Austin Film Festival Conversations: Sarah Kambe Holland, Writer & Director of ‘Egghead & Twinkie’

Sarah Kambe Holland, Writer-Director of EGGHEAD & TWINKIE. Courtesy of CanBeDone Films.

Sarah Kambe Holland is an accomplished actor and writer and director, and her latest feature, Egghead & Twinkie, is screening at the Austin Film Festival this year. And we here at NTG had the distinct honor of sitting down with Sarah, to discuss this important film and its construction.

John Betancourt: Let’s start, what got you into writing and directing in the first place. 

Sarah Kambe Holland: Oh, man, I think I started off wanting to be a writer, like a novelist. I was that weird kid in middle school that was writing a book when I was like 12 years old, admittedly, not a very good book. But I think the interest was there from an early age to tell stories. And then I got into theater in high school and fell in love with acting and then film kind of stood out to me, as like the perfect medium to kind of fuse those two passions together, the love of story and the love of acting.

John Betancourt: Now what movie was it that made it click that this was where you were supposed to be?

Sarah Kambe Holland: Oh, man, I don't know if it was even one film. I think it was a number of films. I really loved feel good films growing up. And I think that that comes across in Egghead & Twinkie. So, one movie that I still love as an adult, and I quote all the time is School of Rock. That that would be up there.

John Betancourt: What inspired you to give life to these dynamic characters?

Sarah Kambe Holland: Oh, wow. Yeah, I love both of them. Both Egghead and Twinkie, I view them as like my children in a way, especially since I've been with them for so long. Because I originally wrote Egghead & Twinkie as a short when I was 19. And then we made the short when I was 21, and then moved on to make the feature. So, I guess originally, what inspired me to bring them to life was just a love for both characters. I think I have a lot in common with both of them actually. Twinkie maybe more, obviously. And that, you know, I grew up queer and mixed Asian. And that's, you know, focal points of Twinkie’s identity. But I'd say Egghead as well, and that I'm definitely a nerd and an over planner, and I get anxious when things don't go the way that I wanted them to. So yeah, I think that there's parts of me and in both of them. And it's really been a pleasure to kind of develop those characters over the years, as we've transitioned from the short to the full-length feature.

John Betancourt: Let’s talk about Egghead and Twinkie’s film journey, what motivated you to move beyond the short?

Sarah Kambe Holland: Yeah, people often asked me if we made the short as a proof of concept for the feature, like with that already in mind. And that was not the intent, I was not thinking that far ahead at all. So, I made that short as a standalone short. And it was more so something that happened almost when we were in post and cutting it all together. I was like, “Oh wow, I just I really love these characters. And I love watching them.” And I started wondering, you know, what would happen next, basically, after the events of the short, so it all happened pretty organically. And, the short ends with them, with Twinkie saying, “Oh, I want to get away from my parents. And, you know, we should, you know, run away together kind of, or go somewhere.” That's why it kind of led itself very organically into then turning it into a road trip movie.

John Betancourt: What kinds of challenges, if any, came about from putting together a feature length story for these characters?

Sarah Kambe Holland: If there were any? (Laughs) There's so many so many challenges. You know, I really didn't make things easy for myself, because people always say, “Oh, you know, when you make your first feature, and you have no money, you should be smart and write a script about two people in a room that just talk the whole movie.” But that's not what happened when I thought about, you know what Egghead and Twinkie would do next and where they would go. It was so obvious to me; it should be a road movie. I love road movies. Little Miss Sunshine is one of my favorites. So, I don't know, it was something I immediately had a passion for. And I didn't want to hold myself back. So, I thought let me write this script. And then I'll figure it out later. And that did end up kind of biting me sometimes where I would come across a scene and be like, “Oh my God, how are we going to do this, especially for such a small budget, and with a really young team as well.” But I really think everyone was so gung-ho about wanting to make this and make it the best it could be. So, we were like, “we'll figure it out,” and that’s what it's been every step of the way has been trial and error, trial by fire, and figuring it out.

John Betancourt: What went into the decision to create a story that tackles so much?

Sarah Kambe Holland: Oh, wow, um, I think for me, you know, a lot of the original inspiration for Egghead and Twinkie came from a frustration and a lack of representation for people like me. And I think when I came out myself, to my own parents, it struck me that, you know, even though coming out can be a really difficult situation, I do think that there are a lot of things about it that can be joyful, or it can be kind of funny when you look back on it. So, you know, that was kind of the original idea was I wanted to make a more uplifting, comedic film about coming out. And I think from that, you know, I put a lot of care into the representation, because there's just such a lack of it out there in the world, I felt like I had a certain responsibility to do it right with the character of Twinkie, especially being a queer Asian character. So I think that that's where a lot of the nuance in the layers comes from is just the care that was put into it, not just by me, but by everybody that worked on the project, and especially my two lead actors, Sabrina Jie-A-Fa who plays Twinkie and Lewis Tomeo who plays Egghead, I think they both understood the gravity and the importance of the story, even though it is like a fun filled happy story. So, I'm really grateful to have found both of them.

John Betancourt: So, with that in mind, what kind of then did you feel upon yourself to get all of that right?

