As the winner for the Best Sequel presented by Lucasfilm and Atom at this year’s Star Wars Fan Movie Awards at Celebration V in Orlando, Florida, The Notebook Strikes Back captured the imagination of what The Empire Strikes Back would look like recreated with paper cut-outs in a notebook, much like last year’s winner Star Wars in a Notebook by the same filmmaker.
Starwars.com chats with Columbia-based filmmaker Oscar Fabián Triana Méndez.
What prompted you to make a Star Wars fan film sequel? How has George Lucas and his films influenced your work?
The first part had a really nice reception — lots of positive comments and reviews! I watch the film featured in blogs and sites from everywhere: obviously the USA but also France, Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica, Perú, Australia, Russia, Spain even Thailand. People seem to love it! So I thought a sequel should be a nice gift for all of them (and for me).
Also I have a fun time doing it so. Plus everything has a sequel now doesn’t it? I don’t know if I should credit Mr. Lucas for that, but I hope mine it’s one of the good ones like Empire!
What is the back story regarding your film?
To sum things up, it’s the film that plays in the head of a little kid that is shocked discovering the Star Wars movies. You know, your memory isn’t perfect so you skip scenes, swap characters, and distort some other parts, but you really capture the essence of that story. I visualize that naive feeling with the tools you have at the moment in your house or school: paper, cloth, scissors, glue.
Back then you give life to your drawings or cutouts in your head, now thanks to a computer. I love the handmade look, I’m a big fan of the sweded/indie/low budget filmmaking that is flooding Internet.
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