Boxoffice - October 2016

SHOWEAST
AWARDS
BINGHAM RAY SPIRIT AWARD
Logan Lerman stars in James Schamus's acclaimed
adaptation of the Philip Roth novel Indignation
James Schamus and director
Ang Lee on the set of 2009's
Taking Woodstock
JAMES
SCHAMUS
Filmmaker
You and Bingham
Ray are two people
synonymous with
the independent
film industry in this
generation. What do
you remember about
Bingham Ray as you prepare to receive this
award at ShowEast?
Bingham was definitely a role model for me. I
remember having lunch with him and going over the
business, and he had so many great ways of looking
at how our business worked and so much passion,
and he told me he was methodically making his way
through the entire oeuvre of John Ford. The rest of
that meal we spent talking about John Ford. That
to me is a sign of a person who is in this business
because they know and love movies, as opposed to
being in this business for any other reason. It makes
a big difference.
Is there a particular film you two worked on
that stands out as a favorite? Or one that was
tougher to release?
I can’t answer a question that asks me which I’m
the most proud of; it’s like asking a parent to pick
a favorite child. The toughest film I can remember
working on was a movie called Happiness from Todd
Solondz. When we completed the movie, the powers
that be at that point decided the film was a moral and
ethical liability.
That can happen with Todd Solondz movies
sometimes, can’t it?
Yeah, so we had to negotiate to get the film back.
That was a real tough time for Bingham, because everything
he stood for was being insulted. At the same
time, he had to be supportive of the filmmaker—and
he was. He always was. For Bingham, the filmmaker
always came first.
You’re a longtime screenwriter and producer,
and you recently directed your first feature,
Indignation, which was released earlier this
year. How long had you been wanting to direct?
It wasn’t as if I had a life-long urge to find myself in
a director’s chair. It was an opportunity inspired by being
unemployed, having grown children who had left
the house, and a great script in my hands that a few of
my favorite directors were too busy to consider directing.
At that point, it worked out as a great chance to
try something new. It was an absolute pleasure from
beginning to end. We just had a blast doing it, and it’s
been great seeing it go through its cycle of release in
the United States. I have no complaints.
(continued on page 50)
48 BoxOffice ® OCTOBER 2016