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Interview with Byron Jost
by VNN Staff
7 September 2005
The Line in the Sand
A new documentary examines the border problem from a white perspective
Byron Jost is an independent filmmaker in Torrey, Utah. His new film "The Line in the Sand" is now available on DVD.
VNN: Thank you for doing this interview. I'm sorry - how is your last name pronounced?
BJ: Well, it's meant to be pronounced with a "Y" sound, but for most Americans it's easier with the "J" sound.
VNN: Can you tell us a little bit about who you are? You're a young guy, can you tell where you come from and what you do?
BJ: Well, I'm 30. I live in Utah now, I'm an L.A. refugee. When I was living in L.A. I was doing professional video production. That's my background, and the reason I started October Sun Films is because there's obviously a lack of that in White Nationalism.
VNN: You led me right to my next question - when did you realize that making a movie would be an effective way of standing up against illegal immigration?
BJ: Well, you look at the effect of the mass media. Look at the effect that TV and movies have on people. It's a very powerful format. I came to the realization that there is just a lack of professional quality in pro-white video, and since that's my background it was only natural that I start doing this.
VNN: How did you go about making "The Line in the Sand"?
BJ: Well, it took me the better part of a year or a year and a half to do it. I started filming it in March 2004 and finished the movie during Memorial Day weekend 2005.
VNN: Can you tell us a little about the movie itself?
BJ: Basically it starts out with pre-Minuteman stuff, when it was just a handful of people down in Cochise County, Arizona who took it upon themselves to go out and do the job that the government wouldn't do. And then I learned about all the government interference and I couldn't believe that this stuff wasn't being reported. It was just amazing - I mean if you go down there and you see how porous that border is! And there is so much violent crime taking place down there. The fact that the government actually discourages border patrol agents from doing their job - that is the crux of the matter. So I wanted to go down there and report it. This is still going on! Even in spite of the success of the Minuteman Project - I am friends with a number of people in the film - they are now telling me that it's actually gotten worse!
VNN: How did you get the interviews with all of the people in the film? Did you just call them up and ask if they wanted to be a part of what you were doing?
BJ: Essentially, yes. Surprisingly, these people are fairly accessible. All it takes is a couple of phone calls and ask them if they'd be willing to do an interview. The part with Tom Tancredo is one of my favorite sequences in the movie because it takes place at a press conference. It's actually Tom Tancredo and Chris Simcox and you can really sense the tension between them and the press - they're kind of battling it out with the press.
VNN: That sounds like fun. Do you have any footage of the border crossers themselves and the persons monitoring them?
BJ: Yes. The first hour of the film concerns pre-Minuteman activities and much of it takes place in the field. We're out there in the wilderness along the border - there is a lot of that.
VNN: Do you think that white nationalists and nonracial anti-immigration groups will be able to change government policy on the border?
BJ: Any number of scenarios could play out. I can't say.
VNN: What are your plans for the future?
BJ: I have two more movies lined up. The next one will be released in about two months. As far as the subject matter is concerned, you'll find out when the films are released.
I think the important thing for people to know about "The Line in the Sand" is that this is the first feature-length film about what is taking place on the southern border.
VNN: It certainly is. Thank you very much for doing this interview.
BJ: Thank you.
VNN STAFF
View a preview of the The Line in the Sand and order your copy at www.octobersunfilms.com .
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