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‘King Ivory’ Filmmaking Duo on Their Deeply Personal Venice Hit and Producing Seven Films in Five Years: ‘We Hate to Let the Grass Grow’
John Swab and Jeremy Rosen, the producer/director duo behind Venice hit 'King Ivory,' on making seven films in five years.
Featuring an intertwining series of tragic stories involving opioid traffickers, addicts, gangs and the police, the film — which alongside Leo and Foster also stars “Better Caul Saul” main cast member Michael Mando — was likened to a gritty “Traffic” for the fentanyl age. Not letting the grass grow would lead to the pair making — with Swab writing and directing and Rosen overseeing “virtually everything else, from the from the casting to financing to distribution and production and festivals” — in quick succession, “Body Brokers” starring the late Michael K. Williams in his final role, “Ida Red” with Josh Hartnett, the Locarno-bowing “Candy Land” and last year’s releases “Little Dixie” and “One Day as a Lion.” Across the various films there are recurring themes of crime, addiction, abuse and redemption, large elements of which were taken from Swab’s own experiences and come grounded in unembellished authenticity (so much so that Sean Baker reached out about the sex worker-themed “Candy Land” and later auditioned one of the cast members for his Cannes-winning “Anora”).
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