Video: K-11's actors & crew talk about working with Jules Stewart

Thank you @K11OfficialFilm

New BTS photo of Jules Stewart & Goran Visnjic

Click photo for a larger view

Source LibertineFilms

Breaking Glass Pictures heads to Cannes 2013 with K-11

Breaking Glass Pictures heads to Cannes with four new sales titles led by prison tale K-11, currently available across the US on VoD and DVD.

Jules Stewart’s directorial debut – she is the mother of Kristen Stewart – stars Kate del Castillo, Goran Visnjic and DB Sweeney.

Kinyarwanda is an in-depth look at the Rwandan genocide and played in official selection at Sundance 2011.

The line-up includes urban drama Changing The Game, which chronicles the life of a young African-American on the mean streets of North Philadelphia who lands a place at an Ivy League school and ends up on Wall Street, where he must deal with racism and jealousy.

Simple Moves is a psychological drama from director and actor Pau Masó. The film follows a young man drawn into the sexual underbelly of New York City’s gay club scene.

Source Screen Daily

Sounds as if K-11 is going back to the Cannes market this year. 

Perhaps to enter some new markets for release. 

Wishing you all good luck! 

Video & Photos: Goran Visnjic on Jimmy Kimmel - April 25

Tagged photos, arriving at Jimmy Kimmel on April 25

Click on each photo for a larger view

Photos: Source

Video: Goran Visnijc talks about 'Red Widow' with Huffington Post

Source Huffington Post

New still with Goran Visnjic & DB Sweeney

Source @BreakingGlassPx 

New still of Goran Visnjic as 'Raymond Saxx Jr'

Click on still for larger view.

Source K11OfficialFilm

Kate del Castillo's 'Mousey': This Month’s Craziest B**ch on Screen (Out Magazine)

Why you need to watch K-11 and what Kate del Castillo has to do with K-Stew:

Kristen Stewart’s mom, Jules, directed. Her brother pops up with a mohawk. Even the Twilight ingénue herself has a vocal cameo. But the reason to watch the cracked new drama K-11 has nothing to do with pouty old Bella Swan.

Set in a section of an L.A. slammer reserved for LGBT prisoners (bear with us), the movie follows Raymond (Goran Visnjic), a music exec who winds up in the tank and quickly learns that the only person with any muscle is Mousey, a Divine-esque MTF gangbanger (Kate del Castillo, pictured) who, when not pounding other inmates’ faces into bedframes, is forcing them to werrrk it in a jailhouse fashion show.

Yep, absurd and offensive. But she’s a hell of a lot cooler than some vampire who glitters in the sunlight.

But as del Castillo recently explained: "In a way, because I’m a romantic and I will always be, to me, I think it’s also a love story. It is. So that’s the way I see the movie. I think it’s amazing. I think Jules [Stewart] did an amazing job with her opera prima."

K-11 is in select theaters or On Demand. 

Source Out Magazine

Thanks to @K11OfficialFilm

Kate del Castillo's interview with 'The Advocate'

Mexican actress Kate del Castillo shines in K-11, the new prison thriller from director Jules Stewart (the mother of Twilight darling Kristen Stewart and her brother Cameron, who both have cameos in the film). Del Castillo plays a transgender woman named Mousey, who rules her dormitory with an iron, manicured fist. After a successful run on the festival circuit, K-11 is now screening in theaters and available On Demand.

Based on the real-life ward in the Los Angeles County Men’s Central Jail, the film examines relationships between the gay men and trans women incarcerated for various crimes, then housed in a distinct ward to protect them from violence that might be committed against them in the general population. Del Castillo’s Mousey is captivating and nuanced, by turns sweet and vicious, one moment the villain, the next the victim.

Del Castillo left a prolific television career in her native Mexico to pursue the silver screen in the United States. She’s established herself as a crossover success with leading roles in the Fox Searchlight/Weinstein film Under the Same Moon (La Misma Luna), to date the highest-grossing Spanish language theatrical release in the United States. She solidified her status with another starring role, in Telemundo’s Queen of the South (La Reina del Sur), a short-form, prime-time telenovela that attracted more than 8.1 million viewers in its first week on the air in 2011, making it the most successful telenovela premiere in the Web’s history, according to the Internet Movie Database.

But Del Castillo’s turn as Mousey in K-11 is arguably her most nuanced English-speaking performance to date. The Advocate spoke with del Castillo about being a nontrans actress playing a transgender character, her international appeal, and what she learned about the LGBT community while in this role.

The Advocate: You were tremendous in the film. What drew you to the role in the first place?

Kate del Castillo: Well, I was thrilled because… when I first read the script, I thought, OK, would I fit here? So I just love the fact that the director, Jules, thought outside the box and asked me, being a woman, to play the role. So that was a first. I was like, Oh, my God, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. So I was thrilled. And I talked to Jules a lot, trying to find that masculinity, but there is much more of a femininity that I have to be in touch with. So we worked on that, and I think that was the challenge for me as well as the risk. Because there was this very fine line to cross and not be a cartoon, with a role like that. So I had a lot of fun, and I absolutely adored working with Jules, and a role like this.

And how’s the reaction been when the film screened at festivals? 

It’s a hard movie. It’s a harsh movie. It’s not an easy movie. I think it’s doing very well in the festivals, and people are responding very well. There’s people that will like it and people that won’t like it — it’s just for a certain kind of people, maybe. In a way, because I’m a romantic and I will always be, to me, I think it’s also a love story. It is. So that’s the way I see the movie. I think it’s amazing. I think Jules did an amazing job with her opera prima.

You’ve made the jump from Spanish-speaking television to American film, but do you have any concern about playing a trans character, and how that might be received by some of your Latino fans?

I always like to do different things. As an actor, you’re always just wishing and dreaming about playing different characters. And that’s the way I’ve been doing things since I got here. And I left the soap opera — not only soap opera — but those TV things, in Mexico, and I came here. I was working already, but in different roles, and very different from what I was used to. So I think they love it. And they want to see me in different characters, and change my physicality, and not [be] watching the same Kate as always. I think that’s very nice for my fans.

Were you nervous at all to take on this role? 

