Gabrielle Garcia, Writer/Actor: KNOW HOW

Gabrielle Garcia, Writer/Actor

1Q: Tell us a little about the origins of KNOW HOW, from concept to financing.

Know How started out as a musical written by me and my cast mates in 2010 entitled, Know+How=. My cast mates and I performed the show, after long months of writing and perfecting the acting, in a small theater in Lower Manhattan. Audiences of all ages and backgrounds seemed to connect to our show. Every night, people would come up to the actors and share how the story and our performances really spoke to them. After our show’s run was over, we appreciated the memories and the experiences, but I didn’t think anything else would come of it. Fast forward a couple months ahead, we’re working on a new show and Paul, our director, asks the cast if we’d want to turn our play into a feature-length film. Of course, we were all like, “Duh, yes”. I doubt most of us, myself included, knew how much work that actually entailed, but we did it. We switched around some storylines to make sure they made more sense for the movie while still keeping them authentic, learned the difference between acting on stage and acting in front of a camera, and pretty soon, Know+How= was Know How, and here we are!

2Q: Cinequest is proud to host the World Premiere of KNOW HOW. Explain to us how it feels to bring this film before audiences for the first time, and what do you think their reaction will be to your film?

It feels amazing to have Know How premiere in front of such a large audience. We’ve have several small private screenings before, but nothing like this! I’m really grateful Cinequest has not only acknowledged the artistic quality of what my cast has created but also, deemed our message important and necessary to share. It’s truly a dream. I hope our film will move audiences to take action. Maybe audiences didn’t know how the foster care system worked before or maybe they had no connection to it. Well, after watching our film, now they’ll know. With that knowledge, I hope they become active in working towards child welfare system reform and won’t just appreciate the film and continue to live their lives like before.  Whether our film just urges someone to contribute to our fight in a small way or moves them to do so in a big way like becoming a foster parent, I would be satisfied.

3Q: What was your best and/or worst experience while making KNOW HOW?

It’s hard to pick out a best or worst experience while making the film. Most memories, even the ones where I was annoyed and grumpy, I fondly look back on now. The whole film, from writing to shooting, was a great experience in retrospect. I bonded with everyone, from my fellow actors to the crew, and formed unbreakable bonds. It’s cliché to say it was an experience of a lifetime but it really was.

4Q: Festival audiences often have to make hard decisions about what to see, and the catalog descriptions sometimes run together. In your own words, why should people see your film?

Our film isn’t just the story of our lives. Our film is an exposé of an American problem. The child welfare system is failing the children our country entrusts the future to. There aren’t many people demanding legal reform or pitching with helping hands, or healthy homes, to support our youth. How could something so devastating to so many young lives go on like this? People should know.

5Q: Time to pre-plan: You just won an Oscar for KNOW HOW. Give us your acceptance speech.

This Oscar is for every young life that has been transformed or touched by foster care. Every moment we spent working on this film was out of love for you.

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