(On set photo by Eric Azaren)
The first draft of this film was written in a tiny airport in Mexico, but that’s another story... A FENCE IS A FENCE OF COURSE is a short comedy about boundaries, friendships, shared history, fences, and chickens. Leon, played by Andre Royo, lives a peaceful life in the hills. When his beloved chickens come into danger from a wolf, he takes matters into his own hands, building a huge fence at the edge of his property.
As the fence seems to be being torn down, he keeps building it back and attempting to finish it. When he finds out his hillbilly neighbor Kirby, played by Jeff Alper, is the problem, he sets a firm boundary. Kirby is a loner who isn’t equipped with any sort of emotional intelligence, so when his only “friend” blocks him out, the situation devolves as the fence gets built.
(On set photo by Eric Azaren)
The film is written & directed by Jeff Alper. Jeff is a filmmaker born and raised in Los Angeles and living in New York. Jeff creates original stories that tell of authentic, but confused American identities.
His semi-surreal stories exist in the blurred lines of comedy and drama. Focusing on characters struggling with their adulthood and their ego in ways that often reflects the country they, and the director, live in.
Jeff’s documentary “The Duality Of Sport”, about American Olympic fencer Race Imboden, was his first step into independent film which found itself a Vimeo Staff Pick and some small festival love. His first narrative short “Yardbird” also had its own small festival run in 2023. He has directed several advertisements and acts in several projects as well, mostly based in the independent shorts world.