Absolutely. But not because of that. We always, as actors, we are very insecure human beings. And of course, I was like, Oh, my God, am I going to be able to deliver it the way it should? Because, again, it’s a very fine line, and I don’t want to insult anybody, you know? It’s very delicate. So of course I was very nervous. And it was a big, big challenge. And I hate to talk good about me, but… You need to be very brave to play a role like that, because it’s a lot of risk.

Did you ever get a chance to visit the actual K-11 ward in L.A.?

I couldn’t because there were a lot of issues. They didn’t want us to go there. It was very hard for us to get there, so I couldn’t. But you know what, we shot the whole film inside a jail that was a real jail [that] they wanted to tear down.  And so the whole place was just scary as hell.

I believe that. When I spoke with director Stewart, she actually said that this was a “feel-good movie.” I was kind of surprised by that, because when I saw the film, I felt more like you — that it was a harsh film. It’s well-done, it’s a powerful film, and it affected me, but I wouldn’t say that it’s a feel-good movie, despite the resolution at the end. But what would you say to encourage folks to watch the film, or what would you like to tell folks before they see the film?

It’s very hard to label the movie with one word. It is a feel-good movie at the end. You know, you have revenge. But it’s also a harsh movie. I don’t know exactly, how can I label it? You just said it. It’s a very powerful film, with very colorful characters. Because it is about the characters in this small world inside a jail, and that we really cannot know about. So I think we learn a lot from the movie, about this place, and transgender human beings that we, unfortunately, don’t know a lot about. It’s there, but we really don’t know anything about them. So answering your question, I don’t know. I would say a very powerful movie in many ways.

Do you have any connections to the LGBT community personally, in your life?

No. Well, now I have a lot of friends [who are] transgender. But I’ve done things, and been a grand marshal at the Los Angeles Grand Bicentennial Parade and Festival [celebrating Mexico’s day of independence, in 2009]. I think they like me, and I love them, even before the movie. I am very happy because I learned a lot.

Mousey is such a fierce character, and I think the way you can flip on a switch between being very sweet and kind of coy to just being brutal, I think that was really impressive and believable for your character. 

Thank you so much, and I appreciate you saying that. Because it was a lot of risk and a big, big challenge for me. So I’m glad that you liked it. And yes, I think that she has those things. You feel sorry for her, and on the other hand, she’s a bitch. She is! So yes, she has that duality, which I love.

Did you do any research on transgender identities before you started filming? 

Yes, I did. I did as much as I could, on the Internet, and now you can do so much. And I remembered that amazing movie, Transamerica. So I tried to contact Felicity Huffman’s vocal coach there [Calpernia Addams and Andrea James] and I did, so she helped me a lot.

Watch Del Castillo interact with costars Goran Visnjic (ER), Jason Mewes (the Jay and Silent Bob series), and D.B. Sweeney in the film’s official trailer, below.

Source Advocate

Jules Stewart's interview with Cinema Assassin

There are a few things to know about Jules, first yes she is the mother of Kristen Stewart now that that’s out of the way. Jules just Directed her first feature film K-11, a gritty tale set inside L.A’s LGBT prison ward K-11, which is an actual place. She co wrote it, she directed it and its set for release this Friday. She has a full sleeve of tattoos, She rescues wolves and is Awesome. Check out what she had to say about her debut and the cast for this long in the making project.

CA: How did you go from being a script supervisor to Directing?

JS: Well it wasn’t so easy and it wasn’t something that I planned out, my writing partner and I reached out to a few directors and that fell through. So I decided to do it myself, I stepped up to be the director because quite frankly, In standing next to directors for so many years I felt like I had really good teachers, All of a sudden I had money standing behind me and honestly when your doing a low budget film and you only have 22 days to shoot, you take what you can get and they got me. I mean honestly I dont know how else to say it, its like I didn’t plan on doing it until the very end and I am really happy I did , It was a really enjoyable experience. You realize what you know what you learned from all the years of watching.

CA: How did the story come about?

JS: A young man named Jared Kurt came to me and said I want to write a script about K-11 and I had no idea what it was. He gave me 10-15 pages of a couple of scenes and I thought wow this is pretty crazy. I did some research and found this place is real and I thought why not, this is cool, this is different, I love this. It took us about a year to write the script.

CA: That was one of the things I liked, it wasn’t a traditional story, there was some uniqueness to say the least.

JS: Yeah it’s interesting to me, because K-11 is real, its a real place and because it’s real it has a real timeline, it has structure, it has history. and what we did is we took all of those elements and made up characters and put them in there. Had a record producer, a guy thats rich, a fish out of water, a guy who absolutely does not belong in there. And took the plug out of the tub and watched the water role down the rabbit hole.

CA: Did you actually go and visit the real facility?

JS: Oh yeah on a number of occasions,

CA: How true to life is it? Obviously for dramatic purposes you’re going to have to punch up a few things

JS: Let me just say we shot this at Sybil Brand which is the woman’s jail which is closed down, but the floor plan actually mirrors Men’s County jail. So the dorm itself looks like the dorm. The only difference is the tower where the guards watch the inmates, in the real K-11 its raised up about 5 feet, our tower was on the floor., Aside from that it looks just the same and we copied the colors, the uniforms, everything, from a visual standpoint it looks like K-11, from a story standpoint we made up the story the corruption the guards. Even the color and the lighting is true, pretty accurate.

CA: For a low budget film you put in a lot of detail

JS: sometimes the truth is better than what you can make up, it has that old age, dirty grungy sound, no windows, no soft surfaces, there is an echo in there. it has such a dynamic that is unique. Plus all the lighting is overhead so you have those down angle shadows on people’s faces that are really unattractive, I thought it was great. I am a painter so it’s all about color and lighting, you want it interesting and different

CA: You hit the nail on the head with interesting and different

JS: Thanks I think?

CA: In terms of casting how did that come about? It took me a while to realize that was DB Sweeney in there.

JS: That is Awesome, I have known him quite a while, I never thought of him for this film. for me he is the classic boy next door handsome guy, and that’s not the character. He wanted this role which was great for me since casting is so important. It makes the film. But if you have actors who are just there for a paycheck especially on a small film it really shows, He brought it he stepped outside of his comfort zone in a big way and we designed his character after Hitler, it was a subtle change for him and it made a huge impact.

