Interview

James Sweeney is proof that inventive filmmaking must sometimes ignore what came before it. During his time at Chapman University, there was a moment when a professor tried to find a film all 200 students had already watched. “I hadn’t seen any of the films she was mentioning,” Sweeney admits. After slowly eliminating all the major Hollywood blockbusters of the last half-century, the professor assured her students everyone had seen her final suggestion: Star Wars. “Every other student raised their hand except me, and I’m like, oh my god!”