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Thursday, January 17, 2013

Road to Sundance 2013: Muscle Shoals, directed by Greg "Freddy" Camalier

Greg "Freddy" Camalier


Tell us about your film. What inspired you to make it?
Muscle Shoals is a documentary [part of the Sundance Documentary Premieres] about the unlikely breeding ground for some of America's most creative and defiant music. Under the spiritual influence of the Tennessee River, or the "Singing River" as Native Americans called it, the music of Muscle Shoals has helped create some of the most important and resonant songs of all time, including “Brown Sugar”, “Mustang Sally”, “I Never Loved A Man”, “Kodachrome” and so many others. The fact this incredible story had never been told compelled me to try and capture and share this transcendent tale with the world.

What do you love about your film?
I love the richness of the story, its depth and magnitude. I love the artists both famous and unknown, the stories and insights they share and the music that came out of there. That said, I truly believe this story will appeal to more than just those who love music.

How long did it take you to make your film?
It has been a 4 year labor of love.

How did you finance your film?
It was privately financed.

What was the most challenging part of the filmmaking process and how did you overcome it?
I would say one of the most challenging elements of the film was determining what aspects to focus on as there are so many wonderful tales, stories and characters, many of which we couldn’t fit in the film.

Tell us about your experience getting into Sundance.
We’d always spoken about possibly screening our film at Sundance and were so thrilled when we were told that we were accepted. We’re truly honored to be showing our film at the festival and to see what people think of it.

If you had to make the film all over again, would you do anything different?
I wouldn’t change anything; every day was a learning curve and we had to learn so much on the job. It was great to be challenged and be creative and to have a great team around us from our Director of Photography to our Line Producers.

What’s next for your film? Do you have distribution? If so, when and how can people see it and if not, what are your hopes for the film?
Sundance is the first time audiences will be able to see the film and we’re really excited to see what will happen from here.

Can you provide any advice to other filmmakers who dream of getting their films made and into Sundance?
I would suggest to simply not give up, and recognize that no matter how hard it gets, to keep going. If you believe in your film, then it’s worth it.

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