CA: Kate Del Castillo is big in Mexico, I wasn’t familiar with her and I wasn’t sure if she was a guy or a girl

JS: Awesome

CA: Anybody you wanted that fell through?

JS: Yes and No, Kate was the first person we cast, honestly when I met her I thought this woman is talented and so powerful, She was just the sweetest girl she was so driven, she wanted this role. You have to cast for a film like this people that embrace the characters and bring more, if they’re afraid or intimidated by the character you lost them. Originally my daughter (Kristen Stewart) attached herself to play the role of Butterfly and I thought that would have been amazing but as the years went by and you have got to remember this is six years in the making, Six years ago when my daughter was 16, 17 years old she wanted to play Butterfly really bad. We kind of altered the character to suit her. As time went buy she got really popular she was doing much bigger films. We thought it would be much better for everybody if she went and did Snow White.

CA: Was that a hard conversation?

JS: No not at all, it was better for K-11 at that point, she was too big for K-11, It wouldn’t have been a Kristen Stewart movie, It’s still a Goran Visnjic Film, You know what I mean. She would have been number four on the call sheet. When we found Portia DoubleDay it was sort of kismet. Portia came to the table with all this enthusiasm, She cut off her hair, she had this long blond hair and she cut it off for us and tied it up kind of crazy and stepped into that role so easily, she did an amazing job and she was really fun to work with. I sometimes wonder how it would have been working with Kristen in that role, It’s such a sensitive role, mother daughter it would have been a strange dynamic, As much as I would love to work with my daughter one day I think we all made the right decision.

CA: Yeah that might be tough; filming a rape scene with your daughter and Tiny might not be the easiest thing.

JS: no but it’s funny Portia and Tiny became really good friends and because of their relationship they would laugh between takes they weren’t intimidated they were able to take it to a much darker place, its sometimes difficult to do those kind of scenes but when the actors are not afraid of the material and they are friends of one another. it makes everyone much more at ease. It wasn’t even a closed set. It was ok now we are going to do this, No worries it’s just another scene and then you take it out and edit the movie and you say wow that was really intense. It didn’t feel like it on the set.

CA: It had a nice airy feeling on the set?

JS: We knew it was working but because of the laughter between takes it really wasn’t a big deal. we were working so quickly. You shoot a movie in 22 days you have a lot on your plate. So you don’t have a lot of time to sit around and labor how it feels. We had 46 people in one room and we had to choreograph these scenes so that one blended into the next and they didn’t look like scenes, but like a big ballet that was choreographed.

CA: It’s one thing dealing with an entire prison

JS: Exactly you have no walls so where do you go? One thing that helped was we shot in Continuity. The hair, the makeup the wardrobe didn’t change. You were able to shoot in order to give the actors a foundation to stand on.

CA: How did Jason Mewes come to the project?

JS: Jason is a really good friend of mine and I wanted to use him, I wanted to work with him. The goal was to show everyone that he is not just a goofy comedian that he is a very good actor, a dramatic actor. Unfortunately some of his stuff got cut because of time. I do think that Jason really pulled it off it was a really good character for him.

CA: It seemed like a lot of the characters not only played against type but they pulled it off.

JS: Jason’s a really good friend of mine we have been friends for a long time and I thought how great to work with your friends and for me it’s a big movie this little move for  me is a big movie and it had a lot of challenges a lot of hardships that went along with it. I feel like the casting director Pam Dixon helped me make a lot of good choices, it’s all about casting.

CA: How did it turn out compared to how you anticipated it turning out?

JS: Well, it’s interesting we had a whole opening we shot that shows Raymond how he got into trouble and all that stuff, we decided to throw it away because I didn’t think we needed it. Very much like Cuckoo’s Nest when Jack Nicholson arrives they take the handcuffs off of him and you don’t know why he is there and you don’t need to know. So on that line we decided to start him in the jail, it’s about K-11 it’s not about Raymond Saxx then you find out about the character when he finds out.

CA: Is it true that you have wolves as pets?

JS: HAHA yes its true, I rescue them.

CA: Where do you rescue a wolf from?

JS: From people that can’t handle them, why do you want one?

CA: No I thought it was the coolest thing. When I was young I wanted a monkey and a wolf, Are they domesticated?

JS: They are socialized, I am a tamer, I love them, they come in and out of a doggie door and they live on my property and in my house. It’s very cool.

CA: What’s your next project?

JS: I like edgy films, and have a couple in development, one is a supernatural thriller that starts out in Ancient China, Its about a temple that gets unearthed. It gets deconstructed then reconstructed in the United States along with its residents from 2010 B.C that’s kind of cool, There is another one I want to do with gangs and drugs that takes place in the 70’s in New York, Italians vs the Irish and its all kids. I am kind of excited. Right now you right the scripts and you throw it out to the universe and see what sticks. It takes a long time K-11 is 6 years now, it takes a long time for independent film makers to rev up and get funding. Were hoping to close that gap with a modicum of success from K-11

CA: Was getting distribution hard?

JS: No it actually wasn’t, were with Breaking Glass for domestic distribution and now we are opening up March 15th in 15 cities.

CA: Is it going to be on VOD as well?

JS: Absolutely!

Source CinemaAssassin

K-11 featured in 'On the Red Carpet'

Kristen Stewart's mother, Jules Stewart, has made her directorial debut with the independent prison film "K-11," which was supposed to feature the 'Twilight' actress as a transgender inmate, suspected prostitute and rape victim.

The movie stars "ER" alum Goran Visnjic as a businessman who ends up in a GBT unit of a Los Angeles prison without any memory of how he got there. Inside, he deals with a transsexual "ruler" named Mousey as well as many insane cellmates and corrupt guards.

Kristen was supposed to play the supporting character Butterfly, an transgender inmate who was sent to jail for suspected prostitution and later raped by a fellow prisoner. The role went to Portia Doubleday (check out more info about "K-11" on its official website). Kristen ended up having a small part as a secretary, according to Us Weekly, which quoted Jules as saying that that she cast her daughter in the larger role six years ago, when she was shooting the first "Twilight" film, and that she would have done it justice.

