My TFPF Story – Greg Pak & MOUSE

Since 1996, the Austin Film Society has given over $1 million to Texas filmmakers. Many of the 272 projects that have been funded have gone on to screen at festivals like Sundance, Toronto, Cannes, SXSW and the Los Angeles Film Festival, among many others. Some have been distributed through IFC Films, Palm Pictures, Maya Pictures and other funded filmmakers have taken their small grants and parlayed them into larger grants from the likes of Sundance Documentary Fund, Fulbright, Creative Capital and Rockefeller. Their success keeps Texas at the forefront of creative media production and highlights Texas as a great spot to make movies.

But we can’t do it without your help! Below you will find an email interview with Greg Pak, a TFPF recipient in 1997. If you can donate $25 or more, you will receive an invitation to the 2010 recipients party on Monday, August 30 at the Mohawk. More information on the Texas Filmmakers’ Production Fund >>

AFS: What is your name, the title of your project, the year and amount of your grant?

GP: Greg Pak, Mouse, 1997, $2,010.08.

What is the movie or project about?

A young man tries to avoid a conversation about pregnancy with his girlfriend by chasing a mouse around his apartment.

What did you use your grant money for? How did the grant help forward your project along?

The grant money paid for the post production of the film — including negative cutting and making 16mm prints and video masters.  This was back in the day when making a scrappy little short actually required film and cost thousands rather than hundreds of dollars, so the help was critical and hugely appreciated.

Are there any memorable moments in receiving the grant?

This was one of the first grants I’d ever applied for, so I was incredibly meticulous in the budget I submitted.  I met John Pierson, who was one of the judges, a few years later, and he laughed, remembering that the amount I’d requested was calculated to the penny.

What festivals did your film screen at?

The film screened all over the world in two dozen festivals, including South By Southwest, the Florida Film Festival, the Singapore International Film Festival, and Asian American film festivals in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, DC, and San Diego.

The film also screened on Japanese satellite television and a half dozen American public television stations, including WNET, KTEH, and WTTW.

It’s available as an extra on the “Robot Stories” DVD sold by Kino: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0006Z2NMW

And I recently uploaded it to YouTube, where you can watch it at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEw0EEmnNbE

Did your film win any awards?

The film won a Screenwriting Award from the NYU First Run Film Festival, the Best Narrative Short award from the San Diego Asian Film Festival, and an audience award from Film Fest New Haven.

What are other sources for funding of your work?

I’ve been fortunate enough to get grants from a number of funders over the years, including the Jerome Foundation, NYSCA, and, most recently, ITVS, which funded my new short film “Mister Green.”  The TFPF holds a very special place in my heart, though, since the funding it provided for “Mouse” was the first grant I ever received and meant a huge amount to me both financially and professionally at such an early stage in my career.

Since receiving the grant, how has it affected your career as a working artist?

“Mouse” was a key moment in my career — it was the first film that I’d directed that really broke through to a large number of film festivals and television venues.  It opened a number of doors for me, helping me meet people, festivals, and organizations that would end up being key partners in helping me get my feature film “Robot Stories” out into the world a few years later.

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