indieWIRE invited all of the directors in the U.S. dramatic and documentary competition to participate in an email interview as a way of introducing them to our readers. Craig Lucas directed and wrote “The Dying Gaul,” which is based on his play. The film centers on a screenwriter whose latest work is a personal story of his lover who has died of AIDS – and he’s offered a million dollars for the screenplay, so long as a woman plays the main role instead. The film is screening in the American Dramatic Competition.

Please tell us about yourself and include as much of the following information as you feel comfortable with:

Age. 53. Day job (if you have one) and former jobs. I write plays and movies. Where you were born. Where you grew up. Where you live. I was born in Atlanta, George, grew up in Wyoming and Pennsylvania, and I split my time between New York and Seattle, Washington.

Did you go to film school?
No.

Or how did you learn about filmmaking?
I've written several movies. I also sat beside Norman Rene on four movies he directed from my scripts and I also sat in the editing rooms, participated in the shooting and cutting and sound.

How did you finance your own film?
Holedigger Films, bless them for eternity.

And any other insights you think might be interesting...
Directing a movie is the most collaborative form of expression I have experienced; at the core of it seems to me the necessity of holding a strong point of view along with an equally strong desire to share the dialogue of expression with all of the collaborators, including the crew.

Where did the initial idea for your film come from?
My own play of the same name.

What are your biggest creative influences (this could include other filmmakers or films)?
Norman Rene, Buster Keaton, Luis Bunuel, Ingmar Bergman, Preston Sturges, Howard Hawks, Hal Ashby, Robert Altman, Caryl Churchill, Tony Kushner, Wallace Shawn, Bart Sher, Christopher Isherwood, Joni Mitchell, Adam Phillips, Jonathan Lear.

What were some of the biggest challenges you faced in either developing the project or making the movie?
Throwing out the engine of the play and reinventing it from an entirely new perspective.

Tell us about the moment you found out that you were accepted into Sundance, where were you?
At home, in my yard with my two dogs.

And we'd love to hear more about how you've spent the last month preparing for the festival.
I've been opening a large (four hour) new play, so all of my energies have been consumed by that, thankfully, so I have been distracted enough not to worry about how I should comport myself among the Mormons.

What do you hope to get out of the festival, what are your own goals for the experience?
I hope to see good movies and meet brilliant and creative people and re-connect with some of my colleagues from the film itself.

What is your definition of “independent film?”
Not financed or developed at a major studio.

Who are a few people that you would you most like to meet at Sundance?
Virginia Woolf, Herman Melville, John Milton, the Buddha. But I'm not expecting to meet them, I would just like to meet them most.

If you were given $10 million to be used for moviemaking, how would you spend it?
On my newest screenplay, Singing Forest.

Since Sundance 2005 on Inauguration Day, what advice would you give President Bush as he begins his second term?
Plead for forgiveness from the people of the entire world, including Americans, admit to all the lies, withdraw from Iraq, disappear from government service forever and all time.

What are some of your favorite films, and why? What was your top ten list for 2004?
I tend to go to old movies, and frankly, very little of my time is spent watching movies. Some of my favorite movies are “Scenes from a Marriage,” “Go West,” “The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoise,” “The Lady Eve,” “Bringing Up Baby,” “The Mirror,” “Being There,” “Vertigo,” “Persona,” “The Wild Child,” anything by John Schlesinger, Buster Keaton, Bergman, Kurosawa.