"Kristen has a dark side," Jules told the magazine. "Kristen has the edge -- thank God, right?"

"She got really big and we were still really small and I was like, 'Go! Go do 'Snow White,' please, go make those big films honey, that's wonderful!'" Jules told Us Weekly."

Kristen's "Twilight" co-star, Nikki Reed, was also supposed to star in "K-11." She told MTV News in 2009 that she was originally cast as transsexual prostitute Mousy, a role Kate del Castillo ended up playing.

"It's a great project, and obviously I have a lot of faith in Kristen and her mom, Jules Stewart, who wrote the script and is directing it," Reed told the outlet at the time. "Kristen is playing a boy, and I am playing a man who is quite a few years older than she is."

"K-11" opens in select theaters on March 15. Jules talked to the Los Angeles Times about the difficulty in getting the movie made.

"You would think [it] would be really easy to get financiers if [Kristen] was attached, but it wasn't," Jules told the newspaper. "You can't take ['Twilight's'] Bella Swan and put her in jail with a bunch of transvestites and expect people to go, 'Oh yeah, no problem.'"

For the last 25 years, Kristen's mother, a native of Australia, worked as a script supervisor on movies such as "Little Giants," "Mortal Kombat," "Phantom," "Flubber" and "Jingle All The Way" as well as TV shows such as "Picket Fences," "The Practice" and "The Sarah Silverman Program."

Jason Mewes, who plays stoner Jay in many of friend Kevin Smith's comedy films, also appears in "K-11" as an inmate charged with possesion of an illegal substance with intent to deliver. Kristen's brother Cameron, 27, "K-11," also has a part in the movie, which marks his on-screen debut. He plays a prisoner named Sledgehammer.

Source On the Red Carpet

Review: Jules Stewart’s debut delivers the 'most eclectic mix of prison characters since HBO’s OZ' (Cinema Assassin)

A record producer is wrongfully put into LA counties LGBT unit know as K-11,rampant with  corruption with a dorm run by the transsexual mousey

Raymond Saxx (Goren Visnjic) has woken up in jail semi coherent still under the effects of drugs and alcohol and  rather than being in general population he finds himself in K-11.  Ray tries  to figure out what has happened to him while simultaneously trying to survive in the dorm which is ruled by Mousey (Kate del Castillo) a transsexual who is in a relationship with Sgt. Johnson (DB Sweeney)  the corrupt guard who thinks he runs the whole show.

First time Director Jules Stewart(yes she is Kristen’s mother) brings together the most eclectic mix of characters in a prison drama since HBO’s OZ. The lines of gay and straight get blurred, with menace always in the air. Slowly unfolding the details as to why Raymond is in jail in the first place, as well as a multitude of subplots regarding the inmates. Jules has virtually the entire cast playing against type yet pulling it of. While not being familiar with Kate del Castillo’ work her turn as Mousey was successfully convincing, the spit fire Latina is first introduced with a five o clock shadow and a don’t challenge me attitude she runs k-11 and the dorm knows it. Her turn as a chick with a dick is so convincing It wasn’t till after the film that I found out her actual gender. Jason Mewes shows he is more than just smokin weed and saying snoogins in Kevin Smith films,  he has some dramatic acting chops as Mousey’s bitch running the drug operation. It’s nice to know there is more than just comedy in his repertoire. The standout of the film is easily DB Sweeney  as Sgt Johnson Sweeney   completely transformed himself and became the character, if you long for the guy from “the cutting edge” you have come to the wrong place. This guy is just such a, disgusting and morally bankrupt person that you can’t help but be impressed, I never realized he had it in him.

The dorm is depressing, the place is corrupt and we have a successful guy thrown into the deep waters while  we watch him assimilate into the most foreign of territories. Drugs, Rape, Gender Identity, homosexuality, are all a backdrop for Ray’s story. Jules makes a successful debut delivering an intriguing story with a sly twist at the end that ties things up better than duct tape at a tranny convention.

Grade – 83

Source Cinema Assassin

Kate del Castillo talks to South Florida Gay News about K-11

The prison drama K-11 is set in the LGBT unit of the Los Angeles county jail. The cell is “run” by the self-appointed Queen Bee, Mousey (Kate del Castillo), a transgender prisoner. She warns the new inmate, Raymond Saxx, Jr. (Goran Visnjic), not to mess with her and is in cahoots with Sgt. Johnson (D.B. Sweeney), a corrupt, drug-fueled guard who is in love with her. Del Castillo steals the film, sinking her teeth into a juicy role.

On the phone from Los Angeles, the Mexican actress, who was recently in Miami filming a short for Univision, spoke about making K-11 and playing Mousey.

How did you prepare for this outrageous role?

Jules [Stewart, the director] could have cast a male actor—that’s an easy way to go. For me, this is was the opportunity of a lifetime. I learned so much about the transgender world, and what trans means. I felt sorry for how ignorant I was about what they go through.

From her makeup to her fabulous shoes—Mousey was very distinctive. How did you create her “look”?

Love the shoes! This is a transwoman who’s a junkie. We didn’t want to do her makeup like a cartoon—there’s a very fine line. We tried to find something that would make people at her stare at her. She’s attractive, but a little creepy.

Mousey is heavily tattooed. Are you heavily tattooed?

I am!  I have one on my foot–an arrow that means freedom. And a Pi on my left shoulder. I wanted to put an infinity sign, but it didn’t look right. Under my belly button, I have a design I like. And then I have two on my fingers—one says “love” and one says “live,” and I have “inner strength” on my wrist and “here now” below it. When my father saw my first tattoo, he said “Your body is sacred, when I brought you into this world, you were intact. What did you do?” I have seven now, so he’s like, “Ok, whatever!”

Your tough! How was it to play a Queen Bee?  When you assert, “I am that Bitch!” I got goosebumps!

