FilmmakerRobert MoniotsThe Ice Cream Manis eight decades in the making.
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DEADLINE: How did you find out about Ernsts story?
The [nearby] beach is one of the most beautiful beaches Ive ever seen.
Noah Emmerich stars as Ernst Cahn in ‘The Ice Cream Man’Amy Pauszek
It has beautiful dunes and seagrass.
And thats now the poster for our movie.
And I just kept reading, and I just couldnt believe Id never heard this story.
Ernst Cahn (Noah Emmerich) inThe Ice Cream Man
Everybody needs to hear this story because its a powerful witness to one individuals power in their community.
The effect that they can have on their community.
My wife used to work in Hollywood before she became a diplomat as an executive.
She says, He died so fast, you dont have a third act.
And I was like, Whatever.
So, I went to bed very pissed off.
And so, my wife was right [laughs].
It was the Claims Conference Emerging Filmmaker Award, and I had about six days before the contest deadline.
DEADLINE: Six days?
I wrote a big story so it could have an impact, but I didnt think it would win.
The day before the deadline, I couldnt find an ice cream parlor in Europe that worked.
They all looked too modern and very European.
My friend, my location manager friends in LA.
and New York were finding a lot of 50s diner-looking places, but nothing that made my heart sing.
So, I just googled the year 1900, renovated ice cream parlor and United States and hit enter.
Its this beautiful, idyllic little town.
To Tonys credit, he not only said yes but also had me come out and meet him.
DEADLINE: What has been the reception between U.S. and European audiences towards the film?
Especially since you now reside in the Netherlands.
Hes a pretty well-known Dutch producer.
And so I had to answer, thats because its how the language of Hollywood cinema goes.
Then it was, Well what accent is that supposed to be anyway?
And I was like, thats the Dutch accent.
San Fu was like, We have to dub the whole fucking thing.
One thing about the Dutch is that theyre not outwardly emotional, in my experience.
But [I was relieved] to see that people were so receptive to it.
Dutch people were crying.
We had a Q&A afterward, and San Fu got up on stage.
In so many words, he basically said, I was wrong.
We did this exactly the way that it should have been done and needed to be done.
Then there are the kids.
As weve been piloting the curriculum at middle and high schools, it has just been extraordinary.
DEADLINE: How did Noah Emmerich become your leading man?
And he was very emotional.
And I said, No.
They lived around the corner from the Cahn family and the ice cream parlor.
Theres some evidence that they actually knew them.
Noahs aunt was classmates with Anne Frank.
So, Noah was like, Im in.
So, I was lucky to get him.
Does the ice cream shop still exist?
MONIOT:Where the actual ice cream shop was, its now a ballet clothing store.
However, the residents above where the Cahn family lived are still there.
Thats the actual jail where he was held.
They didnt touch it.
So, its a national monument, and youre not allowed to go in there.
Then, we had to pause to raise more money, and then the strikes happened.
And Ernsts grandson, Amos, is in the movie.
Hes one of the people being dragged away by the Nazis during the razzia scene.
But they told us things that werent in the history books.
And when they told me that, Noah and I were like, Well, were putting that in.
DEADLINE: What do you want audiences to take away from this film?
I did not know how the story I wanted to tell would land during this political climate.
I have to tell you, I am a cynical son of a bitch.
This was a nonprofit [production].
And they all pulled out their checkbooks and wrote checks.
This was people putting their own money in it.
I want people to have an open mind going in and drawing their own conclusions when they leave.
