ASU alum takes short film ‘The Singers’ to the Oscars
Director Sam A. Davis (left) and producer David Breschel on the set for their Oscar-nominated short film “The Singers.” Photo courtesy of David Breschel
Update: “The Singers” tied for best live action short film at the March 15 Academy Awards, only the seventh tie in the Oscars' 98-year history.
The film had no script. Its inspiration was a 175-year-old Russian short story. The “actors,” playing drunks in a dive bar weren’t actors at all, but were found on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. The film opens with Big Mouth Billy Bass, a novelty relic from a bygone era, flopping against tobacco-stained wood paneling to Al Green’s “Take Me to the River” while sad sacks drink away their sorrows.
It’s an unlikely venue for a soul-affirming singing competition to break out, and an unlikely film to find its audience.
But “The Singers” is defying all the odds: The humble little film with no script is now nominated for an Oscar for best live action short film. It has also taken off on Netflix: According to the entertainment industry website Gold Derby, “The Singers” has hit 5 million views on the streaming platform.
“The whole film felt like an experiment in filmmaking, and for it to have the success that this had has been an unexpected whirlwind of a dream come true,” said David Breschel, a producer on the Oscar-nominated short film and an ASU film school alum.
“The Singers,” shot on 35mm, was shaped by improvisation, breathing life and unexpected beauty into a dingy bar.
“My dream is to make meaningful and unique art that takes risks with artists who I admire personally and professionally,” Breschel said. “That has been the case from day one on ‘The Singers.’”
Breschel, now 35 and living in Ojai, California, is a 2012 graduate of the ASU film program (when it was part of what was then called the School of Film, Dance and Theatre) with a Bachelor of Arts in film and media production.
As an undergrad, Breschel studied under The Sidney Poitier New American Film School faculty member Adam Collis (who has an executive producer credit on “The Singers”), serving as his intern in Los Angeles before earning his MFA in film and TV production from the University of Southern California.
“The Singers” got its start when the film’s director, Sam A. Davis — with whom Breschel had collaborated on projects for about a decade — reached out to him after reading the 19th-century short story of the same name by Russian author Ivan Turgenev in George Saunders’ book “A Swim in the Pond in the Rain.”
“I remember when (David) told me that he was going to make a short film about a bunch of drunks at a bar, and that he was going to do it with no script and non-actors,” Collis said. “I knew it was very risky, but I loved that he was trying something completely original.”
That risk paid off. Collis said when he first saw the final cut of “The Singers” about a year ago, he sobbed.
“I called David and told him I thought he and his team were going to win the Oscar,” Collis said.
Bold words, but now “The Singers” is one of five short films nominated in its category. Breschel said the cast and crew gathered at 5 a.m. over pancakes and coffee in the bar that serves as the film’s setting the morning Oscar nominations were announced. Breschel said it was a “dream come true” to hear their film was nominated.
“Everyone in this industry works so hard, and it is so rare to receive this level of recognition for your hard work,” Breschel said. “To receive this nomination, knowing the history of important filmmakers who have received this honor and how many incredible films are made every year, felt incredibly meaningful. It was a moment none of us will ever forget.”
After the Oscars, it’s back to work. Breschel is in production on the feature film “Circles,” directed by Ariel Heller, with whom Breschel made the Student Academy Award-winning short film “Mammoth.” Shooting starts Monday morning — right after the Oscars.
The 98th Academy Awards will air live on Sunday, March 15, starting at 7 p.m. EST/4 p.m. Arizona time on ABC and streaming on Hulu.
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