• Interviews

• All
• Music
• Cinema
• TV
• Comic Books

Mar 07, 2025 Web Exclusive By Matt Conner Photography by Courtesy: Roadside Attractions

Dito Montiel’s creative approach has been his throughline all along.

From his early days in the New York hardcore music scene to his career as a writer and director, Montiel has carved out a unique creative path defined by passion, grit, and an unmistakable DIY ethos. With Riff Raff, his latest feature film, Montiel assembles a powerhouse cast—including Jennifer Coolidge, Ed Harris, Gabrielle Union, and Bill Murray—for a compelling story that delivers comedy, drama, and suspense all in the same delightfully twisted script.

Even after directing several feature films, including A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints and Empire State, Montiel is still bringing that scrappy background to bear on new projects and it sounds like that will never change. That’s likely a good thing.

Under the Radar (Matt Conner): Dito, congratulations on Riff Raff. There’s a lot to get into with the film, but I’d love to start with a broader perspective. You’ve been involved in music, writing, and filmmaking. Do you see these as different creative eras in your life, or are you still juggling multiple artistic pursuits at once?

Dito Montiel: You know, in some ways, it’s all the same to me. I never really had a master plan for any of it. I just like to write, and whatever form that takes, I roll with it. Early on, I learned things like “INT” means interior in a script, and I thought, “Hey, this is fun. I can try this.” But at its core, it all started with me writing dumb hardcore songs when I was 14 because I wasn’t good enough to play anyone else’s. And now, I write my own stuff because studios aren’t exactly handing me their big projects. So, yeah, in a way, it’s the same trip.

Do you still dabble in music today?

Yeah, in a way. My first hardcore band, Major Conflict, was just screaming insanity. We played shows with Urban Waste, and recently, they did a show at Tompkins Square Park. Of course, I went and screamed a bit. It was horrible and great—just like it should be.

How did that feel? Did it take you back?

Oh, yeah. Seeing people slam dance again—it made me miss that energy. But, you know, it’s all connected. Whether it’s music, writing, or filmmaking, it all comes from the same place.

That’s interesting. You’ve mentioned before that your creativity has always been fueled by a DIY mentality. Do you think that early hardcore punk ethos still influences the way you approach filmmaking?

Absolutely. It has to. I mean, I got kicked out of high school. Film school wasn’t an option. My guitar lessons were Billy [Phillips] from Urban Waste and Johnny Waste teaching me how to use two fingers. So, everything I do comes from a place of necessity. When I was a kid, I wandered into a punk shop called Rat Cage because I wanted to find the weird people. That led me to a band, and that band led me to writing lyrics. It was all DIY—no one was going to hand us an opportunity. And that’s still how I work today.

Do you think that mentality has made it easier or harder to navigate the film industry?

It’s tricky. It’s not for everyone—it’s a circus life. My dad was a typewriter mechanic from Nicaragua. None of this was supposed to happen. He wanted me to be a token booth clerk. I even took the test, but thankfully, or not, some guy got burned to death in a booth that weekend, and I used that as my excuse not to take the job. So, yeah, I never had a plan. And in this business, having no plan can be freeing, but it also means you’re constantly on unstable ground.

Let’s talk about Riff Raff. You’ve directed multiple feature films, so what was the learning curve for you on this one specifically?

Everything I do is on-the-job training. With my first movie, I was literally learning that “INT” meant interior, like I said. With Riff Raff, I worked with incredible actors who weren’t there for a paycheck but because they cared about the project. That alone teaches you a lot. This script started as a play, which was new for me. I collaborated closely with the writer, and that was a lesson in being less precious with material. It was really healthy to let go a bit.

This film has a big ensemble cast. Does that complexity make directing more challenging? Is that hard to storyboard?

I actually don’t storyboard because, to me, it’s a dream that won’t come true. We don’t have the budget for that kind of precision. Instead, we find a location and let it dictate the scene. We even shot a rough version on an iPhone before filming. It helps me see, ‘Oh, this guy’s been talking for four pages while sitting down—maybe he needs to stand up.’ You plan, but you also have to stay open to the moment.

How did you first come across the play that became Riff Raff?

PJ Ransone, an actor I love, introduced me to it. He’s a good friend of John’s [Pollono, writer]. They were talking about doing a play and he said, ‘Hey, give this a read.’ I really liked it and I thought it felt like a bunch of wolves—like, everybody’s Virginia Woolf—instead of some films, which are great in their own way, but usually there’s a guy with a love interest and then there’s a bad guy and everyone else plays around them. I thought each person that comes into this, it’s their movie, you know? I thought that could be really fun.

So I met John and we started talking. We started the crazy process of figuring out how to make a movie. Jennifer Coolidge was the first person to come on, and if you’re gonna try and do Virginia Woolf, she’s a good starting point. Then Ed Harris came on, and I’m like, ‘Okay, I think we’re heading in the right direction.

With Riff Raff about to be released, how do you feel? Does putting a film out into the world still feel as vulnerable as ever?

Always. It’s terrifying. But I love the process of making a film. That’s the part that excites me. Ray Liotta once told me, “Reading reviews is like drinking poison and wondering why your stomach hurts.” So, my job is to make something I believe in, put it out there, and move on. If people connect with it, great. If not, I’m already onto the next thing.

Speaking of the next thing, what’s coming up for you in 2025?

Montiel: Right now, I’m just writing. I write every day. That’s the job. I went through Sundance Labs early in my career, and I remember Frank Pierson saying, ‘If you want to call yourself a writer, you write in the morning, break for lunch, then write again. And if you have a day job, you write when you get home.’ That stuck with me. So, yeah, Riff Raff is out, but I’m already onto the next story. I’m also developing a few ideas that I’d love to turn into films, but as always, it’s about finding the right opportunity and the right people who believe in the work.