To call Anthony Diaz V, brave would perhaps be the biggest understatement to describe this young filmmaker’s attitude. Not only does he write, produce, direct and star in his ambitious movie “Break,” Diaz is also submitting the movie to the Sundance Film Festival, the top film festival in the world.
Taking after his biggest film influences Mel Gibson and Ben Affleck, Anthony also writes, directs, and acts in the projects he produces under Kaizen Studios. With the rise of cinematic rebels in Hollywood, Europe, and Asia who are redefining the rules of making movies and tackling subjects that very few would touch, Anthony is a talent to watch for.
We got to sit down with this new generation film-maker as he shares his story before the Philippine premiere of Break at the Rockwell Power Plant Mall.
1. What attracted you to film making?
When I was a kid, my family had movie night every Friday. After every film I would ask my parents…”what motivated the characters actions?” At age 8 my dad let me watch The
Godfather, Taxi Driver, Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, El Mariachi, The Shawshank Redemption etc. Films that many kids my age at the time wouldn’t be interested in. Also, for as long as I can remember, I along with my brother and sisters would always re-enact movie scenes and quoted movie lines everywhere we went.2. Who inspired you to make movies?
I always wanted to be an actor first and was in school plays since I was 5 years old, in
Kindergarten. I thought that actors were the extent of the “movies.” Not realizing till later on that there was a whole process behind what we see on screen. So when I became aware of the process, thats when I asked my dad for a camera and he gave me a cheap China made digital 4MB SD card palm camera.
3. What film genres do you enjoy watching?
I am not prejudice to any particular genre. I love all types of stories, especially the classics.4. Who are your film inspirations (directors, actors, writers)?
There are a few, but the first major influence was Robert Rodriguez. The movement he created in the Indie movie scene was amazing at that time. He proved that it wasn’t impossible to make a movie if you had the desire and creativity and quite frankly the ignorance of not knowing it can’t be done. My recent favorite is Ben Affleck because he writes, directs and acts in the projects he produces.
5. What is the story behind Break?
“BREAK” was actually inspired from a short film I made when I was 17 years old called “Lunch Break” which I shot with my high school friends in Vegas. The premise of the story is similar, but I expanded the universe and characters against the backdrop of Japan.6. How long did it take to finish the script of Break?
Maybe about 2 months, on and off. Writing the draft of the script didn’t take long. What really took time was dialing it in with the details.7. How was much of it is based on personal experiences and how much on research?
The only personal experience I can relate this to is that “BREAK” is a spin on my original short “Lunch Break.” The characters in the short were actually based on each of my friends personalities who acted in the film. So I took those character traits and gave it to the Japanese actors playing the roles. Needless to say it was tough because they were never challenged in roles like this, especially having to learn English on top of that.8. What makes Break unique? This film is really unique as it blends American storytelling with Japanese cinema infused with hip-hop. Its the first time to my knowledge that a film has simultaneous English and Japanese language throughout the movie with supporting subtitles. But most importantly, the overall theme is of a foreigner trying desperately to fit in. It is what most of us have experienced in some form or another.
9. Why Sundance of the many film festivals in the world?
Sundance is the most prestigious film festival in the world in regards to your film getting global recognition. Also most film buyers and distributors attend Sundance more than any other film festival in the world. So if you are accepted into Sundance, its the closest to you hitting a home run.
I need a book to write this. Honestly the biggest challenge was the language barrier, where things could get lost in translation. It took 6 months in language and intonation prep before we started to role cameras. Also trying to give my guidance as a director to the actors through a translator, sometimes made me want to pull my hair out. It was physically and emotionally exhausting at times. But I would never trade the experience for anything.11. Have you been to the Philippines before? If yes, what are your fondest memories and observations about the culture, the country, its people?