[LAUGHS]. It’s funny you say that, because for me, it’s difficult to find the feminine side. The masculine part I have; the feminine side, I had to work on. That’s weird, but it’s true. When I wore the makeup and shoes, I just owned it. You have to go deep and not let it affect you. She’s a badass character. She has a duality—you feel sorry for her, and you hate her. It becomes “How far can you go?” and “How far will the director let you go to get this emotion out of you?” We understood what the world means to Mousey—she feels secure inside the prison. The streets are dirty. In K-11, it’s “I am someone. I rule. I am that Bitch.” Outside, she’s just another junkie working her ass off.

Your co-star D.B. Sweeney told me that he was Prince Charming to Mousey’s Snow White. How did you see the characters and their relationship?

[LAUGHS]. It’s funny he said that. He’s right in a way. He is really in love—or obsessed—with her. She’s just using him to get the drugs. He knows she has sexual power over him, and she uses it. Why not?

Do you have any experience in or with prison?

[LAUGHS] No! Never!

Do you have a favorite prison movie?

Oh! AH! That’s interesting… The one with Sean Penn. Dead Man Walking. And I love Bad Boys and The Shawshank Redemption, too.

Source via @K11OfficialFilm 

Video: Jules Stewart's interview with Marc Malkin on E! News (LQ)

Jules' interview starts at 0.48mins.

To watch the HD version of this interview and another part, click on the above screen-cap of Jules. (Video interview can't be embedded)

Kristen Stewart may have dropped out of her mom Jules Stewart's directorial debut, K-11, but that doesn't mean she isn't in the film.

Kristen makes a vocal cameo in the film about a businessman, Raymond Saxx (played by Goran Visnjic), who finds himself thrown into the gay and transsexual unit of a Los Angeles jail after he's arrested for drug use.

"We had one role that we couldn't find the right voice for and it's Raymond's secretary," Jules told me at her Libertine Films production offices in L.A. "As he's on the telephone frantically trying to call outside, trying to get information, his secretary answers the phone and talks to him, and that, in fact, is Kristen. It was perfect, because she came in at the very last second and banged it out. It was perfect."

The movie star’s mother manages to find a spot for Kristen Stewart in her directorial debut. Hear about the cool Easter egg..

Kristen had originally signed on to play Butterfly, a young transsexual woman who's in jail for murder.

"The timing was just bad and it also wasn't going to be a Kristen Stewart movie," Jules said. "She would be No. 4 on the list and she was willing to do it, but we acknowledged that the public wasn't willing to let her do that. She would be No. 4 [but] she would always be No. 1. That's really not fair for the other actors that really did drive the story it was better for everybody that she wasn't involved."

In K-11, Katie del Castillo costars as Mousy, an inmate who rules the unit with sex, drugs and violence. Stewart, who also cowrote the screenplay, tried to cast a male actor or a transgendered actress, but couldn't find the right fit. "It was easier to take a woman and ask her to play a man transitioning into a woman than it was to take a man and have him transition into a woman," she said. "I felt that the characters were much more believable and fierce with that feminine side."

Jules' son Cameron has a small role of a jailhouse baddie in the movie.

Nope, he doesn't want the kind of fame his sister has. "He's done a few things and he's willing to do things if it's the right project," Jules explained. "But he's not out there beating the sidewalk trying to get an acting job. He's a grip in the movie industry and he's quite happy doing that and he's quite successful."

She does hope to direct Kristen some day. "I don't think anybody in the hot seat, in the director's chair would turn down the opportunity to work with somebody who is really talented," Jules said.

For now, she's trying to get to the attention she's receiving for K-11 as well as the publicity she has to do for the flick. She's learned what to do—and not to do—when dealing with the press by watching her daughter.

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"Well, not to touch my hair [during interviews], try not to be nervous," Jules said, adding, "I've learned a lot from my daughter. She's really smart and she's really funny and she's got a real solid handle on her position in life, and I really respect her for that. She's solid. She's rooted, really solid. She's an old soul. We love her for that."

Article Source E!Online

Thanks to Twilighters y V for the Youtube. 

Via @KstewAngel 

Jules Stewart interview with Mingle Media TV

Experience. Passion for Storytelling.

For the past 25 + years Jules Stewart has worked in TV and Movies as a script supervisor, representing the writers on set, sitting next to directors and DPs (director of photography) taking notes and ensuring the continuity of the project is sound.

For K-11, she moves over a chair to the director’s seat and brings the story to life. Stewart co-wrote K-11 with Jared Kurt who came to her with six pages and this story idea. The collaboration began with research and understanding the “real” place this film would be set in. There were no hidden agendas, no political statements, just telling a story.

That’s where many projects get de-railed.

Too many times the script or story starts out with one voice and vision, but not K-11, it was not designed by committee where others start injecting their voice and before you know it, your story is no longer yours. Stewart told me that she had the movie funded three times but two of them fell through. It wasn’t until meeting with some investors from France that she found the right partners. Their only requirement was that she stay as close to the script as possible.

Add up her experience and her artistic bent and you’ll understand why it was only natural for her to make the jump to be in full control as a director.

During our conversation, Stewart shared that she had some very good teachers. In fact, if you look at her IMDb credits, you’ll see some very impressive projects from dramas to action to comedies and family films proving that she’s had the “on the job training” to be a successful director as she’s worked with some very accomplished filmmakers over the years.

Shot in Continuity Order.

What does that mean? Most film or TV projects are shot out-of-order because you may only need to be at one location for a day with two or three actors so it makes sense to group them together and shoot the scenes out-of-order to keep costs down. But K-11 was shot in twenty-two days in continuity order which is unusual. The benefits were that the cast knew where the story was going and could go with the flow of the scenes being shot. Plus most of the movie is set in a large room where 46 people had to work together to tell the story as directed by Stewart. As you watch the movie, you’ll see how the camera almost plays the role of one of the inmates and you’re seeing their POV (point of view) as the story unravels.

There is a story within a story here. One where Goran Visnjic’s character Ray Saxx, a very successful record producer gets put in jail for a “187″ (murder) but is so strung out on drugs that he doesn’t know where he is. That’s when D.B. Sweeney’s character LT. Gerald Johnson, a shady sheriff’s deputy, jumps in to take him to his special ward inside of the LA County Jail, the one designated for gay and transgendered male prisoners, K-11.

