Evgeny Afineevsky, writer and director of the movie Oy Vey! My Son Is Gay! is closing out the Reeling Film Festival with an appearance in Chicago Sunday, Nov. 15. Windy City Times spoke to the director about his film.
Windy City Times: Is this your first time in Chicago?
Evgeny Afineevsky: Yes—my first time and I am very excited.
WCT: Are you traveling all over to promote the film?
EVGENY AFINEEVSKY: Yes, I have been traveling a lot, for example this week I am traveling back to Montreal where the movie is already a big success, all four screeners were sold out. After that I am heading to Seattle where there is a huge political event. The film was created in Washington so that is like our home base. The mayor and the governor are coming and are involved in Proposition 71 [ which ultimately seeks to prevent the state's domestic-partnership bill from going into effect ] . It is something like Prop 8. Next week I will be in New York for the AIDS Foundation for an event. So you see it's a lot.
WCT: Oy, vey! I am exhausted just thinking about it! You are originally from Russia, correct?
EVGENY AFINEEVSKY: Yes—born in Russia, raised in Israel [ and ] then came to the United States...
WCT: How did you decide that you wanted to be a director?
EVGENY AFINEEVSKY: You know, it's funny. I always acted and produced. When I was in Israel, I directed for the stage. When I came to America, I had such an accent that I could not act. I speak three languages but can't act here. I was producing movies instead. When I was developing Oy Vey I saw that the people we hired were not working out so I did it myself. Then I decided to direct it as well.
WCT: Did you rewrite the script?
EVGENY AFINEEVSKY: It was by another writer in the first place but when I got a hold of it, I recreated the entire script. I made it into a comedy of errors and situations. With my vision it is an old fashioned comedy with a new twist. In our days we still have these kinds of people but I am trying to bring the message to a new generation. We still have problems like Proposition 8 and equality because of the older generation. The message I wanted to convey in the script is that this is about love. I try to tell it in the simple language of jokes. It is more powerful than all this fighting and demonstrations. When are you are not pushing people will hopefully accept such a thing.
WCT: How did you find such a great cast?
EVGENY AFINEEVSKY: Lainie Kazan I met almost five years ago, and the same with Bruce Vilanch. I was trying to find actors who are not doing it for a paycheck but people that supported the subject and liked the material. It took a long time to bring everyone on board. Jai Rodriguez and Carmen Electra were signed in 2006. People were committed for a long time before they came on board.
WCT: I loved the part with parents trying to be a part of their gay son's world.
EVGENY AFINEEVSKY: They were at the same time trying to investigate this. From the beginning the investigation came from the mother's side and after she accepts her son then the father starts to do it. So many funny things happen to them on the way.
WCT: Some people say this movie is full of stereotypes.
EVGENY AFINEEVSKY: I do not agree because you cannot predict what is happening next with this movie.
WCT: Well, stereotypes are based on real people sometimes.
EVGENY AFINEEVSKY: Correct! People hate stereotypes sometimes because they see themselves. But it is true and it is our life. We have to accept that some stereotypes exist and just to laugh at this. For the Jewish people in my movie it is drama but it is fun to watch and entertains. With our premiere in Montreal we had every type of ethnicity, even Arabs from Lebanon. They said the most interesting thing that it applies our culture too. Many people are still living in a box fighting with their cultures.
WCT: What are you trying to accomplish with this film?
EVGENY AFINEEVSKY: My main message is to bring this movie to the big screens. We have had several offers from different companies but our main goal is to bring it to many theatrical showings. We saw in Montreal that this is a mainstream movie. People enjoyed it with their kids and it was a beauty to see. These were 800-seat cinemas that were sold out.
WCT: Congratulations! People should get their tickets before it sells out in Chicago!
Oy Vey! plays Sunday, Nov. 15, at 7:30 p.m. at the Music Box Theatre, 3733 N. Southport. Join Evgeny for the after-party at Architectural Artifacts, 4325 N. Ravenswood, and visit www.reelingfilmfestival.org for more details.