My first time to the Philippines was in 2011 and the second time was March of this year and I have been back twice since. I am actually half Filipino from my mothers side. My Grandmother on my Mothers side is from Cebu and my Grandfather is from Mindanao. My Mother and her siblings were all born and raised in California so none of them have any Filipino in their upbringing as they were raised American. Eating American food and living the full American culture. The only time I got a glimpse of the Filipino side of me was when I spent time with my Grandmother and Grandfather.My fondest memory was when I went to the Philippines for the first time and visited my
Grandmothers hometown in Cebu. I met a whole bunch of family that I didn’t know I had and I learned to really appreciate the Filipino culture through sharing with my new found relatives.12. What is your favorite food, place in the world, book, film, author, director?
– FAVORITE FOOD: Anything with chocolate.
– FAVORITE PLACE IN THE WORLD: Inside my own head.
– FAVORITE BOOK: Excuse me, Your Life is Waiting
– FAVORITE AUTHOR: Lynn Grabhorn
– FAVORITE FILM: The most impactful film recently was “5 People You Meet In Heaven”
– FAVORITE DIRECTOR: As of right now, Mel Gibson and Ben Affleck.
At 20, Anthony has graduated with high honors from the University of Las Vegas Film School (UNLV) with a degree in Film, making him the youngest alumnus with such a distinction. After a couple more short features, one of which dramatizes the effects of the war in Afghanistan to a US military family, Anthony knew he was ready for a full-length film.
He chose to do “Break” which was inspired by “Lunch Break,” a short Anthony made when he was 17 years old. “The characters in the short were actually based on each of my friends’ personalities who acted in my film. I took those character traits and gave it to the Japanese actors playing the roles.” He also transferred the setting to Japan, a country that has always fascinated him. “When I was younger, I used to travel with my father a lot, Japan in particular,” shares Anthony. “I always remember falling in love with the lifestyle and the culture because it was all new and fresh to me. As I got older and fell in love with cinema, naturally you want to move into making a feature film.”
Japan was his obvious choice of a locale. Portraying the Japanese ghetto scene, Anthony proceeded to blend American storytelling with Japanese cinema and infuse it with the elements of hip-hop. He changed some dialogue from English to Japanese, hired Japanese actors and thought that he was good to go. The actual filming proved otherwise. “It was not easy. I had a Japanese translator on the set and having to communicate through him with the actors was really tough. It cuts into a lot of production time.”
Guerilla shoots are also not allowed in Japan. “We have to lock down a location one day ahead of time. On top of that, you only get a certain number of hours to shoot in that location. If it rains, you’ve no choice but to apply for another permit (to shoot).”
But Anthony persevered through it all even when what was supposed to be a three-week shoot stretched on. Because that is, after all, the essence of making movies. From its inception, cinema is meant to beguile. It weaves magic no matter the apparatus with which you create it. Advances in technology have taken over but a great film at its very core does what it is supposed to do — take audiences to a rollercoaster ride, surprise them, baffle them in the same manner that the creator, the filmmaker experiences the same vicarious journey, that of continuously being surprised and falling deeper into loving the art of making movies.
The story of a Japanese-American youth named Johnny, confused and rebelling against circumstance and the norms, “Break” is more than worth a peek. It is thrilling and yet dramatic, intense and introspective in turns. “Acting and directing at the same time, it’s a natural process for me. Being in front of the camera and being behind it is all a natural process for me,” says Anthony Diaz V, cinema craftsman at heart.
He is out to conquer, leave a mark, and pave the way upon which next generation Anthony Diazes 15 to 20 years from now will tread. “If there is one lesson I learned and have proven to myself, it’s ‘If you’re gonna dream, dream big because it’s free.’ It’s amazing how when dreams are put into action, life opens up the possibilities.”
“Break” also stars Namihiko Oomura, Kaede Ishizuka, Tohru Watanabe, Japanese rapper Ish-One and American rapper Crazy T. Diaz’s film was received warmly, with a jam packed crowd composed of fans and friends in the Philippine entertainment industry, who all watched the private screening t the Power Plant Mall’s Cinema 3 held last November 19, 2016.