Once in K-11, the audience sees life behind bars, not good or bad, just a slice of life during the time that “Ray Saxx” is inside. There is truth to this side of the film as Stewart and Kurt’s story shows the inmates as they go about their business, from “Mousey,” expertly played by Kate del Castillo, who runs the ward to “Butterfly” played by Portia Doubleday (who also delivers a stellar performance) a delicate character who morphs as the world around “her” (sorry, not into spoilers)…

Raw. Real. Not Heavy.

When I started watching the screener, it was on my second computer and as usual I was “working” on my other one when I had to stop, rewind, and just sit back and be in the audience. At first, you’re startled by the realistic setting, reminding me of “scared straight” episodes where it’s raw and real and you wanted to get out of there. Then you are pulled in and follow the “camera” to watch the events unfold. Personally, this movie had me feeling a range of emotions from relief, (that feeling of never being in that situation and thank god it has never happened to me) to frustration, to fear, to satisfaction. It started dark but left you light at the end. Unburdened, if you will, but still haunted by the situation that won’t change.

As much as I’d like to say this movie is for everyone, it’s not. It wasn’t meant to be for everyone. That’s okay with Stewart. She just wanted to tell a story, no hidden agenda. Is it a good story? Yes, it is. The movie delivers the vision and voice of the story. When you put time into creating a story and then tell it your way, and are pleased with your work, that’s all that matters. Remember the saying “art is subjective” and keep an open mind and just listen to the story.

K-11 is directed and co-written by Jules Stewart with Jared Kurt co-writing and stars Goran Visnjic (Red Widow, Beginners, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), Kate del Castillo (La Reina del Sur), Portia Doubleday (Youth in Revolt), D.B. Sweeney (Hard Ball), Jason Mewes (Clerks), Tommy ‘Tiny’ Lister (The Dark Knight), Tara Buck (True Blood; Justified) and Cameron Stewart in his feature film debut.

K-11 Opens in 15 Cities and on Video on Demand March 15th 2013

Los Angeles: Laemmle’s NoHo Theater, March 15 -22
New York: Cinema Village, March 15 – 22
San Diego: Digital Gym (Grand Opening), March 29 – April 5
San Francisco: Roxie Theater, March 22 – 29
Columbus: Gateway Film Center, March 15 – 22
Denver: Starz Film Center, March 22 – 29
Tempe: Harkins Valley Art, March 15 – 22
Daytona: Cinematique of Daytona, March 23 (Special engagement)
Detroit: Cass City Cinema 3/15
Fort Lauderdale: Cinema Paradiso 3/15
Stroudsburg, PA: Living Room Theater 3/15

Find more details on watching it OnDemand here.

Source Mingle Media TV

Jules Stewart interview with NY Daily News

Independent films and Italian dishes, that’s what Kristen Stewart’s mom Jules Stewart has cooking.

The first of those is “K-11,” opening March 15 in theaters and OnDemand, the debut directorial effort from the longtime script supervisor. The latter is a reference to a lasagna cook-off the Australian-born film industry vet held against her daughter, star of the “Twilight” films, “Snow White and the Huntsman” and “On the Road.”

”I made a sausage-based lasagna, and Kristen made a cheese and marinara. We had friends come over as blind judges and she won,” says the woman the Twihard crowd refers to as “MamaStew.”

”K-11” is an old-school exploitation film starring ”ER’s” Goran Visnjic as a wrongly imprisoned record exec placed in a jail wing for transgendered and gay cons. Character actors like Jason Mewes, Tommy ’Tiny’ Lister and D.B. Sweeny costar, while some of the transgendered characters are not played by men-as-women, but by actresses pretending to be men transformed to women. Among them is Mexican superstar Kate del Castillo as the violent leader Mousey.

Alas, daughter Kristen is not in the film, though her voice is heard for a brief moment over the phone.

”We know it’s not a film for everyone,” says the heavily tattooed Stewart. “We’re okay with that. But midnight audiences in gay neighborhoods dressing up as the characters? That’s my dream come true. I would love to see Mousey for Halloween.”

"Twilight" fans have taken to Jules Stewart. In addition to having her own well-trafficked MamaStew tag on tumblr, the Twihards with have created at least one "K-11" Internet fan site, something virtually unheard of for a microbudget film from a first-time director about a fringe topic. 

When Jules tweeted "Hey, anybody seen Kristen? Ask her to call her mom," the Internet exploded (5,000 retweets, 3,000 favorites) and speculative interpretation was like a meeting of Talmudic scholars. Commenter @Spitfire_King had a nice spin, noting "no matter what level you work, a parent chasing offspring for contact."

While Jules Stewart doesn’t claim credit for her 22-year-old daughter’s cooking prowess (”maybe I influenced her a little?”) she is quick to quip that the Hollywood star’s apple pie is ”extraordinary and award-winning.”

Far less evocative of ”apple pie” is the new film Jules is serving up. The independent production ”K-11” is a fictional film set in a very real opt-in wing of the Los Angeles County Jail for detainees who are transgendered or gay.

”It’s the only place in a jail system where race is not an issue,” she says. “Being gay or transgendered binds them all together. And, yes, there is a fashion show every Thursday.”

While this is Jules’ first film as a director, she’s been working behind the scenes for decades. Her credits as a script supervisor are diverse, ranging from David Lynch’s 1999 ”The Straight Story” to comedies like 2004’s ”Soul Plane.”

While that job is all about checking for continuity, it’s not an attribute she takes home with her. ”If I come to your house for a cocktail I’m not going to come back two months later and tell you what’s been moved,” Stewart jokes. “In my job I’m a paid observer, in life I don’t scrutinize.”

It was while she was up in Canada working on the Cuba Gooding Jr. film ”Snow Dogs” when her daughter Kristen was on set with Jodie Foster shooting director David Fincher’s  ”Panic Room.” It resulted in Kristen’s biggest movie up to that time, and a special kind of Hollywood rite-of-passage.

”I wasn’t there for her birthday, so Jodie threw her a party on set,” Stewart says. “She hired a Mariachi band and had Mexican catering and everyone brought her presents. Jodie did all this while she was pregnant. When I came down for the end of the shoot, she said ’thank you for having your daughter.’”

