2018 NYC Web Fest - Sucking Diesel
A drug addicted Catholic priest finds himself dragged into the underground when he dumps cocaine down a toilet during a police raid.
Interview with Director/Producer Maurice O Carroll
Watch Sucking Diesel on Prime Video
Why did you make your webseries?
I didn’t want to follow up my first feature film ‘Dead Along The Way’ with another no-budget effort that would take me on the same journey. I also didn’t want to sit on my hands and wait for someone to hand me a magic suitcase of cash to make a second film. In fact, I wasn’t even sure if I wanted to make that second film because Sucking Diesel was evolving into a TV show. A webseries felt like the right choice of project for many reasons: it is a relatively uncluttered space where we could stand out, we could offer interested studios a flavour of what what to expect from the TV show, and Youtube offered us an immediate and global audience.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this webseries?
Sucking Diesel is a gritty, black comedy about an Irish Catholic priest whose drug addiction drags him into the underworld. The show has four 10-12 minute episodes so that people can watch it on the train to or from work. It feels like a network TV production; high production values, quality acting, and binge-worthy storylines, laugh out loud moments, and some heavy underlying themes to keep the comedy measured.
How do personal and universal themes work in your webseries?
Many years ago, I was attending a wedding and, before the ceremony, I bumped into a priest behind the church. He was smoking a cigarette and his hair was wild, his clothes looked like he slept in them and there was alcohol on his breath. But what struck me most were his eyes: they were lonely, lifeless. I wondered how this man could possibly celebrate a wedding ceremony in this state. But he emerged into the church a different man. Full of fun, vigour and charm and the wedding guests talked about him and praised him for the day. However, he stayed in my mind and I questioned what life was like for this middle-aged man when he closed his door at night. Many of us can feel trapped in our lives or jobs and so I used a Catholic priest to explore these themes. He is lonely, restricted and suppressed in his movements and thinking and he is abusing drugs to numb his pain. We are introduced to him at a tipping point in his life where it’s too late to change his fate but maybe we can learn something about ourselves from his tragedy.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
The feedback online was overwhelmingly positive. I had warned our cast and crew to brace themselves against the haters in the commentary section but again, we were surprised and encouraged with how much the show resonated with the public. More importantly, the series opened several doors for us. We are not at liberty to go into details at this early stage but we have been advised to remove the series from Youtube during our talks with a major studio about possibilities for the show.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this webseries’s message?
We always want to reach out to and work with great people. At this point in time we are actively talking to producing partners who are interested in developing a TV series.
Interview: October 2018
We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
Sucking Diesel
A drug addicted Catholic priest finds himself dragged into
Length: 4 X 10-12 minute episodes
Director: Maurice O Carroll
Producer: Sinead O’Riordan and Maurice O Carroll
Writer: Maurice O Carroll
Key cast: Johnny Elliott, Eddie Jackson, Sinead O’Riordan, John Connors
Facebook: Sucking Diesel web series
Twitter:@suckingdiesel
Instagram: @Suckingdieselseries
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? We have been advised to remove the series from Youtube temporarily during our talks with a major studio about possibilities for the show.