby.
I feel safe with Kate, and that’s kind of a rare thing.
BEECROFT: Honestly, they’re already so naturally talented that it was a gift to work with them.
Image via Sundance Institute
you could feel it while you’re watching the movie.
Did this experience leave you with the itch to do more?
PORSHIA ZIMIGA: To me, yeah.
I wanna do more acting.
A lot more acting, honestly.
I think it’s really fun.
Do you have a favorite kind of movie?
PORSHIA ZIMIGA: Scary movies, for sure.
What is your favorite scary movie?
PORSHIA ZIMIGA: I like almost all of them.
Horror is my favorite genre and slasher is my favorite sub-genre.
You’re speaking my language right now!
PORSHIA ZIMIGA: AndScream.
Screamis my second favorite movie of all time!
BEECROFT: She’s also a huge, huge Mia Goth fan.
PORSHIA ZIMIGA: IloveMia Goth.
TABATHA ZIMIGA: I love horror movies, too.
I’ve always loved horror movies.
Anything like a powerful horse movie or the underdog rising to the top.
Those kinds of movies I really like, too.
Jennifer,you are often acting opposite iconic veterans.
There’s a freedom, and there’s an autonomy.
The script is amazing.
The world is amazing.
It’s not something that we get a glimpse into very often.
Can we do it again?
BEECROFT: Absolutely!East of Wall 2 - Roy’s Revenge.
How Does Filming a “Docudrama” Work?
“I basically am directing people how I wish I was directed.”
Can you walk us through a day in the life of a filmmaker directing a docudrama?
Is it a traditional script that you’re working with, or is it more of an outline?
BEECROFT: It was a traditional script.
Also, being a first-time director, I have to kind of appease, just so they feel secure.
Hopefully, the forces will point you in the right direction.
I also love actors.
I love these brilliant minds.
Let’s change it.
And so that’s really exciting for me.
I used to be an actor, and I basically am directing people how I wish I was directed.
Especially because I was young when I was acting.
I was in my early 20s; I was a teenager.
For example, like Porshia, and the things that the kids would come up with.
There are things that I would never come up with, and they’re brilliant.
You have more time with the directors.
Spit these lines out, and let’s go to the next take.
BEECROFT: Porshia is anincrediblebarrel racer and rider.
TABATHA ZIMIGA: Didn’t she mostly improvise most of her lines anyway?
Like, I’m gonna say it how I wanna say it.
And I loved it.
That’s so important.
We can’t have a false note.
I learned from them, and they’re directors, as well, in my mind.
What a fascinating way to put it.
BEECROFT: Yeah, it is a fine line.
I don’t understand what’s interesting about my life.
When Kate called me and said, Do you sing?
And I said, Well, does it have to be good?
She said, No.
And I said, Well then, yeah, I do.
It was very liberating to sing that.
It was really great.
BEECROFT: I don’t think I’ve smiled so much while filming something.
It was pure joy and freedom when you sang.
EHLE: And the refrain was, Goddamn, I’m free.
Can I just say kind of thing that Kate would do?
EHLE: And Kate said, I have this idea.
Can you all go in and just play in the mud?
And we’ll just film.
They blasted music, and we all went in there and had a mud fight.
PORSHIA ZIMIGA: I was lucky I was not in that.
Oh, I love that!
BEECROFT: It was one of my favorites.
EHLE: That’s one of my favorite bits in the film.
BEECROFT: Me too.
It’s just pure joy.
It’s all of you guys actually just being yourselves.
That one that one was really difficult.
My mom played some weird music for that.
TABATHA ZIMIGA: We needed to get into the moment, so I played theTitanictheme song for a minute.
Some of those are real tears.
TABATHA ZIMIGA: The fire scene.
Even the cameramen were crying with me.
They were pretty amazing people.
I was so incredibly impressed.
BEECROFT: I think my hardest scene to direct was that exact scene.
I was gonna ask her to do it again for a second time but with a crew.
But it was very intense.
BEECROFT: Getting into Sundance.
For my first feature to be directing Jennifer Ehle and Scoot McNairy.
This is wild that this movie was made.
TABATHA ZIMIGA: We’re sitting here.
TABATHA ZIMIGA: It means a lot.
Honestly, it’s hard to wrap my head around it.
It feels like a dream right now because this isn’t normal to us.
It’s pretty badass.
That’s what I think it is.
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