Alison Tavel on Realizing RESYNATOR (SXSW2024) – Valerie Kalfrin interviews
When she started making the documentary Resynator, Alison Tavel imagined she’d introduce viewers to the “super-trippy” synthesizer her late father invented. But once she unpacked the device from storage, she dug up family secrets, such as his depression and insecurities. “There was a moment when I thought I should stop filming,” she said, recalling hearing of her dad’s troubles for the first time. “The narrative was way more personal than I was intending it to be. … [I thought,] ‘I don’t need to show the whole world this.’” She was so unsettled, she phoned her mom, then thought about it some more, realizing, “Maybe this is the story I need to tell.”
Resynator debuted at the 2024 SXSW Film Festival, winning an Audience Award for Feature Documentary.
