'Why Wine?' is the cheeky title of the new short film directed by James Casey, edited by Cut+Run’s Dan Maloney, and presented by Nowness. The short docu-content piece features the likes of musician / The Four Horseman wine bar co-owner James Murphy, wine consultant Justin Chearno, The New York Times wine and food critic Eric Asimov, GQ food correspondent Alan Richman, Time wine and travel columnist Alice Feiring and others as they discuss the many reasons to celebrate with a glass of vino.
“I wanted to take something that is often perceived as elitist and demystify the process,” explains director James Casey. “As James Murphy says, ‘It’s delicious and it gets you a little fucked up.’ It’s not about being precious. We wanted it to look great, entertain, and reflect the myriad of opinions about the enjoyment of wine.”
Casey, founder of the anti-foodie food and travel publication Swallow Magazine, brings his distinctive voice to content for Nowness and other outlets, often with a culinary focus. He first collaborated with Dan Maloney on a branded content project for Uniqlo and they “have been threatening to work together since.”
According to Casey, “We share a similar sense of humor and pacing, and I inherently trust Dan’s editing choices. As with many of my projects, a lightness of touch defines the tone of this piece. Dan carried that through in the edit.”
“James’ films show you don’t have to be super serious to be informative,” comments Dan Maloney. “He is incredibly deft at the art of the interview, and I appreciate the frankness he was able to elicit from the subjects. The spontaneity of unscripted material combined with James’ stylish overhead shots, made this a really interesting and enjoyable project to edit.”