The Rural We: Jason Eksuzian

Director, writer, and producer Jason Eksuzian grew up in Dalton, Massachusetts, and although he now lives in Los Angeles, he always wanted to film something in the Berkshires. Last winter, he shot his short film, “Plant People,” in his home community, using many locals (and relatives) among the cast and identifiable locations. The film is a product of a grant he received from Voices With Impact in conjunction with Art With Impact, the National Endowment for the Arts and the Mental Health Services Oversight & Accountability Commission. On June 6, the film premieres at the Voices With Impact Film Festival in San Francisco both in person and via livestream before becoming a teaching tool in schools around the world.

I grew up in Dalton and started working in the theater department at Wahconah Regional High School. I directed my first project there — two one-act plays. At Bennington College I studied directing. After I graduated, I lived in NYC for a bit, doing commercials and lighting at The Public Theater, trying to find my way onto film sets, working my way through the ranks. I lived in Portland, Oregon for a while and then moved out to LA.

A scene from "Plant People"

I’ve produced some digital series that have been sent to various streaming platforms and I’ve created short films. The other side of my career is working in unscripted TV and documentaries. I ended up being a go-to for the network Bravo as director of photography for a lot of Bravo series, a lot of Real Housewives stuff. My function is often keeping track of cameras and their coverage.

Last summer I found out about a grant from Voices With Impact, which offers production funding for filmmakers to create a five-minute short film on the topic of mental health. The topic stood out to me because I’d had a short film idea in mind, some story about loneliness. I’m thrilled to be one of the filmmakers funded. It’s rare that somebody will give you money to make a film.

I wrote the script with one main character, Phoebe, the only human in a world full of plant people. The actress, Kincaid Walker, is my wife and producing partner. The film is an allegory for loneliness.

Filming in the Berkshires was really amazing. The enthusiasm was incredible and people were so giving with their time and their space. We were able to partner with some great locations — Guido’s stepped up and allowed us to film in the store, generously offering two night to film. They even provided some of their staff to help us out. Hotel on North allowed us to film and gave us discounted rooms. A local producer, Darcie Sosa, helped coordinate a lot of the stuff. Folks volunteered to be extras, even in a snowstorm.

After the official premiere of “Plant People” on June 6, it’ll premiere internationally in Vancouver. It will be available to livestream, and it’s free. Then it will move on to other film festivals in the fall.

We’re inching closer to a feature film production. One of the ideas we’ve discussed is filming in the Berkshires. I love the landscape and the people.