“Whenever I find myself growing grim about the mouth whenever it is a damp, drizzly November in my soul whenever I find myself involuntarily pausing before coffin warehouses, and bringing up the rear of every funeral I meet…then, I account it high time to get to sea as soon as I can.” I’m also putting the finishing touches on an odd comedy I’m equally excited about.Originally posted Augon

Is that something you like in particular? What makes you go back to these themes?īen: I’m a rather nostalgic person so the theme of brief moments in time and the people consumed by them is something I’m always interested in exploring.īen: I’m currently editing a short documentary I co-directed in Haiti about a kid who works at a spiritually significant waterfall. Photomyne: Your films often talk about nostalgic moments or unseen/forgotten characters, like your film about the Catskills, or ‘The Back Road’. For Mark, I think the photos are even more meaningful. Photomyne: Having spent time with him and his old photos, did you also learn to love these random pieces of other people’s lives? What are these pictures for him? Are they more than just objects?īen: I have a collection of well over a hundred photos collected from Mark’s booth, each selected because I found them funny or touching. Not much was left on the cutting room floor. Every location we shot in was used in the film. But I’m glad we lucked into a visual style that connects to the film’s ideas. As a 20-year-old at the time still finding their creative footing, I don’t think I thought that far. Was that on purpose?īen: I wish this was our intention but to be honest, we filmed over a single weekend and didn’t have thematic goals in the framing. Photomyne: You decided to keep him pretty stationary in the film, most of the time he’s either in his storage space or in the flea market tent, it’s almost as if Mark himself is like an old family photo. I think he also enjoys connecting with these strangers at his booth, all facilitated by a shared appreciation of humanity in the photos. How do you explain that? What is his motivation to keep on doing it for so many years?īen: I’m not sure I can fully speak for the internal reasons of why he does it, but I know he enjoys seeing people’s reactions. Photomyne: In the film, it looks like the old photos are more than just a hobby for Mark. The photos are brief moments in the lives of complete strangers, yet we can connect to their humanity and see something in ourselves.

Photomyne: What is this film really about?īen: To me, the film is about connection. Mark Kologi looks through photos at his stand I was interested in the literal disposability of memories in these fragile photos but also Mark’s goal of preserving them. I was living there for the summer and spent hours each Sunday digging through his photos. Photomyne: How did you decide to do this film about Mark? Where did you hear about him first?īen: I first heard of Mark when I came across his booth at the Melrose Trading Post in Los Angeles. I try not to be overly careerist with my personal projects and just follow whatever interests me at the time. I make everything from documentaries to comedies. I grew creatively and learned about my own sensibility. For me, this was more valuable than film school. I wanted to make films in college but wasn’t yet comfortable with my writing skills so I started making documentaries about interesting people I knew. Photomyne: Can you tell me a bit about yourself - where you’re from, how you become a filmmaker, what kind of films you make, etc?īen: I’m originally from Phoenix, Arizona.

Photonium he man