IRISH FILMMAKER, TONY HERBERT, CHATS ABOUT HIS FILM, SPEED DATING

Indianapolis International Film Festival: Tell me a bit about the concept for Speed Dating.
Tony Herbert: The idea actually came from a conversation I had with some of my girl friends about their experiences with speeding dating and it sounded hilarious. It just grew from there.

IIFF: So, have you ever been speed dating?
TH: (Chuckles and smiles) I had never been until after the idea for the movie had been conceived and after the script had been written. Some of the other actors and I decided to go. We just thought it’d be wrong to make the movie and not go speed dating. At the time I was 27 and all the women were like 35. One line from the movie came from this…”I’m just interested in your DNA.”

IIFF: You wrote, directed and acted in this film. When you were writing the part of the bad guy did you think, “I have to play this part?”
TH: Not really, because I already knew I would play it. I write a part for myself in everything.

IIFF: The soundtrack for Speed Dating was phenomenal. When can people get ahold of it?
TH: We’d like to have it ready in six months, but there’s a lot to tie up to make that happen.

IIFF: You’ve been traveling on the festival circuit for a while now. Where else have you been?
TH: I’ve been to Phoenix, Paris, where the film won the Audience Award and Malibu, where we won the Grand Jury prize.

IIFF: How does your experience at IIFF compare with the other festivals you’ve been to?
TH: Every festival is different. This is probably the smallest festival I’ve been to, but the welcome and the reaction have been just as positive as other festivals.

IIFF: You’ve told me you have plans to move from Ireland to L.A. to continue making movies. Is there anything you’re apprehensive about in doing this?
TH: At the beginning of any project it’s daunting, but it’s exciting. As long as I work with good people who feel I have something to contribute it should be a rewarding experience.

-Margaret Henney