Here is Festival Director Al Nigrin’s interview with Pavan Moondi. Pavan is the director and writer of the terrific Canadian feature film Middle Life. Middle Life screens with two shorts at the New Jersey International Film Festival on Saturday, May 30, 2026.
Nigrin: Your feature film Middle Life focuses on a man and a woman going through midlife crises who are able to find comfort and renewal in each other after making their unexpected connection. Tell us a bit about the history behind making this film.
Moondi: I had been sitting on the general idea for a while - a movie about someone who is in a car accident and comes out of it with a new perspective on life that has them trying to make the most of every day in small ways - but specifically pointing the lens not at that person, but about someone who's living their own life and has this person's epiphany and way of living thrust upon them and the joyful chaos that might ensue.
I pitched the general idea to Leah and Peter who encouraged me to go off and flesh it out into a fuller treatment/script. While I was doing that, I had a realization that a lot of the movies I had been watching lately were old school romantic comedies that were essentially comfort movies, and decided that this idea I had could be a great setup to make a film in that style, with my own twist on it.
Once Leah and Peter were on-board, we refined the script and then collaboratively went out and raised the money very quickly. From the day I pitched the initial idea to the first day of shooting, it was only about 4 months.
Nigrin: Your film features two terrific lead actors Leah Fay Goldstein as Andi and Peter Dreimanis as Ryan. You can’t take your eyes off of them. How did you find them and tell us how you ended up having them star in your film?
Moondi: Leah and Peter are together in a rock band called July Talk. I first saw the band perform at a film festival party in 2013 or 2014, and happened to be struggling to cast the lead actress in a micro-budget feature film I was making at that time. Leah's a very charismatic and fearless on-stage performer, and it occurred to me that could be a useful skill for the film I was making. We offered her the part as soon as she got off stage and we ended up making that film together, called DIAMOND TONGUES, that Peter ended up shooting (in addition to being a musician and actor, Peter has a long history as a cinematographer).
I worked with both of them in that same capacity once again on my film SUNDOWNERS, but in advance of making MIDDLE LIFE, Peter was cast in Ryan Coogler's SINNERS and had captured the acting bug. So it made sense to collaborate this time with both of them as actors.
Nigrin: Jared Raab’s guerilla-style cinematography is amazing. His handheld camera work is so fluid. Tell us more about how he came to be the DP on your film.
Moondi: Jared is one of my best friends who I've known for years and he also has a long history with Leah and Peter's band July Talk - he's been on the road with them as their videographer and used to be Peter's roommate when we came into each other's orbits. When we knew we were going to be making this film, and trying to do it with a sense of urgency and thus limited resources, we knew Jared was the perfect person to collaborate with us on this. He has a long history of guerilla-style shooting with his other projects, and I think was interested in the idea of working on something that was aspiring to have a nostalgic feel reminiscent of 70s or 80s romcoms, which is very different from everything else he's done.
The film generally adopts a looser handheld style in scenes with Andie and Ryan, and a more composed, static approach in scenes with Andie in her home life.
Nigrin: How did you stage the car crash at the beginning of the film?
Moondi: We were able to rent a junked car for around $600, had a friend who had access to a forklift and threw it onto an industrial road with very minimal traffic! It was the final thing we shot, was freezing cold, and had the most potential to go sideways, but luckily it went off without a hitch. We called the police in advance to notify them of the shoot, but just didn't have the resources for anything beyond that. We shot the scene on long lenses with such a tiny crew that several passersby were alarmed and thought it was real.
Nigrin: Ben Fox’s retro music is also wonderful. Tell us more about the score and how it came to be.
Moondi: Ben Fox is an extremely talented and prolific composer in Canada who we've all also been friends with for years. When he came on-board to do the film I generally gave him a brief that I wanted the score to feel like it was from the 1970s or early 80s - heavy on saxophones and catchy - and particularly inspired by work of composer Bill Conti - and also the theme from Taxi.
It was a necessary element to try to capture that warm and cozy feeling that became the film's MO, but also hopefully elevates the film well beyond its meager means.
Nigrin: Are there any memorable stories while you made this film or any other info about your film you would like to relay to us?
Moondi: We shot the film in 15 days with very little money, no small feat for a film that takes place both in Toronto and Los Angeles. Our Los Angeles shoot happened to fall about a week after the peak of the L.A. fires, which presented a multitude of challenges including last-minute-location changes and a constant monitoring of air quality. Shooting with a tiny crew ended up being an asset in this regard, as it allowed us to shoot with a low profile in moments when it feels like the city was on edge. There's a section of the film that takes place near the Hollywood Walk of Fame that was shot with a crew of just myself and Jared with the camera, with the actors wearing and managing their own lavalier mics. I hope the film serves as an inspiration for what can be made on a tiny budget with the help of your (talented and dedicated) friends.
Middle Life screens with two of shorts at the New Jersey International Film Festival on Saturday, May 30, 2026 In-Person Only at 7PM in Voorhees Hall #105/Rutgers University, 71 Hamilton Street, New Brunswick, NJ 08901! Get more info and buy tickets here.
Here is more info on the films that will be shown at this screening.
Sundays – Ashley Gerst (Stoney Point, New York) In this intimate, 2D animated, memoir, a daughter navigates the aftermath of loss as she reflects on the weekly rituals she once shared with her father. 2026; 7 min.
Counterfeit Kids – James Sclafani (Washington, D.C.) Set in Baltimore in the 1980s, Counterfeit Kids is told through Nic, an eighteen-year-old who finds friendship and refuge with her foster brother Jude. Jude is a gifted artist and a counterfeiter. 2026; 11 min.
Middle Life – Pavan Moondi (Glendale, California) Middle Life follows Andie (Leah Fay Goldstein), a perfectionist wedding planner in her mid-thirties and new mother, who has meticulously crafted her life but still feels unfulfilled. Fresh off maternity leave, she saves Ryan (Peter Dreimanis, SINNERS), a blue-collar plumber, from a roadside accident. As their paths intertwine over the next year, her craving for change and his newfound perspective on life spark an unexpected connection, leading them to discover that life could be great. Middle Life stars July Talk singers/bandmates Leah Fay Goldstein and Peter Dreimanis. 2025; 84 min.
The 31st Annual New Jersey International Film Festival will be taking place on select Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays between May 29-June 7, 2026. The Festival will be a hybrid one as we will be presenting it online as well as doing in-person screenings at Rutgers University. Most of the films will be available virtually via Video on Demand for 24 hours on their show date. VOD start times are at 12 Midnight Eastern USA. Each General Admission Ticket or Festival Pass purchased is good for both the virtual and the in-person when both are offered. The in-person screenings will be held in Voorhees Hall #105/Rutgers University, 71 Hamilton Street, New Brunswick, NJ beginning at 5PM or 7PM on their show date. General Admission Ticket=$15 Per Program; Festival All Access Pass=$120; In-Person Only Student Ticket=$10 Per Program. For more info on the Film festival go here: https://2026newjerseyinternationalfilmfestival.eventive.org/welcome
