Jackson Chintha is a local Saint Louis actor making his director debut with Final Shindig; an original interpretation and nod towards college comedy such as American Pie, Van Wilder, and Accepted. With the encouragement of friends, mentors and generous donations from few close acquaintances, Jackson decided to embark on this journey to make this movie for all to see in collaboration with his producer, Angela Guo and many other Saint Louis filmmakers.
What is this movie about?
Jackson Chintha: Final ShinDig is about a couple college guys who just threw the biggest party in their frat history and are on their way to become the most popular kids in school but only if they can stay in it.
It is the aftermath of a celebration and we follow the guys embark on this journey trying to make things right but only making them worse.
Why this genre?
Chintha: I grew up watching movies of this nature. From ‘Dude’s Where’s My Car’ to ‘21 Jump Street’. I have been acting in movies of dramatic nature with a serious message and addresses issues in the world. In the desire to do something in comedy genre, with the passion of bringing a new, entertaining, comedic and an easy watch inspired me to create this movie.
But seriously why specifically this category though?
Chintha: I always believed that roles shouldn’t be stereotyped to a certain demographic of people especially with the times like this, where there is an increase in diversity and the progressive direction the society is heading towards, which gave people like me the hope to follow our dreams and passion. Usually movies of this genre, are portrayed with less diverse cast which made me to take an initiative to create something which celebrates diversity-- with the intention of setting an example for myself and other film-makers, sharing my vision that anybody regardless of the color of their skin or cultural background can play roles of any sort, something that’s outside of the stereotypical nature of Hollywood’s casting tradition.
Ok, but how is this different from other college comedies?
Chintha: I grew up watching movies of this genre, which made me think that college is the fairyland with booze, girls, and parties made me can’t wait to be part of it in my teens. But once I started, soon realized to my disappointment Lthat there is ton more to it than just the fun bits.
Now, what’s better way to show these harsh realities, struggles and fun times of being a student than to make a movie for everyone to see?
This is definitely an entertaining thrilling comedy which qualifies to be categorized alongside the other college comedies, but there is a lot of different and new elements in Final ShinDig which makes it stand out from it’s counterparts.
Cool! So what’s going on?
Chintha:
We're making something that is comedic, fun and an easy watch providing a short escape for people from their day-to-day routine.
We want to work with the best and the most talented people in St. Louis providing a platform for the young and experienced talent to interact and grow on their personal skills.
Technology has made things easier for artists like us to create our own stuff but food and reward for hardworking cast and crew comes with a price. In regards to that, we need your help in making sure we continue in bringing our visions into reality and also creating a community around it where everybody can get better at their crafts and do something they’re passionate about.