No Polish jokes

There seems to be a rise of talented sibling filmmakers inAmerica, particularly among brothers. Joel and Ethan Coen are twoof the most well-known in the rise in talented sibling filmmakersin the pack beginning with their debut feature Blood Simpleback in 1984. Today, they are joined by the likes of Andy and LarryWachowski (Bound, The Matrix Trilogy).

But there is another pair of brothers whose films are lesserknown among mainstream movie audiences. Twins Mark and MichaelPolish are two of the most talented independent filmmakers workingtoday.

The Polish brothers have developed a knack for making best useof their resources and surroundings with small budgets and veryshort shooting schedules. Twin Falls Idaho was shot in 15 days,Jackpot took 17, and Northfork was only 24.

“The budget for all three pictures probably didn’teven equate to the cost of the catering on the set ofTitanic,” Michael said. “Despite the tight shootingschedule, you know you’re out there making your movie, thefilm you envisioned, and best of all you don’t have someHollywood executive constantly bothering you.”

The brothers always manage to make their films look beautifuland expensive despite their low-budgets of $400,000 to $500,000.Every frame of Northfork is like a picture or apainting.

“We are truly independent,” Mark said. “Wedon’t have any money from any investors inside the Hollywoodstudio system.”

Northfork is the final installment of a trilogy aboutAmerica’s Heartland. For the interview, the brothers arrivedcasually and relaxed on a leather couch .

“We’ve been traveling in a trailer for 12 hourstoday,” Michael said. “We’re touring andpromoting this film for a total of six months.”

“It’s the biggest thing we’ve made sofar,” Mark said.

The brothers won acclaim with their first two films, TwinFalls Idaho and Jackpot. The films are connected by thefact that they are all named after Northwest towns and by themes ofidentity and loss. They work as co-writers and producers on all oftheir films. Mark usually acts and Michael directs.

Set in 1955, Northfork takes place among the Montanaplains. In two days, the town of Northfork will be flooded to makeway for a new hydroelectric project.

“We wanted to write a story about death and rebirth inAmerica,” Michael said.

Added Mark, “Dams disrupt the flow of nature and in thisera they disrupted the flow of the American Dream.”

A team of six trench-coated men, known as the EvacuationCommittee, has been assigned the task of removing the last fewstragglers from town before it is too late. Among the resoluteindividuals are a lustful young couple, a man who has built an ark(complete with two of everything including a pair of wives) and adying orphan whose hallucinating visions have led him to believehe’s the lost member of a group of angels.

The ensemble cast includes Peter Coyote, Anthony Edwards, ClaireForlani, Daryl Hannah, Kyle MacLachlan, Nick Nolte and James Woods— all of whom took a salary cut but acted in the film becausethey were drawn to the material.

Both Mark and Michael agree that putting a script together canbe difficult.

“Instead of writing ‘together,’ we pass offdifferent drafts of the script to each other to work on,”Mark said. “I’ll usually focus more on the characteraspect of the story.”

“And I’m drawn to more of the visuals,”Michael inserted.

The brothers have been asked to sign deals with major studiosbut have turned down offers because of the material.

“For me, I have to be drawn to the story to devote thatamount of my time to making it,” Michael said.

A preview of S.W.A.T. started to show on the televisionscreen in the room. Could they could ever see themselves making amovie like this one?

“Sure, if they paid me a hundred million dollars,”Mark quickly said.

What’s next for them?

“We’ve signed with Warner Brothers to make a sciencefiction film,” Michael said. “But it’s based onone of our own scripts.”

They said the sci-fi film would be more like”…something along the lines of Gattaca and theepic scope of 2001,” said Mark.

“But we’re excited. We’re working with abudget of around $70 million,” Michael said.

They’ve come quite a long way from their small independentfeatures that were financed through loans from friends, maxed-outcredit cards and actors who deferred their paychecks.

“We’re now getting to make our own movies in thestudio system,” Michael said. “Now that’s adream.”

Northfork is currently playing at The Magnolia in theWest Village. It opens Friday in Fort Worth. �