Brittani Ward spoke about her new film, Single Car Crashes, and bringing it back to Chicago for its theatrical release. The film will play a brief theatrical run at the Gene Siskel Film Center with filmmaker and select cast/crew Q&As following screenings.

Ward directed a short film well over a decade ago and has been working as a casting director for many years. Casting director to director is such an uncommon transition when it comes to making one’s feature directorial debut. Ward uses her experiences to her strengths in also casting the film but acknowledges that if she could do it again, she would have asked someone else to be the casting director.

The film follows Sean (Trevor Morgan) ten years after a car crash took the life of his best friend, Zach. Sean had been a promising baseball recruit up until this point but he’s still living in the same town and with survivor’s guilt. Zach’s sister, Kendall (Lindsey Morgan), returns for her wedding, forcing Sean to confront his own demons and how it’s also impacting his nine-year-old son, Zachary.

It’s so nice to talk with you today. How are you doing?
Brittani Ward: Danielle, thank you. It’s great to be here. I am energized by the way Chicago is already showing up for the premiere screenings of my directorial debut! I am very grateful and looking forward to this weekend.

Single Car Crashes is beginning a small theatrical run at the Gene Siskel Film Center. How nice is it to bring the film back to Chicago after premiering during Cinequest in March?
Brittani Ward: Single Car Crashes is a story about my home, made by our home, for our home, so to finally be bringing this movie home – in partnership with the iconic Gene Siskel Film Center – is the best feeling. We won Cinequest’s ‘Best New Vision’ award at our World Premiere, and we were proud to make history as Midwest Film Festival’s Inaugural Roadshow event in Milwaukee. Now? We celebrate!

What was the genesis behind the script?
Brittani Ward: Reverence for lifelong friendships is the genesis of this script. The authentic charm of rural suburbia serves as the backdrop. Moments of messy, interpersonal connectivity – many of them plucked from my real life – are sprinkled throughout the film.

It’s been well over a decade since you directed a short film and the transition from casting director to director isn’t a common route. How did you know it was the right time to make your feature directorial debut?
Brittani Ward: Thank you for this acknowledgement. Common routes have evaded me in my entertainment career! Casting has brought so much joy, but it has also taught me to grind. The willingness to work myself to the bone became a vital asset to making this first feature a reality, after a decade of wanting to do it.

In my experience, when a filmmaker decides to make an independent film of this size and scope, they find themselves at the bottom of a mountain, alone, next to a boulder they’ll need to push up to the top. How the hell are they going to do it? Along the way, collaborators may join the cause and help push. You catch a lucky break with the weather. You trip over some odd tool that helps leverage the rock upward… and at some point, all of a sudden, that boulder gets lighter as you reach the top, and then starts catapulting down the other side of the hill towards production! I remember being on the phone with Angie Gaffney and realizing for the first time, “Wait, is this movie real? It’s financed? These shoot dates are going to stick?” “Yes!” she encouraged, “Start casting it!”

Obviously, casting is one of your strengths but did you consider bringing on someone else as a casting director?
Brittani Ward: Ah. Yes. More than consider – I agonized over it. Neither decision felt perfect for me and this film. On the one hand, it felt weird to put my agent/manager colleagues in a position where they needed to pass straight to my face (when I made straight offers to their clients). On the other hand, I’d attached actors to several roles before we were greenlit, and it would have felt weird to ask my casting colleagues to start work on a movie that was already half-cast. In the end… I made the wrong call. If I could do it again, I’d ask a brilliant casting director to do me this favor — I’m thinking of Amber Horn, Danielle Aufiero, Lindsey Weissmueller… friends of mine who have a proven history of elevating independent feature films into the festival-award-winning stratosphere. There were a few times I was stuck on a creative or strategic next move, and I would have benefitted from another CD’s perspective and expertise. Of course, I’m thrilled with my cast — these actors are incredible! But casting is an extreme amount of work, and I should have offloaded some of it.

What was it like to direct the cast?
Brittani Ward: Directing these magnificent actors was one of the best experiences of my life. They were so different from one another. I learned from each of them and they really had my back. Trevor Morgan fiercely protected my ability to tell the story I wanted to tell as a first-time director. The amount of trust between most of the actors and myself was unbelievable.

Was the any room for improv or was it mostly sticking to what’s on the page?
Brittani Ward: Oh we played. I purposely hired actors who are inherently comedic. Tons of improv made the final cut, thanks to my tireless editor Ana Christian.

What was the most challenging aspect of the production?
Brittani Ward: We ended week three with a very expensive Covid shutdown! Another challenge was crafting an intricate schedule that would accommodate actor conflicts, so I could work with all of my first choices. One actor had a baby born the day after he wrapped. Another actor worked non-consecutive Mondays on our shoot because she was leading an equity theatre production at the same time. Big thanks to my beloved AD, Alex Wilson, for working with this puzzle! Overall, the production ran very smoothly under the leadership of Producer Angie Gaffney, Director of Photography Christopher Rejano, 2nd AD Saro Melero Bonnin, and more.

What do you enjoy the most about filming in the Chicago area?
Brittani Ward: There is something about Midwestern artists — their character, work ethic, humor, integrity — that cannot be replicated. We were fortunate to spend almost every dollar of the film’s budget on Illinois-based cast, crew, vendors, and resources. I am very proud that we kept it this local, and I believe the authenticity of the setting is prevalent on-screen as a result.

What do you hope people take away from watching the film?
Brittani Ward: My hope is that anyone who is experiencing a recent or deep loss will find catharsis from this film. On the flip side of that, I hope they remember some of the crass jokes and laugh aloud when they recall them later. Mostly, I want them to feel seen, for all of their humanity, imperfect and unpredictable as that may be.

Single Car Crashes will be released in theaters on July 12, 2024.

Please subscribe to Dugout Dirt and Solzy at the Movies on Buttondown.