Fest Track On Sirk TV Film Interview: WHISTLE [DOC NYC 2025 - New York, New York - Virtual] - Part II

2 days ago

Subject/Whistler Lauren Elder talks to Fest Track about approach, expectation and the whistling community in regards to her documentary: "Whistle" which was the Opening Film as part of the Art & Design section of DOC NYC 2025 in New York, New York.

Transcript

00:00Well, because everybody has their

00:28own vulnerabilities. You know, the thing

00:30is, is that, you know, we see some

00:32with you, some of the anxiety

00:34and that's, but everybody has anxieties.

00:37Everybody needs community

00:38and everyone needs support. And

00:40that is something that is so beautiful

00:42about the whistling

00:44community that I have found and I

00:46know that many others have spoken

00:48about is that it is so supportive.

00:51Yes, we are all there

00:52competing against each other,

00:54but we are also all there

00:56to lift each other up.

00:58There, I mean, again, it's such a,

01:01it's a small community and it's a

01:02niche art form. And so

01:04there aren't a lot of people that are going

01:06to be able to give you that kind of support.

01:09And I think everyone

01:10in the whistling community really recognizes

01:13how special this

01:14is and even how special

01:16it is for us to have found each

01:18other. So I

01:20think that that really plays

01:22into all of that where everyone

01:24really is there for each other.

01:26And yes, we're all going

01:28to have moments where we're feeling great

01:30and we can support each other. And we're all

01:32going to have moments where we're going to need

01:34the support. And I

01:36know for a fact that my

01:38whistling community will be there for me

01:40when I need them.

01:41My name is Ryan Koshanchi.

01:42I'm from Los Angeles, born and raised, and

01:44I'm here to whistle my heart out at the

01:46Masters of Musical Whistling International

01:48Festival and Competition.

01:49A whistling woman and a crowing hand will never come to

01:52any good end. But look where

01:54I am now. I feel like I'm a

01:56burning man with whistlers.

01:59My name is

01:59from Norway.

02:05I'm from Atlanta, Georgia,

02:06as you guys can see. It is my first time

02:08whistling on stage. And my mom is here

02:10with me right now. What's going on,

02:12mom?

02:13I can't believe I'm in

02:14LA. This is my first time

02:16outside Europe, so

02:17it's something. I come from a long

02:20generation of whistlers. I'd like to

02:22say, when I came out of the womb,

02:24I was whistling.

02:25Perspective versus

02:26expectation. I won't

02:28give away what happens towards the end, but it's

02:30also looking at what you

02:32expect, but the perspective you have

02:34to have from there moving forward

02:36in terms of competition.

02:38And I don't want to give anything away

02:40on that, but can you talk about that? Because

02:42it's a balance between

02:44the art form, but also the ambition

02:46of what you want to accomplish with it.

02:48We're not going to a competition

02:50because we don't want to win.

02:52I mean, everybody there wants

02:55to win, right?

02:57But I also think I went

03:00into it with realistic

03:02expectations. Of course, this was

03:04not my first competition, and I

03:06was very lucky to walk away

03:08first place the first time I

03:10competed. It was incredible.

03:12But I did

03:14in going into this competition, I

03:15remembered

03:16my first competition.

03:19When I got there, I was

03:21blown away by the rest of the talent.

03:23And I remember sitting

03:25in the audience thinking, wow,

03:28I may not even place.

03:30And then I ended up winning.

03:31And so

03:33who knows?

03:34So I kind of

03:35reminded myself of that

03:36going into 2023.

03:38And I did walk in saying,

03:40you know, anything

03:41can happen.

03:42I feel great.

03:43I feel prepared.

03:44But I don't know

03:45if I will win

03:46because someone

03:47incredible

03:48could come out

03:49of the woodwork.

03:50And you just

03:51never know.

03:52You don't know what the

03:53judges are going to

03:54pick up on

03:56or feel

03:56more attracted

03:57to.

