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To properly evoke the apocalyptic landscape and tone of his directorial debut, filmmaker Benjamin Dickinson lived like he filmed – amidst the chilling rural winter that his characters find themselves trapped within. Opting to forgo electricity and even food while filming the movie’s most desperate sequences, Dickinson and his crew lend what should prove to be a hard won authenticity to First Winter. Premiering in competition this Thursday at the Tribeca Film Festival, First Winter stars Lindsay Burdge, Paul Manza, and Kate Lyn Sheil.

Filmmaker: Talk to me a bit about the genesis of First Winter. Where did the idea for the film come from?

Dickenson: Lindsay Burge (Marie) and I started spending a lot of time at “Heartland” – Paul Manza’s (who plays Paul in the film) yoga retreat – a few years ago, and I really wanted to capture the experience of living in this type of community. Over the past couple of years,...

From the files of "no publicity is bad publicity," comes word about a growing controversy surrounding the indie thriller "First Winter."

The film, which is set to debut at the Tribeca Film Festival, focuses on a group of Brooklyn hipsters who head to the country for some relaxation and get pushed to their limits when an apocalyptic event leaves them cut off from society -- if there's any society left. The group must contend with the frigid elements and their growing hunger -- the latter of which is no longer an issue after they hunt and kill a deer. The problem? The filmmakers actually killed two deers, and that could get them in trouble with New York State environmental authorities.

"We are idiots. We didn't know how to do this [hunting] stuff," director Ben Dickson told Manhattan-based site DNAinfo.com. "There were so many deer weak from the winter and getting...