Director Klayton Stainer’s team has made a movie from Michael Burstein’s Nebula nominated short story, “I Remember the Future.” It is beginning to make the rounds of film festivals – shown last weekend at Worldfest in Houston. File 770 was fortunate to have the opportunity to interview Stainer about the production, his career and future plans.

We understand you’re an independent Australian filmmaker. Can you tell us a little more about yourself?

I grew up in the vine-lands of picturesque McLaren Vale in South Australia. I founded the company KAS Creations in 2007, and am a Co-Director alongside Zané Pyper. We have worked on many projects including short films, promotional events, music videos, documentaries and wedding videography. I moved to Melbourne to study the Bachelor of Film and Television at one of the best film schools in Australia, Swinburne University of Technology. It is there, that I have been given the opportunities to learn my craft from remarkable lecturers who were more than willing to share their experiences and knowledge. Thanks to science fiction writer, Michael A Burstein, I was granted permission to adapt one of his short stories, I Remember the Future which became my ‘graduation’ film in my final year at Swinburne.

Who do you consider your main influences on you as a filmmaker?

My main influences as a filmmaker are Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and James Cameron. I know that they are huge, but these three ‘greats’, in my opinion, are the best in the business. They really know how to create entertainment for everyone to enjoy. Their science fiction films have been above and beyond anything we have seen and have set the bar for future filmmakers to come.

How did you come across the story “I Remember the Future”? What drew you to it as a story that would be good to adapt to film?

I received a copy of The Mammoth Book of Nebula Awards SF for Christmas from my parents. I spent my holidays back home reading all of the stories. My family knew that I was looking for a great story with the intention to make my final film at Swinburne a great one – and sure enough, it was in that book waiting for me to find it.

I Remember the Future was the story that I felt most connected to.

At first glance, I Remember the Future reads as a nearly impossible story to achieve as a student film. Basically, because of next to ‘no budget’ when you are a student, too many locations required and last but not least, the implementation of some special effects it would need to be completed well. But ‘impossible’ is not in my vocabulary, nor is it in the team I put together to work with on this project. This is where “Pozible” the on-line crowd funding website came into effect. We advertised our project and encouraged people to donate to the project to help it become a reality.

For me personally, I have always been attracted to creating films that most people believe can’t be done or are just too hard. I believe that we can make high quality films and nothing should stop us to accomplish this for the audience. When people give up their time to watch your film, they deserve to be entertained. The audience is what drives me to achieve this level. After all, at the end of the day, the reason to make a film, is and always will be, for people who want to see it.

Have you been reading and watching science fiction for a long time?

I have always loved science fiction. I can’t think of anything better than making science fiction films.

You’re just starting out, and yet you managed to get many professional actors, such as Reg Gorman and Tiffany Lyndall-Knight, to appear in your film. How did you manage to do this? What was the process for casting the film?

Two reasons. Both Tiffany and Reg were attracted to the film because of the amazing story in which Michael A. Burstein wrote.

Once they had both read the story, I only needed to convince them both, that with my passion and drive for filmmaking, I would give everything I had to complete the project to a high standard and respect to the story.

I also made contact with an old friend, Alex Alexander, who was eager to come on board as an Executive Producer, and in turn, gave me the confidence that I could achieve my aspirations with this project.

I believe that everyone has that one thing that they are good at and are meant to do on this earth. Directing films is what I am meant to do and I have no doubt that this becomes apparent to people and they are then willing to work together on a film.

I have always been honest and upfront with my actors. I am there to look after them and gain a great performance out of them. Working with Reg & Tiffany was an absolute honor and fun as they are both such professionals. I hope to work with each of them again in the future.

What do you see as your next project? And, to go further, what trajectory are you hoping for as far as your career is concerned?

We currently have two shorts in the early stages of pre-production, one live action, and one animation.

But I truly feel my team and I are ready for a feature film. We have worked extremely hard on our last three short films and I can say with tremendous confidence, I am ready to direct a feature. This is my next main goal.

In terms of where I would like to take my career – all the way to Hollywood! That’s where the best of the best compete in making movies.

What will happen next with “I Remember the Future”?

At the moment, we have just started entering I Remember the Future into film festivals around the world. I am hoping it will be screened in as many festivals as possible, so our audience can see this fantastic story of Abe.

After that, I hope Michael and I can continue to work together. I believe that I Remember the Future may still have more to give. I have some ideas on how to achieve this goal. You’ll just have to wait and see.

Finally, is there anything else you’d like to tell people about yourself and your film?

All I can say, “watch the trailer!” (https://vimeo.com/84752786) I hope it makes you want to see the film. Then hopefully, we get screened somewhere near you at a film festival.

Updates on the films progress will be kept on our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/kas.creations) and the official website of I Remember the Future (http://irtf.kascreations.com.au) in the news tab.

This short film is meant to be shared and enjoyed. To the people who have read the story, I hope we have captured the imagination and heart of the story and that you enjoy the film as much as reading the story by Michael A. Burstein.

File 770’s complete coverage of the Brookline Library Trustee election continues in this exclusive interview with victorious candidate Michael A. Burstein —

Michael A. Burstein

F770: First of all, congratulations on winning re-election!

MAB: Thank you. I’m delighted to serve for as long as the voters of Brookline will have me.

F770: This is going to be your fourth term, isn’t it?

MAB: Yes. I first ran for Library Trustee in 2004, and in both that election and in 2007, the first time I ran for re-election, my race was uncontested. I still went out and met voters, but the campaigning was more relaxed. However, in both 2010 and this year we had five people running for four seats, so it was much more of a race.