”I’ve seen it firsthand. If publications have no news about someone, they make it up, and it hurts people,” Stewart says. “I’ve read in magazines at the grocery store that my daughter is pregnant, that she’s having a three-headed baby, that she married an alien. Obviously some stories are so ridiculous you know they can’t be true. But other false stories could potentially be true. As a mother, it is difficult to read things that I know for a fact are not true.”

As for what’s really true, well, that’s something MamaStew isn’t going to discuss. ”That has nothing to do with my film or me,” she politely, but firmly, states.

Source NYDailyNews

Jules Stewart's interview with the LA Times

One of Hollywood's biggest movie stars often retreats to a nondescript building on a quiet industrial street in Van Nuys. For Kristen Stewart, the hide-out provides an escape from prying eyes of the paparazzi, a place where she can play arcade games and read scripts in her own private office. And if the 22-year-old ever needs motherly advice, all she has to do is walk down the hallway.

That's where her mom, Jules Stewart, is busy plotting her own career. At 58, the elder Stewart is trying to emerge from the shadow of her daughter, who rocketed to fame on the vampire franchise "Twilight."

After spending three decades as a script supervisor on films such as "Mortal Kombat" and "Little Giants," Stewart's directorial debut "K-11" will hit theaters Friday. But she's worried that people will think the only reason she got her $3-million gritty, L.A. jail drama made was because of her famous offspring.

"It's extremely frustrating for me, because she's 22 years old and I'm almost 60," said Stewart, who looks almost Goth with her long jet-black hair, chunky silver rings and sleeve of tattoos. "In terms of life experience — hello! — I have it all over her. It's not like I came out of nowhere."

Stewart has worked on dozens of films since arriving in Hollywood at age 16 from her native Australia. Her knowledge of the industry helped her daughter break into the business: The young actress' first role — she had no lines — was in 1999's "The Thirteenth Year," a Disney Channel television movie on which her mom was also employed.

Director Brian Levant, who has collaborated with Stewart on pictures such as "Are We There Yet?" and "Snow Dogs," said he has long felt Stewart had the potential to command a set. As a script supervisor, she learned a lot about how directors work, serving as the liaison between the director and the editing room. She monitored shoots on sets daily, taking notes on what scenes have taken place and ensuring the internal continuity of the movie by making sure actors looked and sounded the same from shot-to-shot.

"She's a very strong woman. She's got a black belt, for God's sake," he said with a chuckle. "On my movies, she would come up to me and whisper, 'Isn't this scene really about so-and-so?' She wasn't just marking the tape and making people match. She was really more concerned with the big picture."

"K-11" was initially supposed to feature Kristen Stewart, who was willing to take a supporting role in the picture even after she became a household name. Her mother — who co-wrote the movie with Jared Kurt — eagerly reworked the part, tailoring it to Kristen — but when the actress' schedule became too hectic, she dropped out.

The role may have been a stretch for the tween star anyway. The film is set in a dormitory called K-11 that houses self-identified gay and transgender inmates in Los Angeles' Men's Central Jail. The Sheriff's Department began K-11 — real name: K6G — in 1985 in an effort to protect gay inmates from sexual and physical abuse.

Kurt actually spent time in the module and came to Stewart to help him make a movie loosely based on his experience.

"You would think [it] would be really easy to get financiers if [Kristen] was attached, but it wasn't," Stewart said. "You can't take ['Twilight's'] Bella Swan and put her in jail with a bunch of transvestites and expect people to go, 'Oh yeah, no problem.'"

Still, "K-11" is trading on the actress' name to promote the film. In email blasts to reporters, Jules Stewart is being touted as "more than just Kstew's mom."

In fact, "Youth in Revolt" star Portia Doubleday took on the part once envisioned for Kristen Stewart, joining a little-known cast that includes "E.R." veteran Goran Visnjic and Stewart's 27-year-old brother, Cameron, who makes his living as a grip and has his acting debut in "K-11."

The project, Stewart said, was financed by two French businessmen she met at a dinner party who were looking to get into show business; she declined to identify them by name.

With scenes of rape and drug-dealing, "K-11" doesn't stray from dark subject matter — but Stewart has long had an interest in the macabre. Her Valley-based production company, Libertine Films, is decorated with vintage weaponry, oversized crucifixes and numerous images of wolves. Stewart has actually rescued wolves, and keeps four as pets. (And no, Twi-hards, her obsession has nothing to do with Jacob.)

"I was that weird little kid that sat in front of the TV set and watched 'Frankenstein' and 'The Werewolf' and 'The Mummy,'" she recalled. "Those are like the ultimate stories. It's sort of like bad news travels fast. No one cares that you're rich and you're happy and you're beautiful — they want to know that you're sick and there's some crazy secret."

There's no doubt that she's a proud mom. Still, she struggles to curb her competitive instincts with her own daughter.

"To the world, I have no name. I am 'Mama Stew' — that's what they call me, all of her zillions of fans. Or I'm Kristen's mom; I'm famous for being her mom," she said with a shrug. "Most of the female directors that are successful in this business came up through the ranks. And I'm hoping to follow in their footsteps. I have my own career. My own thing going on. And I would hate to think that it's because of my 22-year-old that I got to direct a movie."

Even the star of her movie understands her frustration. Visnjic, who plays an inmate who mistakenly lands in K-11, said that in the weeks leading up to the film's 15-theater release, he's noticed that the majority of the reports about the film is about Kristen.

"I just read some review about the film, and it was really good, but the big title was, 'Kristen Stewart's new movie,'" the actor said. "Underneath, they explained she only gave a voice-over for one tiny little scene. People try to make it about Kristen, but the fact is, this is Jules' movie, and Kristen doesn't have anything to do with it."

Source LATimes

Jules Stewart's interview with the Phoenix Movie Examiner

Jules Stewart, mother of “The Twilight Saga” star Kristen Stewart, recently spoke with Phoenix Movie Examiner about her feature-length directorial debut “K-11.”

In “K-11,” which opens Friday, March 15 exclusively at Harkins Valley Art, Goran Visnjic plays a record producer who comes around after bringing on drink and drugs and finds himself in a section of the Los Angeles County Jail reserved for homosexuals, which is ruled by a transsexual named Mousey (Kate del Castillo).

