The following interview with Elias Matar is courtesy of Denise Gossett and the Shriekfest Newsletter. Learn more here: Shriekfest
DG: What is your name and company URL?
EM: I am Elias Matar you can find me at Ashes The Movie or Lords of Chaos The Movie
DG: What is your specialty … filmmaking or screenwriting?
EM: I consider myself to be a Writer/Director/Producer.
DG: What are you currently working on?
EM: We finished Ashes this year and we are currently enjoying a great festival run and looking for distribution.
My next project in the pipeline is Lords Of Chaos, an action/horror hybrid about a Latino gang taking on a Lovercraftian monster beneath the city of Detroit.
DG: You won’t have any problem getting distribution on Ashes, just hold out for the right deal. Have you been a finalist or winner in any festivals or competitions?
EM: Ashes has been getting a great response from festival audiences. We won Best Horror Feature at Shriekfest this year and recently took the prize for Best Horror Screenplay at The International Horror and Sci-Fi Film Festival in Tempe, AZ.
DG: That’s great! Why do you think the horror/scifi genres have such a large following?
EM: The movies have always been about an escape from reality. No genre exemplifies this more than Horror and Sci-Fi. Especially in these tough times of social and economic uncertainty, people need a place to get away from the daily grind.
DG: What do you love most about this business?
EM: I love the process of making movies. I love everything about it, from concept, to writing the screenplay, casting, pre-production, shooting, editing, the whole thing. I feel at home in this world.
DG: What do you dislike most about this business?
EM: As Tom Petty says, the waiting is the hardest part.
DG: Good old Tom! I agree! Any advice you’d like to give to newbies?
EM: Don’t wait for someone else to give you the permission to make your movie. Get out there and make it yourself.
DG: Anything else you’d like to say?
EM: I’m just getting starting. As each project gains momentum, I’m already looking forward to the next step, the next movie, getting a little bigger each time. I really just want to stay behind the camera and stay mobile.
DG: Well, I look forward to seeing your future projects! It was great having you as a part of Shriekfest 2010 and congrats on your win of Best Horror Feature Film!
Here’s the trailer for Ashes:
