Get Cultured — July 3, 2013 at 1:00 pm

Behind the Scenes of the World Premiere of Butterflies of Bill Baker

Director Sania Jhankar, Will Chase, Sterling Jerins, Zuzanna Szadkowski, Producer Reema Dutt attend the "Butterflies of Bill Baker" World Premiere reception at The DL ©VITAL AGIBALOW watermark — Director Sania Jhankar, Will Chase, Sterling Jerins, Zuzanna Szadkowski, Producer Reema Dutt attend the “Butterflies of Bill Baker” World Premiere reception at The DL
©VITAL AGIBALOW watermark

Over the weekend, The DL hosted an intimate reception in celebration of the world premiere of the film, “Butterflies of Bill Baker.” The film debuted as part of the Manhattan Film Festival and stars Will Chase (‘Smash,’ 2013 Tony Nominee), Sterling Jerins (‘WWZ,’ ‘The Conjuring’), Zuzanna Szadkowski (‘Gossip Girl’), Marin Hinkle (‘Two and a Half Men’) and Olek Krupa (‘X-Men’). Guests in attendance included Polly Lee, the film’s music supervisor Angeli Kakade, Debra Messing, Ruby Jerins (‘Nurse Jackie’), TV personality Delaina Dixon, and more. At the private party, guests enjoy Baked by Melissa cupcakes, along with cocktails from The DL.

After the reception, guests traveled uptown to Hunter College for the film’s debut. The film is the first feature film from Indian-born writer and director Sania Jhankar and producer Reema Dutt, both from NYU. They began their production company, I Laugh I Cry Films, to create original films that educate, inspire and share stories across cultures.

“Bill Baker, a kind, sensitive and content man, enjoys life’s simple pleasures, such as tilling his garden or playing with butterflies. His seemingly fulfilling life is disrupted by Pavornocturnus – a night terror disorder that causes Bill to commit violent acts while asleep. His disorder can only be relieved with a unique, dangerous, and mind-altering technology.”

Will Chase, Sterling Jerins, Zuzanna Szadkowski attend the World Premiere reception at The DL. ©VITAL AGIBALOW watermark — Will Chase, Sterling Jerins, Zuzanna Szadkowski attend the World Premiere reception at The DL.
©VITAL AGIBALOW watermark

During the reception, we had the opportunity to talk with some of the cast about the film. Here’s what they had to say:

MWAT: How was it working with the cast?
Will Chase: The cast is amazing. Sterling Jerins is awesome — if you saw World War Z, she plays Brad Pitt’s daughter. She is just an incredible, gifted kid. The guy who plays my best friend, Richard Short, he’s great. Sania and Reema really assembled a great cast. And this is the first time I’ve been in a movie where I’ve literally been in every scene, so you really get to know the crew, as well. As far as Indie films go, it’s a small film, but it was so professionally done and shot so beautifully. The story is really great.

MWAT: What was the hardest part of playing the role of Bill Baker?
Will Chase: It’s a psychological thriller and we shot out of order, so that’s always the hardest thing. When you’re shooting every scene you don’t get any downtime — usually when you’re shooting a TV show and you shoot out of order you can stop, recalibrate and think about what’s going on tomorrow since I’m not shooting today. Sania and I spent a lot of time together, where she had to remind me what scene came after which, so that’s the hardest part about shooting. Making it real. Bill’s redeeming, he’s a lovely guy, he’s just troubled.

MWAT: Tell me about the character you play in the film.
Zuzanna Szadkowski: Basically, she is an old friend of Bill Baker’s and is majorly crushing on him. So I basically chase him around the whole movie and try to pull him into my business. It’s a really fun part – quite silly.

MWAT: So you lighten up the film?
Zuzanna Szadkowski: Yes, I’m a love-struck character.

MWAT: How is it working with the cast?
Zuzanna Szadkowski: So awesome. I am so impressed with Will, and also Sterling — she’s so off the chain. For being such a cute, young kid, she has so much depth and I watched her do some really incredible things. I was really inspired and learned a lot from her.

MWAT: What was the most fun part of working on the film?
Zuzanna Szadkowski: Just chatting and getting to know everyone. My character was always up in Bill’s face so I’d always try to mess around with Will and have fun.

The short, Indie film is definitely worth watching. Sterling Jerins lights up the screen with her adorable personality during a dark film following the path of a man struggling with a debilitating sleep disorder. Zuzanna brings comic relief to the film with her bubbly and upbeat character, as does Olek, who plays Bill Baker’s quirky doctor. The film culminates with an epic twist that will make you think about the inner workings of the human psyche. It’s no wonder that the it won Best Alternative Feature at the Manhattan Film Festival.