In the upcoming doc “Newville,” Pisie Hochheim and Tony Oswald follow 10 siblings who “cover the entire American political spectrum.”
“They have many different spiritual beliefs and lifestyles. We’ve watched over the years as they’ve managed to ‘leave their swords at the door’ when they gather, as one aunt says,” says Hochheim, who is also a part of the family.
Now, they return to their childhood home in Newville, NY, for the first time in 35 years. They attempt to repair it, but tensions arise.
“Many people in the U.S. feel completely at odds with their families politically, and it’s understandable to choose to shut out or cut off and move on. But for Tony and me, living with difference and trying to find common ground is a belief we desperately try to hang onto.”
“Newville” won the Ji.hlava New Visions Award for the most promising U.S. project in partnership with AmDocs and the Jacob Burns Film Center Award.
“Europe has an appetite for supporting daring, bold work,” notes Hochheim. The awards will be useful, as resources for U.S. filmmakers are dwindling and they’ve self-funded the project, working as a two-person team.
Oswald says: “In the U.S., specifically lately, government-backed funding bodies have been cut, existing grants have been slashed and some are closing completely. Private equity or streamers look to a familiar slate of celebrity profiles or true crime docs. Everyone else has to fight over the scraps.”
Hochheim used to go to the house depicted in the doc for family events and holidays. She later married Oswald on the premises.
“We still visit at least once a year, but for most of the year it sits empty. It’s beautiful, but it’s also 250 years old, and my family doesn’t have the money or time to address all of its problems, although my mother tries.”
“Some days, we feel so connected to it we can’t imagine a world where it doesn’t exist. My mum and I have nightmares about it catching on fire or a tree falling on it. But then we hear one of the siblings speaking about it without sentiment, and we remember we haven’t chosen to move back there either. As much as we love it, the house resists us, and we’ve begun to wonder what it wants as much as what we want from it.”
In “Newville,” the house becomes a “container” to showcase the vibrant siblings who grew up there.
“They’re hilarious, warm and unique, and have completely different worldviews. We’re very interested in how these worldviews shape their approach to the house, and why some have stayed involved while others think it’s time to let it go.”
This isn’t the first time the filmmaking duo has talked about family.
“All of the films Tony and I have directed together so far are either about, or feature, our families. Even our narrative fiction work,” says Hochheim. “Our goal is to see how these small stories can be stretched through art and playful collaboration into more cinematic, universal narratives. We wouldn’t live long enough to make all the films that could spring from our family, but that doesn’t mean they’re biographical.”
Oswald, whose sister Alicia was featured in their short doc “Cycles,” adds: “We think it’s part of the reason our body of work is so diverse. We try to discover the films through our relationships with them. This has created a mini cinematic universe in which the same faces and locations appear across our very different films.”
Though personal, “Newville” has already resonated with its Ji.hlava audience.
“We’ve been so heartened to hear how universal this story is. People have come up to us to share their experiences: the sadness of losing a childhood home in Sudan, a house being sold and the discord it caused in Bosnia, or one whose future is unsure in Finland. This very specific story about Newville resonates with people across cultures,” he says, also recalling his experience on “Cycles.”
“It’s a perfect example of how we work: Alicia [who used to anonymously donate eggs] wanted to document the experience and we wanted to tell a story about the wider context of egg donation in America by focusing solely on her,” observes Oswald. But working with family “isn’t without its challenges.”
“We can’t wait for the day when we can be at a reunion without considering how it will fit into our movie, or actually help them fix the house instead of just filming them do it!”
They’ve been filming for almost seven years and really got to know the siblings, notes Hochheim.
“Because they’ve spread out across the country and are mostly in their 70s and 80s, filming was honestly the first time I’d had an in-depth conversation with some of them as an adult. We are also interested in what they are finding out about each other. We’ve taken to asking them: ‘What’s the one thing you wish your siblings knew about you’?”
Based in Nashville, Hochheim and Oswald are also co-producing and editing “Kinfolk” by Nicole Craine, executive produced by Jesse Plemons and Kirsten Dunst.
“It’s a great joy and privilege, and every dinner is a write-off because we live and breathe our movies,” says Hochheim of their creative partnership. Oswald adds: “Our production company is called Same Person Productions. Having someone who can fill in your gaps, someone you trust more than anything, is the greatest gift.”
