After years of dedication and hard work, the filmmakers behind Postales have finally seen their film come to fruition.
The film tells the story of a postcard-selling Peruvian child named Pablo and his attempt to gain an understanding of American culture by communicating with a 12-year-old American girl named Mary. The film has received broad distribution and has been incorporated into the filmography of Netflix, iTunes and Amazon.
“It’s been a 10-year journey to get Postales to audiences,” said Josh Hyde, writer and director of the film and a 2007 graduate of the Ohio University’s School of Film graduate program. “We’re excited to start distribution.”
Some independent films can rarely see the light of day past their lives at film festivals. The filmmakers for Postales agree its acceptance into major film distributors is a high honor.
“As a filmmaker, distribution is always a hope, never a guarantee,” said PJ Fishwick, one of the film’s producers. “It’s wonderful to find out the film you worked on more hours than anyone would believe will be shared and available to a wider audience. It also gives you a track record to help your next film become slightly easier to find a home.”
Hyde conceived the film initially as the short film Chicle. Released in 2004, the film went on to be included in more than 50 film festivals worldwide, including the Tribeca Film Festival and Berlin Film Festival.
After the short film was endorsed by the Korean Film Archive in 2006 for teaching children about cultural fusion and globalization, the gear went into motion to make Postales a feature film.
The film has been accepted at multiple film festivals since 2010, most recently at the Beloit International Film Festival and the New Jersey Film Festival. The film also will be at the Seattle Latino Film Festival in October.
“I am thrilled that Postales has been accepted to Netflix and Amazon,” said Nadia Alexander, who played Mary in the film. “It’s wonderful to know that the film will find a wider audience through these venues. Since not everyone can make it to a film festival or indie film circuit, this should offer the opportunity for people to finally be able to see this thoughtful film.”
The success of the film’s release into the general public’s viewing is thanks to the company Film Buff.
“All the producers of the film wanted, pushed for this, but none of us made this all happen,” Fishwick said. “The sales agent company, Film Buff, made the deals happen. Now we do have a connection for future projects, but it’s never a sure thing.”
Above all else, the film has taught both the cast and the crew more about filmmaking and the culture of Peru. This was the first time for many of them in their positions to work on a full-length film in their respective fields.
“Postales gave me the opportunity to hone the more minimalist style film requires,” Alexander said. “When I rewatch the film now, I still find myself critiquing my performance, but I also realize that the project really helped me mature and grow as a film actor.”
Hyde now lives in Colorado, where he continues to work as a freelance filmmaker. Fishwick is currently working on producing the web-series Teachers and also is working on pre-production for the film Dig Two Graves in Southern Illinois.
Alexander has gone on to appear on shows such as Boardwalk Empire, Law & Order and The Mob Doctor. She’ll soon be seen in the film Admission, starring Paul Rudd and Tina Fey.
wa054010@ohiou.edu
