Filmmaker Q&A with Nicholas Manuel Pino, Director of 'The Funeral Band'

Jonathan Nickens: Can you tell us about the inspiration or backstory for "The Funeral Band"? Is your film based on any real-life characters or experiences?

Nicholas Manuel Pino: In the years leading up to writing and filming "The Funeral Band," I had lost a couple friends. The type of friends that you love so much, but also drive you and your whole friend group kind of crazy when they were with us. And being in many bands in New Orleans, it's like a family that you're stuck with over many years. Talking with one of those collaborators, Kirk Joseph, we thought that was an experience everyone had even if they weren't ever in a band. It was kind of my way of working through it, while paying homage through a world that I know, music.

Jonathan: As an independent filmmaker, what were some of the unique challenges you faced in creating this film? How did you overcome them?

Nicholas: There's always going to be the hurdle of raising the money. Luckily, myself and the producers found some amazing New Orleanians and people who love New Orleans who wanted to help tell this story by providing financial contributions. I'm grateful for that.

Also, time is always the biggest issue. When filming, there are never enough hours on set to get everything done. We lost a couple hours while filming due to a power blackout. The whole cast and crew were huddled in my house waiting for the power to come back on in the middle of a sweltering summer. At that point, I had to simplify plans, cut down shots and make sure we had just enough of what we needed to cut together.

Jonathan: What do you want audiences to take away from "The Funeral Band"? In other words, what lasting messages are you trying to send to viewers in your film?

Nicholas: Tell the people around you that you love them. Men especially need to, but it really goes for anyone. We have a tendency to put guards of masculinity up, but the truth is, you never know when someone is going to go so you need to make sure to communicate how you feel.

Jonathan: If you could give any independent filmmakers one piece of advice, what would it be?

Nicholas: Learn to write, pick up a camera, learn to edit. Learn anything and everything you can about filmmaking. A lot of resources are out there for free. And then keep doing it till you get better.

Jonathan: Do you have any future projects coming up?

Nicholas: Yes, I have a feature film that I wrote and directed coming out late this year called "BOSCO." It's a true story based on the life of a great friend, Quawntay Adams, a man who has an inspiring story of redemption amongst his breakout from prison and fight against his incarceration for marijuana. It has a great cast including Aubrey Joseph, Theo Rossi, Tyrese Gibson, Vivica A. Fox, Thomas Jane, Nikki Blonsky and many more.

Jonathan: How can the public follow your future projects or contact you about your filmmaking? Do you all have websites or professional social media where the public can view your works?

Nicholas: People can follow me on Instagram.