Thursday, September 6, 2018

HollyShorts: Stuck - Corey Surge Interview


Photo Content from Corey Surge

COREY SURGE is a Canadian screenwriter and director whose flmography ranges from feature flm to internatonally acclaimed television series. When he was just twenty-two-years-old, Corey wrote and directed his debut feature, THE TRIUMPH OF DINGUS MCGRAW: VILLAGE IDIOT. He would go on to work in network television, including hit primetme dramas such as CTV/NBC’s SAVING HOPE and CBC’s REPUBLIC OF DOYLE. Corey wrote all eight episodes of the American Heroes Channel’s historical acton mini-series, AMERICAN LAWMEN, and has also writen episodes of Natonal Geographic’s award-winning docudrama series, MAYDAY. His original one-hour pilot script, CHASING LOSSES, is an Ofcial Selecton and Finalist in the 2018 Oaxaca Film Festval. Corey makes his return to his indie flm roots with the short dramatc comedy, STUCK, which premiered at the TCL Chinese Theatres in Hollywood as part of the Oscar-qualifying 2018 HollyShorts Film Festval. Corey currently splits his tme between Toronto and Los Angeles.
      



DIRECTOR STATEMENT
Stuck was born of conversatons between myself and my longtme friend, Kristopher Turner. We were both full-tme professionals working in TV, he as an actor and myself as a writer, and we would lament how ofen the shows we worked on may have been paying the bills but were not always the most fulflling creatvely. We wanted to make something that looked like the types of flms we love to watch but are rarely aforded the opportunity to make ourselves. But most of all, we just wanted to make something! Rather than waitng for something to get made, as is so ofen our experience.
When I completed the script for Stuck and set out to make this entrely self-fnanced passion project, the goal was simply to make something honest. A snapshot of a relatable turning point in relatonships; a ruminaton on the walls we build, and what happens when someone holds up a mirror and forces us to take a hard look at ourselves. In that way, I believe we succeeded.



ABOUT THE CAST
KRISTOPHER TURNER as Mark.

Kristopher was born and raised in Winnipeg, MB, and currently lives and studies in Toronto. His recent notable credits include being a leading actor on the TV series: This Life (CBC), Saving Hope (CTV), and The L.A. Complex (CW/MUCH), a recurring role on Falling Water (USA) and prior to that, Instant Star (CTV). Leading roles in the comedy flms: A Litle Bit Zombie, Wingman Inc. and Without a Paddle: Nature’s Calling (Paramount) and The Triumph of Dingus McGraw (directed by Corey Surge) He was nominated for a Gemini award for his work on Me and Luke (Lifetme), as well as on the mini-series Bloodletng and Miraculous Cures (HBO Canada).

RUTH GOODWIN as Natalie
Ruth Goodwin is an actor, producer and writer from Toronto. She has most recently joined the cast of Global’s Private Eyes (starring Jason Priestley) as their new rookie cop and starred in The Howland Company’s Dora Award nominated producton of Punk Rock at Crow’s Theatre. She is a Founding Member of The Howland Theatre Company (known for their 'Best Of Toronto Fringe' and 'Patron’s Pick' winning shows Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons & 52 Pick-Up) and has appeared on screen in Workin’ Moms (CBC), Angry Angel (ABC), Save Me (CBC), Designated Survivor (ABC), Murdoch Mysteries (CBC), Lost Girl (Showcase) and Ben’s at Home (Awk Silence Prod/ Netlix). You can see Ruth next on stage in the Pulitzer Prize nominated play The Wolves (The Howland Company & Crow’s Theatre), an excitng new show about a girls indoor soccer team.


During a night of kinky sex, a young couple realizes they have different ideas about where their relationship is headed. When a sex toy mishap lands them in the emergency room, they must confront their issues surrounding love and relationships.

Stuck is a romantic comedy about breaking up, making up, and taking a second chance on love. It’s a story and performance-driven two-hander where the characters go from cracking each other up to challenging each other’s core beliefs with equal comfort. Awkward silences give way to good‐natured teasing and vulnerable moments that reveal why these two make a perfect couple. But in order for their relationship to make the leap from something casual to serious, they are going to have to work together to smash down the emotional walls between them.



Corey Surge on the Red Carpet at HollyShorts.

Corey Surge on the Red Carpet with JBN Journalist, Americo Galli.

THE JBN TEAM INTERVIEW WITH COREY SURGE
JOURNALIST: AMERICO GALLI
LOCATION: HOLLYSHORTS, THE CHINESE THEATER, HOLLYWOOD, CA ― AUGUST 9TH - 18TH
INTERVIEW: AUGUST 17, 2018

HollyShorts takes place August 9-18, 2018 at the TCL Chinese Theater, Harmony Gold Theater and other locations in Hollywood. Nearly 400 short films will compete for the festival’s top prizes. Last year HollyShorts finalists included 3 out of the 5 Live Action Oscar nominees and the winning short Silent Child from Rachel Shenton and Chris Overton. This year, HollyShorts received an all-time record 5,000 submissions from over 80 countries. The competition will feature Live Action, Animation and Documentary Shorts as well as web series, student shorts, music videos, TV pilots, and VR. The festival also features a screenplay competition where the winning short gets greenlit, shot and shown at next year’s festival courtesy of Seattle Film Summit.

Video/Edit: James Vallesteros (@jamesvallesteros). Audio: Edward Chung.

ABOUT HOLLYSHORTS
HollyShorts Film Festival is an organization devoted to showcasing the best and brightest short films from around the globe, advancing the careers of filmmakers through screenings, networking events, and various panel and forums. The Oscar Qualifying HollyShorts Film Festival showcases the top short films produced 40- minutes or less. Categories include Short Animation, Short Live Action, Short Documentary, Music Video, Webisode, Commercials, TV, and Digital Microbudget.
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