03:58And so I tried

03:59to stay grounded

04:00and I tried to

04:02remind myself

04:03that, you know,

04:04I'm there

04:05for the fun of it

04:07and to fill my heart.

04:09But it's hard

04:10to not get wrapped up

04:11in it as well

04:12and really, really

04:13want to walk away

04:14with that big prize.

04:15Normally, I'm a

04:16I'm a resident physician

04:17at Boston Children's Hospital.

04:19So this is not

04:20something I normally do.

04:22My mom's in the audience

04:23and hopefully she stays

04:25because growing up

04:26she would, I mean,

04:27she would just tell me

04:28like, don't whistle

04:29because it hurts

04:30the dog's ears.

04:31I found a really,

04:33really good coach

04:33early on,

04:34Gary Gable.

04:35Shout out to Gary.

04:37He's a vocal coach

04:39at the local university

04:40in Saskatoon.

04:41Someone told me one time,

04:42I was like,

04:42you know there's competitions

04:43out there for that?

04:45And to me,

04:45I'm like,

04:45this is a practice routine.

04:46It's not really

04:47like something I ever,

04:48but they're like,

04:48you're the best whistle

04:49I've ever heard in my life.

04:50And I'm like,

04:51well, I mean,

04:51if there's a competition

04:52and someone says that,

04:53then maybe I should be on it.

04:56Were you at the premiere?

05:00Were you at the screening?

05:01I was.

05:01Okay.

05:02Now, that said,

05:03I mean,

05:04because it's people,

05:05it's interesting

05:06when you're with an audience

05:07to see how humanity reacts

05:09to different scenes

05:11and all that.

05:11Could you talk about

05:12that experience?

05:13Because being a performer

05:14on stage,

05:15a lot of times

05:15you get to see it

05:17maybe in an auditorium,

05:18but on film,

05:19it's a different sort of,

05:21it's a different transmutation,

05:23if you will.

05:23It was thrilling,

05:25honestly.

05:26I,

05:27you know,

05:28originally,

05:29I didn't know

05:30what to expect

05:31and what it would feel like

05:33with other people

05:34watching it.

05:35And would they like it?

05:37Would they think

05:37the same things

05:38are funny that we did?

05:40And I really think

05:41they did.

05:42It felt,

05:43it really felt like

05:45they were there with us.

05:46They were laughing a lot,

05:49but they were laughing with us.

05:50Again,

05:50the film is not making fun

05:52of anyone.

05:52It's really making light

05:54of this strange

05:55and silly world

05:56and silly art form

05:58that we are all

05:59so dedicated to.

06:00And the way

06:01that the audience reacted,

06:03it felt so warm

06:05and supportive,

06:06yet they were enjoying

06:08every moment

06:10of what was happening there

06:12in the same way

06:13that we were.

06:14It's,

06:15it's really exciting.

06:16The filmmakers

06:17just did

06:17an incredible job.

06:19I spoke to

06:21many whistlers

06:22after the premiere.

06:23It was so cool.

06:24So many of the whistling

06:25community came

06:26to the premiere

06:27this week

06:28and there were

06:29some of the newer

06:31whistlers

06:31in the competition

06:32community were there.

06:33Some people that competed

06:34this year

06:36in 2025

06:37for the first time.

06:38And they said

06:40the same thing

06:40that those of us

06:41that were there

06:42in 2023

06:44and are in the film

06:45said that the filmmakers

06:47were,

06:49they were spot on.

06:50It feels exactly

06:52like it felt

06:53to be there.

06:54And even the whistlers

06:56that were not there

06:58in 2023

06:58and were only there

07:00in 2025

07:00said the same thing.

07:02They said it felt

07:02like I was reliving it again.

07:05And so I think

07:06that is a huge testament

07:08to our filmmakers

07:09and that is why

07:10audiences are going

07:12to react

07:13in the same way

07:13that we did

07:14because it really

07:15feels like you're there.

Fest Track On Sirk TV Film Interview: WHISTLE [DOC NYC 2025 - New York, New York - Virtual] - Part II

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