Question: Tell me about the inception of this motion picture. Where did this idea come from?

Jules: I met a young man named Jared Kurt who knew about K-11. He came to me with the idea about writing a screenplay about it. Part of the allure was I didn't know anything about it. I didn't even know it existed. So after doing a little bit of research, I thought, “Sure, why not?” The goal was to write a screenplay and make a film that wasn't like any other film out there - something new, unique, different and original. That is quite a concept in Hollywood these days.

Q: That is too true. So what kind of research did you do in pre-production?

Jules: Well, we went to K-11. We got a tour. We met the people who run it. We learned what the rules were, what the schedule was and how it is laid out. Then we invented characters and put them in that situation.

Q: Speaking of inventing characters, you have quite a few fascinating ones in this film - none more so than Mousy. Tell me about her and the actress by which she is portrayed.

Jules: Kate del Castillo plays Mousy. She is a Mexican actress and I think that she is probably better known in the Hispanic community. She was referred to me by a friend of mine out of New York who does commercials. I was looking for a strong female character that could play a man turning into a woman so it was quite a unique request. But when I met Kate, I knew instantly that she was the girl.

Q: You are right. That is quite a unique request. What did you do as a director to help Kate and her co-stars get into character?

Jules: There are three girls in the film that play boys turning into girls. We asked these girls to step outside of their comfort zone and do something that they had never done before. In order to make them more comfortable doing that, you really want to supply them with whatever it takes. They actually wore prosthetics to help them to change their body language, the way they walked and the way they carried themselves. I think it was more of an internal thing but it seemed to work. In Kate’s case, it was mostly the makeup. She shaved her eyebrows and her whole face is completely made up and very mask-esque. I think that makes a big difference when you look in the mirror and do not see yourself anymore. You see the character.

Q: I understand that your daughter Kristen was originally attached to play one of those girls - Butterfly - before Portia Doubleday took on the role. Tell me about that.

Jules: She was working on “Twilight” when we were writing the script. I went up to be with her for a while and she read it and she really liked it. She sort of attached herself to play Butterfly and tried to attach her friend Nikki Reed to play Mousy. But, as an independent filmmaker, it is very difficult to get things financed. off the ground and actually into production. As time went on, her career skyrocketed and she had the opportunity to do “Snow White and the Huntsman” at the same time that we were going to make “K-11.” We just sort of decided that it would probably be better for her career to do “Snow White and the Huntsman.” That is when I found Portia, who I think is just an amazing young actress and really did a terrific job as that character.

Q: But Kristen does still have a part in the project, right?

Jules: She has what we call a micro-cameo, which is just a voice-over. She plays a secretary on the telephone. She actually did that for me as a favor because we were trying to find someone to do it and everyone seemed kind of funny in front of the microphone. You know, people get nervous. Finally, she said, “I'll do it.” And one take later it was finished.

Q: This is your feature-length directorial debut. Were you at all nervous about that?

Jules: To be honest with you, I was a little nervous. I had never thought that I would end up being a director. It is a huge responsibility and I never actually believed anyone would have that much faith in me. It is funny, though. You are put in a situation where you have no time to think about those kinds of things because you are faced with a schedule that you have to meet, actors that you have to deal with and characters that you have to develop. You are basically on a timeline so you just do what you have to do to get it done.

Q: So then would you say that you learned anything about yourself as a result of the experience?

Jules: I think you learn a lot about yourself when push comes to shove. Can you really do it? Can you deliver the goods? I was always afraid to talk in front of a lot of people. I was quite shy. I think that at some point you have to let all those things go because you have to do what is best for the film. And what is best for the film is to take charge and tell people what the story is and what they need to do and what their motivation is. You are basically driving the bus.

Source Examiner

Video: CelebTV talk about Kate del Castillo in K-11

We’re used to seeing the film and telenovela actress always put together and carrying herself like a perfect lady would, but Kate Del Castillo is ready to show fans a whole new side to her. a transsexual side that is. In her latest movie, she plays a rather crude role and is quite convincing as a tough character. She can be seen sashaying around her bunk mates, making sure everyone knows who is in charge. The film is about a record producer played by Goran Visnjic who wakes up one day in cell block k-11, a section of the prison reserved for homosexuals and transsexuals.

Source CelebTVLatino

Via @KstewAngel with thanks.

Jules Stewart interview with US Weekly

"I can't watch Spider-Man anymore," Jules tells Us Weekly. "I just can't watch six variations of the same thing -- it just makes me a little crazy." Instead, Jules sought out to make a film that she hoped would make people think a little bit more about something unique and different.

Set inside a section of the Los Angeles County Jail reserved for LGBT inmates, K-11 explores the politics of race and gender equality through Raymond Saxx (Goran Visnjik), a businessman who is forced to deal with violence, crooked cops and a manipulative transgendered inmate named Mousey (Kate Del Castillo) on his quest to escape K-11, all while piecing together how he ended up there in the first place.

"In the dorm, there's no racial issues -- they're all gay or transgender," Jules says. "That's what holds them together. So race is not an issue, which was a big message in this film. . . It doesn't matter what color you are, everybody is the same."

The film also stars Portia Doubleday as Butterfly, a role that Kristen had originally attached herself to six years ago while she was filming the first Twilight movie. The unexpected success of the franchise took Kristen's career in a completely different direction.

"She kept working and she kept working and she kept working," Jules explains. "And she got really big and we were still really small and I was like, 'Go! Go do Snow White, please, go make those big films honey, that's wonderful!'"

Kristen does have a small part in the film as a secretary who picks up a very important phone call. Though Jules stands by her decision to recast her daughter's original role, the filmmaker still believes that Kristen would have done the part justice. "Kristen has a dark side," she tells Us. "Kristen has the edge -- thank god, right?"

K-11 will be released on March 15 in 15 cities across the U.S. and will be available On Demand through local cable companies. Visit www.K11TheMovie.com for more information on where K-11 is playing.

We also have an updated list that you can go to here, with links to the theaters and ticketing.

Source thanks to @K11OfficialFilm