LA-based, Dublin-born actor Kevin Ryan tells RTÉ Entertainment about his internationally acclaimed short, Bad Suns, which he says was "truly a labour of love", and how it would not have been possible "without the extraordinary Irish cast and crew".
It's Los Angeles 2028 – and freedom has a cost. Jake (Kevin Ryan) is mourning the loss of his wife and child and prepares a quick solo exit out of the desolate city – until he meets a young girl in desperate need to reunite with her mother.
They begin their dangerous journey across lawless desert terrain, heading toward Fort Mojave, a government-accredited safe zone where new revelations unfold.
This is the premise of the Irish-made, international award-winning short film Bad Suns.
Ahead of its premiere later this month at the Dingle Distillery International Film Festival, we caught up with Ryan, who not only stars in Bad Suns but also wrote and directed the critically acclaimed short.
RTÉ Entertainment: 27 awards for Bad Suns and counting – huge congratulations! How does it feel to have your work recognised at festivals around the world?
Kevin Ryan: The film has done extremely well, and we are truly blessed for Bad Suns' success thus far. This was truly a labour of love, and it would not have been possible without the extraordinary, predominately Irish cast and crew that gave it their all in the hot California sun. It has seemingly translated well among international audiences, which is what most filmmakers wish when undertaking any project.
The cast, crew and movie itself are all winning awards. Tell us about the process of bringing the team together to work on Bad Suns.
Being in the film industry, for many years at this point, has been a blessing with the whole 'who you get to know'. I have a lot of incredibly talented friends that so generously gave us their time and thankfully full support of the expectations of the script. Any film starts with the blueprint – the script – and having refined the shooting draft prior to approaching anyone, I found, was key. I learned lessons in the past to not give out a draft of a script until you have one that you are entirely happy with and have reviewed many, many times. Thankfully, it was received well among the cast and crew when I approached anyone I wanted to be involved.
Screening the movie in Daingean Uí Chúis – does it feel different bringing it to an Irish audience?
Bringing Bad Suns to an Irish audience is most definitely an exciting time in the film's journey. Even with a lot of Irish cast and crew involved, this is a story set in the US and involves world politics. I see so many Irish filmmakers, especially with short films, keeping their stories local. It was my intention to make a film with a broader concept that would translate and entertain globally. We are very thankful to premiere it in Dingle and are excited to attend in person.
2028, the year in which Bad Suns is set, is not that far away. What was your intention behind setting it in a time that most of us will see in our lifetime?
When we shot the film, we fought to minimise traffic and hide any sign of life and population, which was a massive challenge, especially in pre-production. Weeks later, the streets were empty with the pandemic hitting and everyone going on lockdown. My point is, whether it's a pandemic, war, or political issue, we are seeing all of these unfortunate events in our lifetime. I never wanted to go too far ahead in time, as that would take the 'what if' out of the reality of our generation and ultimately challenge us in many other ways with language and technology that, I feel, would not have been as interesting.
You direct and star in Bad Suns. Tell us about the process of directing yourself? Does it bring added pressures?
Being that I wrote the script took a lot of these pressures away. It was so clear to me, and my team, on what our world was and our aesthetic look and tones would be from the start. Securing Ian Fox as Director of Photography was a gift from day one of discussing the project. I recognised we were on the same path immediately, which is always what you want for your vision. On set, there were many hats to be worn, however. Jumping in and out of being actor then director was both challenging and enjoyable, as I had such a strong team in place around me. I look forward to doing it again.
The trailer is incredibly slick; it looks like a big screen, big budget production. How would you like people to watch this movie and what message would you like them to take away from it?
From the conceptualisation of Bad Suns, it was always our aim to create an aesthetic look and feel that was familiar in a cinematic way. The cameras, lens choices, aspect ratio, framing, locations and colour palette all were key essentials in pulling this look off. Audiences watch content in many ways now with where technology has brought us. The best way to watch any film, in my opinion, is the big screen, and we are thrilled to share Bad Suns with an Irish audience in this form. Saying that, television technology has developed such an impressive amount. We have all seen the growth that has come with that and the improvement of content delivery throughout the recent years. The takeaway is to enjoy the film! Hopefully, the audience will feel for the characters, the story and enjoy the escapism.
The Dingle Distillery International Film Festival takes place from 11 November – 13 November 2022. Click here for schedule and tickets
