"The most fun we have ever had doing anything"

The co-directors (and star) of THE BLACK SEA, Crystal Moselle & Derrick B. Harden engage in another Hopeful Conversation about improvised filmmaking

Ted’s note: Happy Juneteenth!

I was an Executive Producer on the film I am featuring today, The Black Sea, which in this case means I gave advice and feedback here and there and since they had no funds to pay me, they gifted me the credit. That said, I learned from the experience, but mostly though it increased my admiration for the co-directors Crystal & Derrick, who won’t allow the lack of things others might insist upon— like proper funding, a script, and a land or country they are familiar with to shoot in — to get in their way.

I was working with Crystal on another project, but the next thing I knew she was in Bulgaria and making a movie. It seemed to come out of nowhere, but when I saw a cut several months later, I saw something beautiful, fresh, and unique. They had achieved what many might have thought impossible. They turned every limitation into an asset. They are alchemists of the highest order.

I can only hope that others follow their example and achieve similar results.

You've been quoted as comparing the film to a "cinematic freestyle". To that end, this is an improvised movie, right? How so? What did you start with? What were the days like? I trust you had starting points and end points you needed to hit, but flexibility in the how? How did that openness benefit your creative process?

DERRICK: It was really fun. As a rapper and a barista it was similar to my day job at work. In each scene we had an objective.

CRYSTAL: We started with an overall idea that quickly became complicated. So we simplified it to the fact this guy needed to get stuck in this small town. Derrick came up with the gigolo idea with the older woman that needed to touch a black man so she wouldn't die. We had a sort of three act structure then it slowly became an outline. We didn’t know if he was going to stay or not. We had different approaches and storylines but the thing we really found was the tension between (Derrick’s character) Khalid and Irmena on the 3rd day of shooting. At first it was a friendship but then it became a bit more . We had a schedule and a specific amount of days to shoot but that would change a lot but it wasn’t a problem. We just trusted the flow. Some days we would take a few days off to do some prep. It was really a great process.

The Black Sea is full of joy. Watching it, I think that it must have been really fun -- particularly for the two of you -- to make. I know it was made for "limited funds" and yet when I look at it, it never feels compromised. It feels like you got what you want. Now that has to be smoke and mirrors a bit, right? No creative person is ever happy with the results, particularly when their work is made for pennies. What's the trick? How do you make a film with limited money, never compromise, and then fill it with joy?

CRYSTAL: The joy comes from the freedom. Nobody had a say besides us. We had fun making this. The most fun we have ever had doing anything.

We had a very small tiny crew. We would pull people off the street for a cameo. First of all wanna make sure it’s clear— everybody got paid on this film (Besides us but that didn’t matter at the time). But also you really have to come in with a sense of confident urgency. We are going to make this film no matter what.

We were so thirsty to be creative our lives depended on it. I think also I come from documentaries and you never have a lot of budget. If you have a great setting anything is possible. We were totally in love with this town and the people and the spirit of the film was growing every day.

DERRICK: The film isn’t compromised because it was funded by a group of people and ourselves. It was an investment to keeping art alive and believing in self.

Was there a specific time that the whole experience -- micro budget, far off land, collaborative directing, improvised plan -- started dictating what the outcome would be? When did The Black Sea seize control or challenge your initial conceptions of what it was going to be?

DERRICK : The first day everything changed because I met (co-star) Irmena and we started doing improvs and connecting to each other and that helped start the rhythm. But the year before I knew I wanted to make a film in this place.

CRYSTAL: Every film has a spirit that lifts you up and then you are in the world of the film. For The Black Sea it happened very fast and beautiful moments would show up.

A big part of this film was creating friendships and relationships with locals in the area. So we would have an idea of what something would be but then somebody random would join us and things would change.

The two women who worked at the restaurant we just met that day. We kept asking them to come back to set with us because they were amazing! We actually opened up a restaurant and served matcha. People would come and hang out. It was a free flowing experience.

There's a piece of non-dependent filmmaking that almost feels like a challenge to me, a contest, or even a reality show: you have limited funds, time pressures, and to make it all even more fun, we are going to plop you down in a far off land when you know virtually no one. Ready? Go! I think the irony is what to some may first appear to be torture, can become a gift -- your chains will set you free. Was that how it all went done on The Black Sea? How did such limitations become virtues?

DERRICK: The way we shot was very fluid. We caught things in the moment and loved it. It’s live action doc. It’s very confident. Crystal, Jackson Hunt (the cinematographer) and I learned to trust everything.

CRYSTAL: Torture to us is somebody dictating what we have to do. For me this is a dream scenario to let the film gods do its thing and it is forever giving. Truth is always more interesting then fiction. So for us the constraints that one would normally think…. Are how we thrive.

There's that saying "Man makes plans, and God laughs" -- which probably works as well to describe the film's thematic as well as all filmmaking. There is so much unknown and uncertainty and we have to learn to embrace it. Can you tell how us how you each don’t let uncertainty and the unknown to pull you down, and how it manifests itself positively in your creative practices?

