“GLITTER AIN’T GOLD is about a sixth grader named Jibril, who takes a trip to the local flea market with his best friend Tawanda. Their goal is to buy a fake chain in order to impress Jibril’s crush.” Director Christian Nolan Jones on GLITTER AIN’T GOLD which screens at SxSW 2022.
Welcome to SxSW and congratulations! Is this your first SxSW experience?
This actually is my third time at SxSW. I’ve attended the music side of the festival twice documenting music acts. Actually one of them is featured in Glitter Ain’t Gold, called WARA.
How did you first hear about SxSW and wishing to send your project into the festival?
This is my third time submitting to the film festival. We actually missed the deadline by a day and had to request a waiver. Thankfully the festival was very helpful and understanding of our reason. I’m grateful to be apart of it and can’t wait for new folk to really get a chance to see the film.
Tell me about the idea behind your project and getting it made!
GLITTER AIN’T GOLD is based on a situation in my life. I transferred to a new school in fourth grade and decided a fake chain would help me fit in. I enlisted the help of Common & Stardust Kids to get it made and I also got to work with a lot of previous collaborators.
Who are some of your creative inspirations? Any particular filmmaking talent or movie that inspired you for this project?
My favorite filmmakers are Barry Jenkins, Terrence Malick, and John Singleton. I think you can see a little of each of them in my work.
How did you put this together from a technical viewpoint? What sort of cameras/lenses did you use and/or did you have any creative challenges in making it?
The most challenging part of this film was our time constraints. We had about a month to plan. A weekend to shoot. And a month to put together a good work in progress cut.
What would you suggest to film festivals as a way to show more short films or make them more accessible to audiences across the country?
I would maybe suggest making the shorts programming more accessible via online. This means selecting more films for online and also lowering the price point for shorts as well.
If you had one piece of advice to offer someone to get their start as a creator or filmmaker in the industry, what would you suggest?
Just do it. Don’t wait for anyone. Make the films you want because it’s your career and nobody else’s.
And finally, what is your favourite short film of all time?
MAGIC MARKERS by Geoffrey Fletcher; it’s only available at the NYU Digital Library, though. Also, I love FIVE DEEP BREATHS by Seith Mann. I try to watch both films when I’m in the ideation phase.
This film and many others like it will be showing at South By Southwest taking place March 11-20. For more information point your browser to www.sxsw.com!