UPDATE (10/18/17): “Money” by Martín Rosete is now streaming on Netflix!
Martín Rosete came to the New York Film Academy in 2007 thanks to La Caixa Fellowship Program in Spain. “At that time I could not even dream everything what I was about to learn at NYFA and all the opportunities it would provide me in the professional world,” said Rosete.
After attending the Two Year Filmmaking Program, Rosete went on to direct the short film “Voice Over,” which won numerous awards at festivals all across the world.
From there, Rosete went on to direct the feature film, “Money,” which continues to gain buzz on the festival circuit. The movie stars Kellan Lutz (“Twilight saga,” “The Legend of Hercules”) and Jesse Williams (“Grey’s Anatomy,” “The Cabin in the Woods”).
On November 5th, the film will premiere in NYC at the Big Apple Film Festival, and on November 4th it will play in LA at the Egyptian Theater as part of the Arpa International Film Festival. Next year, the movie will be commercially distributed worldwide.
We had the opportunity to speak with the award-winning director and NYFA alumnus before his upcoming premieres in NYC and LA.
Congrats on all of your success! Can you tell us about your new film, “Money”?
“Money” is an elegant thriller that talks about human greed and how money (and the lack of it) can affect different individuals from different backgrounds. We tried to do it as universal and commercial as possible, and we are really happy with the final movie.
VOICE OVER (English subtitles) from Kamel Films on Vimeo.
How did this film come about?
After directing my short film, “Voice Over,” which won over 100 awards in film festivals and got a nomination for the Spanish Academy Award (Goya), I felt that I was ready to jump and direct my first feature film. I started to read a bunch of scripts that my agent (at WME at that time) sent me and, in the end, I found the script for “Money.” I felt it was perfect for my first feature. It was contained, commercial, fun, with great characters and dialogue. I fell in love with it.
I teamed up with Atit Shah, an American producer based in NY, and we decided to produce it together. It took us a little bit of time to put all the pieces in place, and I have to say that it is been an exciting and fun process, and we are already planning to repeat the team for our next film.
What was the most rewarding aspect of the production?
Probably the cast we got. It was amazing to have the opportunity to work with so many talented actors such as Jesse Williams, Kellan Lutz, Jess Weixler, Jamie Bamber and Lucia Guerrero. And besides the talent they have, I will be always thankful for the professionalism and commitment they showed on set. It was a dream to work with all of them.
How did your NYFA education prepare you to direct “Money”?
I am from Spain, and the time that I spent at NYFA helped me a lot in understanding the way things are in the industry, in the US; and the fact that we were literally shooting every week also helped in having the opportunity to try different things without any fear of failing. That is really important to be prepared for the real world after your studies are over, and I am really happy to have had that opportunity.
You’ve had tremendous success at the film festivals. Can you provide any advice to students about to enter their films into festivals?
Film Festivals are the main door to the professional world. Being in the big ones and winning awards gives you the visibility that you need to find the right producer, agent, or investor interested in your work. My work has been selected in more that 500 film festivals, winning over 200 awards. The only secret is to have something good to show out there and to have the energy to find the resources to distribute your work in order to get as much as possible out of it.
Is there anything you can tell us about distribution for “Money”?
The movie was completed in April 2016 and it is doing great in film festivals. About the commercial life of the movie, it has been sold to many territories and we are negotiating a deal with a studio right now. I would love to be more specific, but unfortunately I cannot reveal more yet. All I can tell you is that in 2017 “Money” will have worldwide distribution.
What kind of advice would you give to aspiring filmmakers and NYFA students looking to direct their first film?
Whatever you do, do it right. Even if you are doing a small practice with no budget. Try your best. Put all the energy and passion to get the best out of it. Sometimes the result won’t be great but you may get a good lesson that you can apply in the next shooting. I always joke with my crew, even on low budget sets, telling them that we have to face the shoot as if we were doing “Ben-Hur,” because that kind of commitment from everyone makes the difference. And besides all that, for me, it is very important to do things this way to show the respect for the profession and for the professionals involved.
Are you currently working on any other projects that you’d like to share?
Yes, as I said, Atit and I are working on a wonderful dark comedy called “Remember Me” written by Rafa Russo. The script was one of the top scripts of the year on The Black List, and it is one of the best scripts that I have read in my life. We are super excited because we know we have another winner on those pages. I cannot wait to start shooting!