Sarah Kambe Holland: Oh, a lot of pressure. And lot of it coming from myself, you know? I think in a lot of ways, this is the movie that I made for my younger self. So, with that comes, you know, pressure to do it right, to do it justice, because I knew there was an audience out there of people like me, who felt the same way that were looking for a story like this. But at the same time, I don't think it really felt like pressure in a way that was like, stifling or in a way that was detrimental. I think it was more something that pushed me along and motivated me during the really hard times. Because you know, making an indie film for no money is just, you know, obstacle after obstacle. And I think in those moments, you know, especially when the COVID pandemic hit, and we kind of had to pivot on everything. I think in those moments, it really helped me to have that to hold on to and know how important this was not just for me, but for other people. And I was like, “Okay, Sarah, you can figure this out, you know, try again, tomorrow.” And yeah, in a way, I am really grateful to have that personal tie in, because I think that it really helped with getting through those tougher times.

John Betancourt This is… an important story, since there aren’t a lot of movies about coming out, and there are obviously so many layers to this story as well. So, with that in mind, what is the biggest thing you want people to take away from this movie?

Sarah Kambe Holland: Oh, I like that question. I hope that people will come out of the movie theater feeling uplifted and optimistic and wanting to call their best friend. I mean, I really think if we can put a smile on people's faces, especially right now, and there's so much darkness in the world. I really think that that's… that's the hope. And the goal is that people will want to come see it with their friends and have a good time.

John Betancourt: Now, keeping meaning in mind, this is a story that people are going to turn to, and connect with and be a beacon. What does it mean to you to have assembled a story that is going to help guide people.

Sarah Kambe Holland: Thank you. I think it's something that I've just been blown away by as we've been doing our… our festival circuit, because it's… it's such a strange thing with film because it's so personal and you put so much of yourself into it. And it's you know, just you in an editing room for months and months and you're watching the same cut over and over again and you're asking yourself, “are these jokes even still funny?” And then there's that terrifying moment where you get to finally share it with the public and other people get to receive what you created. And yeah, I think I've just been so touched by the responses that I've had from people from all walks of life, not just young people, and not just queer people, but older folks and people that I never thought would relate to a movie like this. So, I guess it's been surprising in the best way. And I'm just really grateful to everyone that's come out to see it and has been touched by it.

John Betancourt: What does it mean to you, to know this is about to be seen and embraced by so many?

Sarah Kambe Holland: Oh, I'm really excited. I'm really… we've played a lot of festivals leading up to this point, but this is our Texas premiere. And I grew up in Austin, and I live here now. So, I'm local. So, I don't know… it's just… I… I'm so excited. I've asked some of my high school teachers to come. So, you know, it's always fun when people come that knew you when you were like 14 years old and very embarrassing. Yeah, I'm really looking forward to it, especially to screen at where I grew up, I think it’s just, I didn't know if this would ever happen. Because when I was 14, I actually submitted to the Austin Film Festival with a really, really, really terrible short film. And I got rejected back then. So, I think this is like the ultimate delayed gratification.

John Betancourt: What did you love the most about putting together what is clearly a passion project.

Sarah Kambe Holland: I think for me, it was seeing all of these young people come together to make this thing happen. Because it all started with just an idea. And it grew and it grew. And I think that that was the most exciting thing was being on set and seeing 30-40pPeople all come together to film, sometimes it would be at like one in the morning, because we'd be doing an overnighter, and everybody was just chugging coffee and Red Bull. I don't know, I think there's something so incredible about film as a collaborative art and seeing everyone come together to make it happen.

John Betancourt: What are you most proud of when it comes this project?

Sarah Kambe Holland: I think what I just said, just… just… I'm so I'm so proud of everyone that worked on it. Because it's not just my film, I could not… there's no way I could have done this by myself. Film is such a team sport. And I think that that's what I'm most proud of is that everyone came together to make it happen and that we stuck with it through the COVID pandemic and all the obstacles that that created.

John Betancourt: So, now I have to ask since you mentioned COVID playing a role here, how long was the shoot for this?

Sarah Kambe Holland: Oh, you don't want to know… too long. So, because of COVID. And because we were working with a largely volunteer crew, we were coordinating around everyone's schedules and around other gigs that people were doing. So, we ended up filming in four different phases over the course of 2020 and 2021. And in total, we shot for over 40 days. Four, zero. So, it was a… it was a marathon for sure.

John Betancourt: Oh, this was some George Romero style guerilla filmmaking!

Sarah Kambe Holland: Sometimes it was yeah, sometimes it was me and like five people on the side of the road with a camera and just hoping the police wouldn't show up. But most of the time we did get permits. I want to cover myself for my producer. (Laughs)

John Betancourt: That’s okay, I can edit that part out. (Laughter from both Sarah and John) So, last question I have for you today. What’s next for the film after Austin?

Sarah Kambe Holland: After Austin, we're, we're working on getting distribution to hopefully release it publicly in 2024. And we're making moves with that. But we do still have some festival screenings lined up through the end of this year. So, I think the immediate one we're going to after Austin is the San Diego Asian American Film Festival out in California. And then we have another Fest in Spain that same month. So, it's yeah, we're still making the rounds.

John Betancourt: Spain though, that's pretty cool.

Sarah Kambe Holland: Oh, yeah, we're excited. And my producer is actually going to be in Spain at the same time. So, she's actually going to be able to attend. So that'll be cool.

This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity, to see ‘Egghead & Twinkie’ at the Austin Film Festival, please visit their website.

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