Writer-director Nathan Silver has eight feature films to his credit thus far, the two most recent selected for the Tribeca Film Festival, starting with Actor Martinez in 2016, and Thirst Street which is slated to make its world premiere next month in the fest’s U.S. Narrative Competition.
Gaining inclusion into Tribeca for two straight years is a remarkable accomplishment. Actor Martinez, which screened last year in Tribeca’s Viewpoints section, blurred the lines between documentary and narrative. Directed and written by Silver and Mike Ott, the film centers on Arthur Martinez, a computer repairman and aspiring actor who commissions indie directors Ott and Silver to film his life. We see the directors follow Arthur as he goes to work, drives around, and auditions for a love interest (Lindsay Burdge), leading to questions about the merits of the project, and ultimately the meaning of identity and stardom.
Now Thirst Street, directed by Silver who wrote the screenplay with C. Mason Wells, elevates the filmmaker to Tribeca’s high-profile U.S. Narrative Competition. Thirst Street is one of 10 films that will compete for Tribeca’s Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Actor and Best Actress.
For the latter category, Silver would undoubtedly cast a personal vote for Burdge. He was so impressed with her supporting performance in Actor Martinez that he and Wells penned a vehicle in which she could star. In Thirst Street, Burdge portrays flight attendant Gina who straddles the fine line between lust and obsession. Grieving over a lover’s suicide, Gina loses her grip on reality after falling for a suave Parisian bartender. Silver takes cues from 1970s Euro erotic psychodramas in this intimate look at one-sided love as the bartender tries to push her out of his life. Rounding out the cast are Damien Bonnard, Esther Garrel, Lola Bessis, Jacques Nolot and Francoise Lebrun.
Silver said the film is a hybrid with “a thriller vibe, a romantic vibe and comedic elements. Lindsay is a brilliant actress. Anjelica Huston, who did our narration, told Lindsay how impressed she was with her performance.”
NY-headquartered Washington Square Films (WSF), in concert with several French companies, produced Thirst Street. Among the film’s producers are WSF’s Joshua Blum and Katie Stern. Silver and Stern go back to their days at NYU film school. It was Stern who introduced Silver to WSF founder and president Blum, leading to the company’s involvement in Thirst Street.
“I’ve walked into many production companies and often felt ill at ease, like I didn’t quite belong there,” shared Silver. “When I stepped into Washington Square Films, I immediately felt right at home. It felt like and is a wonderful supportive place.” So much so, added Silver, that he and co-writer Wells are exploring another feature project at WSF.
At the same time, Silver is looking to diversify his endeavors as he’s slated to make a web series starting in June. He further expressed an interest in getting into commercials and branded content at some point.
Meanwhile he’s most immediately looking forward to the Tribeca Film Festival. “Having a film there means a lot to me. New York is my home. The New York press gets me. My friends are here and the organizers do a great job of curating interesting, worthwhile work.”
Silver’s body of interesting work precedes his Tribeca run of the past two years. His feature filmography also includes Exit Elena (2012), Uncertain Terms (2014) and Stinking Heaven (2015).
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