MAMA Director On Jessica Chastain, Guillermo Del Toro & Working With Kids

First-time feature film director, Andrés Muschietti, has the Guillermo Del Toro stamp of approval for his supernatural thriller MAMA starring Jessica Chastain. The Argentinian director and his producer sister talk about learning from the Hellboy and Pacific Rim director, working with children, and watching Academy Award nominee Jessica Chastain work her magic with her character.

In 2008, Andrés Muschietti and his sister Barbara screened their short film MAMA in film festivals where it got the attention of big-time Hollywood director/producer Guillermo Del Toro.  He took them under his wing and brought their project to Universal Pictures for a feature-length version of their short.   MAMA producer Barbara Muschietti told CineMovie Del Toro was very supportive and promised them he would produce the adaptation in either English or Spanish when he first met with them.  The Del Toro told CineMovie he is always looking for new talent to mentor and asks that the new filmmakers in turn repay the favor with helping another struggling filmmaker.
The first-time feature-length filmmaking sibling team from Argentina are now in the big leagues in Hollywood. On working with the Pan's Labrynth director, writer, and producer, Barbara says he saved them a lot of heartache experienced by newcomers to the movie business with his guidance on what to do and mistakes to avoid.

The new kids on the block also worked with Academy Award nominated actress Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty) for their Hollywood debut. Snatching two big names in the movie business is a rarity in this business.  The brother/sister team boasted about Jessica's talents and felt lucky to have such an accomplished actress in their project.   

In Hollywood they say never work with animals and children, but the Muschietti team had two young actresses to give direction to.  Director Andres says they picked actresses who can act and take direction.  As for the youngest actress Isabelle Nélisse having to act as a wild child with animalistic traits, the director explains she was high energy already with some of those traits visible so the hardest part was keeping her in check.

MAMA opens January 18, 2013.