F770: How did you do?

MAB: I received 4,349 votes. That will make me the Trustee on the Board who has received the most votes of any of the twelve of us. Of course, the only reason that happened was because the Town held the local election the same day as the state primary. Still, I received votes from 55% of the voters, which pleases me.

F770: You said there are twelve Trustees? But you were running for one of four seats?

MAB: The way it works in Brookline is that the Board consists of twelve people, and every year four seats are up for a three-year term. In 2011 and 2012, none of the incumbents were facing contested races, so they all just got re-elected. We did have two challengers face off against each other last year in a special race for a seat that had become empty, but as of this election the second person in that race is now also on the Board. However, seven of the incumbents have not faced a challenge in a while.

F770: Why is that?

MAB: My guess is that it’s because, in general, people in Brookline are satisfied with the way the libraries are run. The only reason we had contested races in 2010 and 2013 is that an incumbent chose not to run for re-election, and two challengers decided to run for the open seat. Except, of course, because it’s at-large voting, there is always the possibility of an incumbent being ousted. That has happened before in other Brookline races, which is why I felt the need to get out and remind people what I had done for the town.

F770: What did you do for the town?

MAB: I hesitate to go over my accomplishments again; I just went through telling people over and over! That said, I was instrumental in the implementation of a) Sunday afternoon summer hours at one of the branches and b) the new RFID circulation system that allows for faster checkout and check-in of books, CDs, and other items. If you really want to know more, you can check out my website at BursteinforBrookline.com.

F770: How do you think the town feels about having a science-fiction writer as a Library Trustee?

MAB: I think people like knowing there’s someone on the Board who’s not a lawyer. But seriously, I think they know that a writer will have a different and useful perspective on the role of libraries in a community. 

F770: Speaking of your being a writer – you’ve been nominated for multiple Hugo and Nebula Awards. What’s the difference between running for public office and being on an awards ballot in science fiction?

MAB: I can think of two major differences. The first is that when you’re running for public office, you’re actually expected to campaign, whereas when you’re on an awards ballot, people tend to think it looks bad if you do. I can kind of understand that, as whether or not a Hugo or Nebula voter thinks a story is award-worthy is really a matter of personal taste, and, quite frankly, campaigning can’t really influence that. On the other hand, campaigning can remind people to read your work and consider it before voting their ballot, and I think that’s important.

The other difference that I see is the influence you can have on your community. While winning an award in science fiction might expose other readers to your work, I’m not sure how significantly winning an award changes things outside of your own life. Winning public office gives one a chance to make decisions that can help one’s community. So I’d say that being a Library Trustee is probably more influential than being nominated for an award.

F770: One final question. A lot of your readers have noted that you haven’t published any original fiction in quite a while. Do you have any plans for anything new soon?

MAB: Part of me feels I ought to apologize to my readers for the lack of new stories, but all I can plead is that life got in the way. My wife and I had twin daughters the year after my first book came out, and most of my writing time was devoted to a column about them. That said, I am returning to the waters of fiction, but slowly. I hope to have more news soon.

F770: Thank you again, Michael, for taking the time to answer our questions.

MAB: No problem. I’ve appreciated the support File 770 has shown me throughout the years as I’ve pursued public office.

SF author Michael A. Burstein has been elected to a fourth term as Brookline (MA) Library Trustee. He finished in front of the field with 4,323 votes.

Burstein has served as a Library Trustee for nine years. He also has been a Brookline Town Meeting Member since 2001.

The “Burstein for Congress” Exploratory Committee has posted a Platform with brief remarks about his positions on various issues.

On the topic of Space he writes:

In 1961, President John F. Kennedy spoke eloquently on the need for a vibrant manned space program, and within the decade men from Earth walked on the moon. Fifty years later, we find ourselves having to rely on other countries to ferry our astronauts to the International Space Station.

I’m not ashamed to admit that I shed a tear when the last shuttle landed back on Earth. I think it’s a travesty that we can no longer send our own astronauts to the ISS but have to rely on other countries for a lift. The space program is one of the things that makes this country great, and as much as I appreciate the unmanned missions we still send out (such as New Horizons, which will reach Pluto in 2015), I’d really like to see the United States as a leader in manned space missions again, in a fiscally responsible manner. In addition to creating jobs and the tangible technological benefits that our society relies on, the programs run by NASA inspire all of humanity and create hope for the future. The United States needs to be a leader in space again.

Burstein’s candidacy will move from exploratory to full campaign mode once his supporters collect the 2,000 signatures they need (number taken from a guidebook by the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth [PDF file].) That’s also when he will issue more detailed position statements.

Seeing that prospective Congressional candidate Michael A. Burstein might have to run against a Kennedy, I asked if that was much of a deterrent. He answered:

I see running against Joe Kennedy III as a welcome challenge, not a deterrent. I do like the way Universal Hub put it:  The “Kennedy Inevitability”.

The Hub says “His Inevitableness” did scare away a Boston City Councilor who thought about moving to Brookline to make a run for Barney Frank’s seat.

Interestingly, in covering Burstein’s exploratory committee The Hub headlined his role as a “Pluto Defender” and in the body of the article identified him as an “ardent supporter of Pluto’s role as the ninth planet in our solar system.” Burstein is President of the Society for the Preservation of Pluto as a Planet. I wonder if in Massachusetts this is considered espousing a conservative position?