Gainesville ‘short’ gets BIG attention

John Black's story begins and ends with Indiana Jones. OK, specifically we're talking about the first act of John Black's story, but that's not the point. The point is it was the famous movie archeologist who led Black, known as J.B. to his friends, to pursue a career in film.

Indiana Jones was also the spark that led to a discussion with a famed producer, which inspired J.B.'s first short film. That film, "Lustig," is now on the festival circuit, playing at the Virginia Independent Film Festival in Richmond Saturday.

J.B. saw "Raiders of the Lost Ark" four or five times in the theater when it came out. He was 13. He knew from that moment he had to be part of the movie industry. He saw everything he could, falling in love with directors like Alfred Hitchcock and M. Night Shyamalan through the years.

"North by Northwest is my favorite film of all time," J.B., now 41, living in Gainesville, said.

He studied government at George Mason University but pursued film from the moment he graduated, working in sales to make money, then for the Screen Actors Guild.

Soon J.B. worked as a production assistant on NYU student films, often for $25 a day, learning as much as he could along the way in preparation for the ultimate goal of becoming a director.

J.B. cut his teeth as a feature film production accountant, working on movies such as "The Replacements," "Hannibal" and "Minority Report," where he ob-served some of the greatest actors, directors, producers and other big shots at work.

Once, he had to run an errand while on the set of "Minority Report," which was filmed at a hotel close to the White House. The cast and crew were on lunch break. J.B. went upstairs in a hotel and heard voices in a room. Thinking it was where he needed to be, he walked in—on Steven Spielberg, Tom Cruise and Bill Clinton.

"I almost said to them 'Which one doesn't belong? The leader of the free world, the best actor in the world, the best director in the world and me?'," J.B. said.

But J.B. found inspiration for "Lustig" while working on "Hannibal," while it was being filmed in Richmond.

He was in a meeting with his boss, Cheryl Stone and the movie's executive producer, Branko Lustig. They got to talking about movies and Stone mentioned she'd gotten a call about the new Indiana Jones (which comes out this May, although she is not involved).

J.B. perked up. He'd love to work on Indiana Jones. Stone said she'd keep him posted and the conversation turned to Lustig’s work and friendship with Spielberg. Lustig won an Oscar producing "Schindler's List" and knew the famed director. But that's not what caught J.B.'s attention. It was the numbers tattooed on Lustig's arm. Lustig, a Croatian Jew, survived Auschwitz before immigrating to America.

"Lustig" details the producer's life a year after Auschwitz. "Lustig," written and directed by J.B., clocks in at 16 minutes.

"This is a true story about him and his father," J.B. said.

"Lustig" was filmed in Richmond.

"Everyone that worked on my film work on [the HBO series] 'John Adams'," J.B. said. "I had pretty much the same crew that Tom Hanks had."

He also had a stellar cast, including Jeff

Wincott. Wincott, 51, has appeared on "24" and a slew of other television shows and films, including "Lake City" with Sissy Spacek. Wincott plays a German officer in "Lustig," a part he was reluctant to take.

"He's a very evil man, but I also think it's important to tell this story," Wincott, of Los Angeles, said. "J.B. is an incredible visualist and a wonderful director… for his first time out he does a great job, it's really an amazing showpiece."

The movie takes place a year after liberation. Branko and his mother are back in Croatia, having survived the horrors of the concentration camps. A stranger knocks on the door. The stranger, a friend of Branko's father in Auschwitz, had made a pact with Branko's father to let each other's family know what happened if the other survived.

"The most important thing here is the film is about courage," J.B. said.

Speaking of courage, J.B. made "Lustig" without Branko Lustig's knowledge or blessing.

"I was a little nervous making it," J.B. said. "You're telling somebody's story, their life and you want to make it the best you can make it."

After the film was finished, J.B. crossed his fingers and sent Lustig a copy.

Lustig left a message for J.B. on New Year's Eve. Lustig "loved it" and said to call "when you can." "He gave me a lot of kudos," J.B. said, including that it was "beautifully shot." Lustig told him he'd "shown it to all my friends." He offered two pointers—desaturate the flashback scene in Auschwitz (or change it to black and white) so it's not too "pretty" and make a cough, pivotal to the plot, louder. J.B did both.

Now J.B. is working on a script for a feature length film. He's not spilling any details, only that it's about the film festival scene. He's planning on having a reading in two weeks in Richmond, but he's not sure if he'll actually film it. He's also got an idea for another short—a coming-of-age piece set in his favorite era, the '50s. But, he may be jumping ahead. "Lustig" hasn't run its course on the festival circuit.

And, it certainly doesn't hurt that an Oscar-winning producer is showing it to his friends.

Staff writer Josh Eiserike can be reached at 703-878-8072 or .

WANT TO GO?

What's up: The Virginia Independent Film Festival

When: Saturday

Where: The Byrd Theatre, 28 West Cary St., Richmond

Tickets: $5 per series, $10 day pa

Info: film.virginia.org or 800-854-6233

J.B.'s movie: lustigthemovie.com