I SPOKE TO DIRECTOR STEPHEN DUNN ABOUT HIS LFF FILM CLOSET MONSTER...
09:41:00Good Morning Lovelies,
This weekend I am dedicating myself to finally sharing all of the BFI London Film Festival 2015 interviews I did during the event lovelies. However I have one now to share with you all from the amazing director of ‘Closet Monster’, Stephen Dunn, who spoke to me about his hugely successful film. which was a huge success!
Earlier this month I sent a number of questions across to him to discuss the creation and film and I hope you lovelies enjoy it…
Can you tell audiences who don’t know about CLOSET MONSTER what it is about?
It's a coming of age film about a young man/aspiring monster effects make up artist who is desperate to escape his small downs and memories of a gay hate crime that haunted him as a child.
How did you discover Oscar’s story?
It's a personal film inspired by some of my experiences growing up in Newfoundland.
What made you want to make this film?
It's an emotionally charged story for me and was the only story I wanted to tell when thinking about what I wanted my first feature to say.
There is so much within the film that is key to the times, how important was it to you to make sure you got it right when making it?
It was never that important to be honest. Closet Monster is not an "issue" film. It's not a "gay" film. It's a film about one young man's journey of self-discovery. It's humble and small and intimate and very specific. I'm not trying to make any grand statements I just wanted to make something that was honest, unpolished and raw.
Was there a favourite moment or scene that you are most proud of?
There's a scene near the very end where Oscar discovers his father has done something unforgivable. Connor Jessup(who plays Oscar)'s performances was so raw and impassioned that you can actually hear his hear beating rapidly in the lav mic. There was initially some score in the background of the scene but I decided to take it out when we noticed the thumping and decided to let Connor's heart guide the scene. I'm very proud of him and his performance but this moment is very special to me.
The film has an amazing cast, what was it about the chosen actors that stuck out to you?
I saw Connor while I was writing the film in University of Toronto's Hart House. He kept coming in to play this board game every week while I was there. We never met but I guess he sort of incepted my brain. Months later I share the script with him and he leapt on board.
This is your debut film, what was it like being on set? How did you find the process of it all?
Making Closet Monster was one of the best experiences of my life. I was thankfully surrounded by an incredible team which caused the shoot to go off flawlessly.
Congratulations on winning the Best Canadian Film at TIFF, were you shocked by the reaction from audiences and critics?
I was pretty shocked to be honest. I've been living with this film in a sort of bubble and was very nervous to share it with the world. I try not to read reviews, but the reaction at the screening, the standing ovation, was probably one of the most memorable experiences of my life. I've never made myself as vulnerable as I did with this project and I felt like the audience was there, ready to catch me. It was very humbling.
Finally, can you tell us anything about your next project?
My next project is called WHAT WAITS FOR THEM IN DARKNESS and was awarded the prestigious San Francisco Filmmaker 360/KRF Grant (BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD, SHORT TERM 12, FRUITVALE STATION) as well as the Len Blum Award at the Toronto International Film Festival this year. It's a film that takes place in the 60s in rural Newfoundland during a time when 50,000 people who lived on smaller islands around the coast of Newfoundland were forced to resettle onto the mainland and literally floated their houses across the Atlantic Ocean. This film is a survivalist, adventure-fantasy story about one family who get separated while floating their house and the mother and daughter become trapped inside their it as it floats aimlessly on the Atlantic Ocean.
Look out for the film soon lovelies and thank you so much to Stephen for allowing me the chance to share this interview with you lovelies! I hope you all liked it and are looking forward to the others coming up!
Blog Soon,
Joey X
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