Q&A with award-winning filmmaker

"Staring Down Fate" received the Best Feature Film award this month at the Sunrise 45 Film Festival. Filmed and edited by UNC alum Jeff Mittelstadt, "Staring Down Fate" tells the story of Chris Lucash, a red wolf biologist diagnosed with ALS. In addition to Mittelstadt, Katherine Boliek ('16), Ally Levine (’17) and Justin Wynn (’18) worked on the motion graphics for the film. 

Staff writer Mark Burnett interviewed Mittelstadt about his film experience and the journey to an award-winning film. 

The Daily Tar Heel: What did you learn about filmmaking at UNC? 

Jeff Mittelstadt: Everything! No, I hadn’t picked up a camera to film anything ever before getting into the program there with the full intent of learning how to do this kind of stuff. So, everything I learned was from the amazing, as you know — most people in Chapel Hill probably know — the incredible faculty that we have at UNC-Chapel Hill. So, again, everything I learned was from UNC, and I just took that with me and tried to keep working on everything I learned there. 

DTH: How did you get the idea for this film?

JM: It was intended to be a bunch of short films that would be connected in an interactive way online, but in the beginning of June 2015 one of the biologists I had been filming with, Chris Lucash, was diagnosed with ALS and he texted me right after that and asked me if I would tell his story.

DTH: What was the filmmaking process like?

JM: At that point once I fully left Davidson (College) it was really working on this film every day, all day … throwing every part of my being into it and having the incredible support of my wife and my family and friends behind me.

DTH: Did you have any problems making the film?

JM: The hardest part was I grew very close to Chris, so just seeing and witnessing his decline was extremely difficult. And then you know the things that I can’t change and I’m going to have to deal with. You’re filming whatever’s there and sometimes you know nothing’s happening for hours or half a day or a day and then sometimes something happens and you know the lighting is terrible or the sound is terrible. And there’s nothing you can do about it because you know I’m not one who’s gonna say, "Turn that fan off," if it’s something that makes the person comfortable when they’re going through these kinds of things.

DTH: What was your reaction when you received this award?

JM: Incredibly emotional, I mean my wife and I just cried, with smiles on our faces, but cried. I mean, to work for this long, Chris passed away last June, to see people see his story and connect with him even past him dying. That was the purpose and to see it come to fruition this past weekend for the first time.

DTH: How do you think this will impact your future career in filmmaking?

JM: I have no idea. I know that without a doubt it’s been great already in terms of helping Chris continue his impact.

DTH: Do you have any plans for a future film?

JM: No, actually what I’m doing next is I am getting back into the whole red wolf story and stakeholders around the red wolf issue.

@markburnett1234

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