DERRICK: Confidence is rarely talked about in the artform of improv filmmaking. It’s the highest form.

CRYSTAL: Do your shit; we will figure it out.

Now that you've done this intense, wild, wonderful and successful thing, can you each say how the film has changed you or your work? How did the experience help you each grow as individuals but also as a team?

CRYSTAL: For me, it was the most exhilarating experience of my life. I have never enjoyed making a film like I have with this experience. The freedom and discovery was so satisfying. I realized I can actually have fun. Derrick is a big advocate of “just have fun”.

DERRICK: It gave me the confidence that I was looking for. As a team we realized we can rely on each other and can do more of this together.

Crystal, you have a strong and impressive background in documentary, and Derrick this character bears some resemblance to the version of you I've met. Is this a hybrid picture, blending doc and fiction? Where does that happen more so in the film? How did/does one approach to filmmaking serve the other and vice versa?

CRYSTAL: More or less wherever Derrick goes he creates connections and gets to know the neighborhood. But there is no way Derrick would let Giorgi smack him with a shoe like that. Shit would of gone down.

DERRICK - It was close to somebody's real life. Many people are living this reality. Settling in. There is a Khalid in all of us. Your life can go to shit but you gotta take care of yourself.

I think often we can look back at our work and see moments of opportunity, inflection points, where things changed significantly, or could have. Could you share a few of those with us from The Black Sea experience?

CRYSTAL: At one point we made a choice to use a different actor for one of the parts and that was the best idea we could of made. Going with a trained actor was great.

DERRICK - Ya Stoyo Mirkov coming in to play Giorgi was incredible. He was our superman. He is a gifted actor and we are so grateful.

If you were to do it all over again, would you change anything? Would you maybe do things in a different order? What would be the advice you'd give filmmakers who want to try this sort of improvised and collaborative, micro-budgeted approach?

CRYSTAL: No, I wouldn’t change anything. The beauty of the project was the fact that we didn’t have too much planned and the moments happened by chance.

DERRICK: I would of done it the summer before. The first time I visited.

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After playing SXSW, Middleburg, and other great festivals, The Black Sea enjoyed a good theatrical run and is currently streaming on Metrograph; it will soon be available on all the major platforms.

I just flew on United and was thrilled to see it available in flight too. Take my advice: buy a plane ticket overseas, and even thought the screen will be small, this film will make any flight worth it!

DERRICK B. HARDEN, aka Dear Derrick , is an art curator, musician and filmmaker who has made a name for himself in the underground hip-hop scene and beyond. As a rapper, he’s collaborated with iconic acts like Kool Keith and BuckShot. His self-released albums, SUPER THOT Trilogy, “Do yourself A favor” hit number one on college radio last year, solidifying his reputation in underground hip-hop. With a humoristic tone Derrick's music reflects the grit and stories of his upbringing in Brownsville, Brooklyn, and has opened doors in the film world, where his narrative talents are drawing attention. His recent film. The Black Sea, a film he co-directed and stars in, which was just distributed by Metrograph Films showcasing his talent both behind and in front of the camera.

Currently, Derrick is developing a television project with Crystal Moselle , and he's putting into production an absurdist comedy film (Gefilte Fish Table Manners While eating your Duck Fat Hallalalajulah) about the idea that black men are constantly told they don't have imagination. Some are comparing the film to Holy Motors. Lisa Muskat has just joined on to produce.

Derrick's journey began in high school, where he first showcased his talent by playing the role of the Rabbi in Fiddler on the Roof. Since then, he’s toured with legends like Cormega and Mr. Cheeks of the Lost Boyz, blending his love for hip-hop with storytelling. He was the director of The Hole and Lionsware gallery - later opening up Poppington Gallery with Damon Dash--- Giving Wutang their first art show.

Derrick's current album “Inspired By The Motion Picture“ (The Black Sea), accompanies the film of the same name, set for release later this year, further cementing his creative vision across multiple platforms.

CRYSTAL MOSELLE is an acclaimed American filmmaker known for her unique, character-driven storytelling. Her debut feature, *The Wolfpack*, won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. This documentary follows six brothers raised in near isolation by a controlling father, who found their escape through an intense passion for cinema. *The Wolfpack* garnered Moselle multiple accolades, including Breakthrough Artist at the Cinema Eye Honors and Best Documentary at the Edinburgh International Film Festival.

In 2017, Moselle premiered her first scripted short, *That One Day*, at the Venice Film Festival, which sparked a collaboration with a collective of female skateboarders known as The Skate Kitchen. Together, they created Moselle's first scripted feature, *Skate Kitchen* (2018), which earned a Gotham Award nomination. This partnership extended into the HBO series *Betty* (2019–2021), a portrayal of a close-knit community of young women navigating the skateboarding world, which also received a Gotham nomination.

In her latest projects, Moselle continues to explore boundary-pushing themes. Her feature *SOPHIA* delves into the story of the social humanoid robot Sophia, examining the ontersections of technology and identity. Most recently, her film *The Black Sea* premiered at SXSW and has been acquired by Metrograph Films for North American distribution this fall.