{image1}Recently, someone asked what makes the Milwaukee International Film Festival unique; what distinguishes it from the myriad film festivals across the country. The answer lies in the local angle.

In addition to "Gettin' Grown," which screened on opening night of the festival, and other works by local filmmakers, this year's event offers the premiere of Tate Bunker's hard-fought full-length feature, "Yellow Light."

Making a film of any length is a difficult and expensive proposition. Imagine doing a 90-minute film by yourself and with basically no budget. That's what Bunker, who graduated from and now teaches in UWM's film department, did.

We caught up with Bunker to hit him with five questions about the magical realist "Yellow Light," which tells the story of a photographer who comes to the big city hoping to find work and finds a muse who helps him overcome his fears.

OMC: Tell us a little bit about how you made "Yellow Light."

TB: I had a complete script about a couple weeks before production began in the fall of 1998, and then tossed it in the trash. I basically started writing about a week before shooting and wrote as I filmed. This allowed me to do things available to me and not force ideas that were beyond my means. Realistically, I feel as if I jumped on a bull and rode it wherever it took me. I just held on for dear life. When the film was done I was very surprised where it ended up. I wanted to create as many as those wonderful accidents that no one can write.

OMC: How long did it take to write it, film it and edit it?

TB: I spent five-and-a-half years making the film, because I made the whole thing from producing, directing, shooting, writing, editing, sound; plus, after production ended, it sat on the shelf for nearly a year as I emotionally had to distance myself from the project in order to properly edit. After a couple of years of editing I got picture lock and then spent another year just on sound. People just don't understand how much work goes into a project.

OMC: There are lots of great shots of Milwaukee. Did you make it here for practical purposes, or was there something about the city that you wanted to capture?

TB: I made the movie in Milwaukee because the UW-Milwaukee film department was here. I came to Milwaukee for grad school, in what I believe, is the best fine art film department in the nation. This film was my thesis project, but I gave up on it as my thesis because it was too big. I knew I couldn't finish it in time to graduate, so in that year that it sat on the shelf I made around nine short films for my thesis. I finished school in 2001, but continue to teach there as an adjunct and stayed in Milwaukee because it has a wonderful film scene and community. I could of never made this film if it wasn't for the UWM film department. In particular, Cecilia Condit and Rob Yeo. Plus, Milwaukee is a beautiful city to film in.

OMC: There are a lot of great effected scenes, like the yellow-tinted dreamy sequences and the recreations of the old home movies. Was it a challenge to pull it all together on what I assume was a tight budget?

TB: Yes, it was an enormous challenge, and having next to no money makes everything way harder. I got through production with $28,000 in student loans, and then worked odd jobs for four years trying to finish it. So, much time was spent looking for investors and grants and nothing worked. I painted houses, did roofing jobs, worked 40 hours a week to finish the film. The print alone cost $5,000. I have no car, nothing, just a feature-length film. I will never take on a project of this size again if I don't have more money, it's just too painful.

OMC: I thought the music was exceptional. How did you assemble the music for the film?

TB: Great question, no one has asked me yet. The music is completely original and entirely made in Milwaukee, by Bicneva and Big Johns. One day, after a year of struggle and not finding the right sounds, I was in Jackpot, across from Fuel Cafe, and one of the owners, Bic, said, "Hey, Tate, you should listen to our new CD, it's all instrumental." After I listened to it and tossed it into my film everything worked, and I got more done in that week of editing than I did in a year. Once I got the music it all started to click. It was a major moment in the making of the film, and I am so grateful for what they did and allowing me to use it in the movie. I am just so lucky to have met them. Bicneva made the music, but the Big Johns produced it. I asked the Big Johns to watch the film and they made about five songs just for the film. They did a wonderful job.

"Yellow Light" screens at 7:15 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 28 at Landmark's Oriental Theatre. A 10 p.m. after-party takes place at Bucketworks, 1319 N. King Dr., and features DJs the Noble Brothers, music by Black Elephant and Paul Amitai, dance, film, performance and more.