Last night I had the chance to sit down with Justin Molotnikov, the director of “Crying with Laughter,” along with one of the producers, Claire Mundell. Both speaking with thick Scottish accents, they explained to me a little about the film, and how they received funding. The BBC Scotland was a financial supporter, and they explained that it’s a common misconception that movies can only receive funding from the province that they are shooting in. They also had supporters in London as well. The movie was filmed in different parts of Scotland, and the cast contained mostly Scottish actors. The main character, Joey Frisk (Stephen McCole) plays a stand up comedian, which mirrors his real life. In fact, the script was somewhat improvised by McCole at times Not only is their film competing, but they plan to take it to many other festivals.

Later, I met with Yasunobu Takahashi, director, writer, and producer of the Japanese film, “Locked Out.” Takahashi was extremely kind, and very apologetic about his broken English, however, I found it perfect. He explained how hard it is being your own boss, and balancing the work load of 3 positions. He spent many sleepless nights working on the film, but he believes it was all worth it, by the positive reaction he received in Japan. His movie is also in the competition.