Beefies Film Spotlight

Today’s film spotlight focuses on the short film Beefies directed by Adam Lebovitz-Lockard.

What is the title of your film and what inspired said title?

The title of this short film is Beefies. When I was a little kid, my favorite meal was my mom’s “Beefies”. After she passed away, I spent months trying to cook like she did, never getting things right. To this day, nobody knows how exactly she made this meal — her sort of beef stew/stroganoff dish of meat and veggies — but it’s never too late to try to figure it out. And it’s never too late to connect with the ones you love, even now.

Tell us a little bit about the story and origins of your film.

The story is about a Jewish guy who wants to make his mom’s “Beefies” for a pandemic Passover Seder, but doesn’t seem to have the full recipe. He tries different ways to cook this soup-stew-thing but realizes he’ll have to reach out to his estranged brother in order to solve this recipe and maybe find some family connection he lost along the way. Beefies is a Passover Pandemic Comedy about learning how to reconnect, and how not to burn down your kitchen in order to do so.

When the pandemic hit, I was scheduled to shoot my first short film about Los Angeles spirituality, and I knew that I wouldn’t be able to shoot this project I had spent months gearing up for. But, as I sat at my computer having a Zoom Passover Seder with family members and friends in different cities and countries, it hit me that I could still tell a story about Jews and Connection that could uplift our spirits during this time of connection. Beefies was sort of born out of that.

Any films or filmmakers that inspired this film?

I’m really inspired by Jim Cummings, who has been making a lot of his own work for over a decade, as well as the Duplass Brothers, who also have been making their own work for a long time. I love how they’ve really embraced a DIY approach and aesthetic to their work and produce films that feel so clearly through their unique points of view.

I’m also a huge fan of the Coen’s and the Sadie Brothers. Their work is so distinctly Jewish to me and I feel connected to their work in ways that are hard to describe. Like I’m hearing them on a certain wavelength.

Finally, a big inspiration for me was seeing Emma Seligman’s short Shiva Baby (it’s now a terrific feature). I felt like she was speaking to a similar sort of self-aware, witty, contemporary, Jewish audience that I’m trying to reach as well, and I highly recommend checking out her work.

What is the goal of the film for you?

I want to use this short as a sort of entry way or calling card into the world of Jewish filmmakers and the Jewish film community. I think of it like there’s this potluck going on and I’m inviting myself and bringing this dish that I’ve made with the hopes that it’ll help me meet the other people already at this dinner party and share what I’ve made with others.

In a more practical sense, I want to make more people out there fans of me and the work I made. This is my first short, and while I’m primarily an actor, I’m already working on other films that will be coming out down the road, and I’d like to use Beefies to start getting the word out about who I am and the type of work I create.

What has the journey been like getting the film into production?

I wrote this short pretty quickly. I was visiting my family early in the pandemic and had this image of two estranged brothers sharing a meal during this time, and working with food as a way to make connection. Once I had that final scene in mind, I worked backwards from there working with the places and friends I had access to.

I was highly conscientious of making a short in the midst of covid, and I was able to have a nurse on set who is a friend of a friend. I had spare masks, sanitizer, and every form of PPE you could think of, and I had mapped out my space to figure out who how many people would be in my space at any given time.

After that I worked with only what I had access to — my apartment and a friend’s apartment for locations, props, and costumes. Actor friends to act alongside me. A friend with a canon camera, two self tape lights and a lav mic. And a few friends to help out as PA’s.

One thing you learned from this project?

I truly learned so many things about filmmaking from creating this short from soup to nuts, but one thing I’ll say (beyond the obvious: go for it and make your short! Don’t be scared!) is to build your team early and give yourself more time than you think you’ll need. The more you’ve prepared and organized and planned out ahead of time, the easier the days of filming will be.

How can folks find you and your film online?

You can go to http://www.omikatyme.com/beefies for more info on the film. We’re currently screening virtually with the San Luis Obispo Jewish Film Festival now until January 30, and virtually with the New Hampshire Jewish Film Festival from March 31-April 10.

And please give us a follow on IG/Twitter/FB: @beefiesthefilm

Any last pieces of advice for fellow filmmakers?

Make your short! Or your feature! Or your pilot/web series/fundraising video! Yes, it’s scary and it takes a lot, but start with what you have access to and build from there. Get clear on what your goals are, lock your script, and ask for help with transparency and integrity. Just like raising a kid, plenty of idiots have done this before you. Go for it.

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