Discover Film Awards / Orlando Film Festival 2018 - Stuck
A sex toy mishap leads to a night in the emergency room where a just broken-up couple are forced to confront their issues on love and relationships.
Interview with Writer/Director Corey Surge
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
Well, it was either that or light all my money on fire. I figured at least this way I get a movie out of it.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
Oh, I don’t know. I guess if you need a break from binging that show about dragons. And if naturalistic, dialogue-driven films are your jam. Oh, and if you like good acting, because Kris Turner and Ruth Goodwin carry this thing on their backs.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
From the start, the goal with this film was to make something that felt authentic and relatable. Many people who have either seen the film or read the script have told me that they’ve been through the exact same situation. I assume they mean the relationship aspect and not the having to go to the ER for a sex-related accident, but I don’t ask and don’t judge.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
I was just looking at my original notes the other day, actually. The story structure itself is pretty much identical to when I first broke the thing last summer. It’s the moments between characters, and the characters themselves, that had the most finessing along the way – thanks in no small part to my story editor, May Antaki, as well as Hannah Antaki who both provided great notes between drafts and helped steer me back when I got off-course. Then it’s what Kristopher and Ruth brought to the roles that really made the film evolve.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
Everyone’s been really nice. Again, I think there’s something about this story that people find really relatable. For me, the best part has been people who only knew me as a writer getting to know me as a director.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
I think it’s been really validating, in that I kind of took an intuition-based approach to this, and wrote a type of story that maybe I wouldn’t normally write. So perhaps all the positive feedback has encouraged me to keep challenging myself by creating by intuition.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
Once a film is completed, all any filmmaker can ever do is put it out into the world and hope it finds its audience. The only way that can happen is by sites like wearemovingstories.com helping to let people know this thing exists.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
Where we’re fortunate with Stuck is that this isn’t a proof of concept for a feature, so we rely on journalists, festival directors, and most importantly moviegoing audiences to help spread the word that this product is out there.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I’d just like it to give people a 15 minute break, and come away from it thinking, “Oh, that was kinda fun.”
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
If you’re using a toy in the bedroom with a partner, and it gets stuck, but you’ve also just broken up, are you obligated to go to the ER with them?
Would you like to add anything else?
The Yankees suck.
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
I’m fortunate to be at a point in my career where I’ve gotten pretty good at keeping multiple irons in the fire: I’m writing a feature that’s in the same tone as Stuck, I’m developing a digital series and some MOWs. A TV pilot script of mine, Chasing Losses, is competing in the Oaxaca Film Festival screenplay competition — it’s a top 20 finalist for Best Comedy TV Pilot and will also be competing for Best Overall… The production company behind Stuck, Filmcoop, just wrapped production on a feature... Our stars are both regulars on TV series: Kris is on Falling Water, Ruth on Private Eyes.
Interview: September 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
Stuck
A sex toy mishap leads to a night in the emergency room where a just broken-up couple are forced to confront their issues on love and relationships.
Length: 15 min
Director: Corey Surge
Producer: Emily Andrews, Laura Nordin, Jen Pogue, Kristopher Turner
Writer: Corey Surge
About the writer, director:
COREY SURGE is a screenwriter and director whose filmography ranges from feature film to internationally acclaimed television series. Previous credits include The Triumph Of Dingus McGraw: Village Idiot, Republic Of Doyle, and American Lawmen.
FILMCOOP INC. (producers) is a collective of filmmakers led by three strong female producers: Emily Andrews, Laura Nordin, and Jen Pogue.
Key cast: Kristopher Turner (Falling Water, Saving Hope, The L.A. Complex, Instant Star), Ruth Goodwin (Private Eyes, Workin’ Moms, Save Me)
Looking for: producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists
Facebook: FilmcoopTO
Twitter: @coreyshurge AND @FilmcoopTO
Instagram: @coreysurge
Funders: Self-financed
Made in association with: Air Light Time & Space Productions
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? (Oct. 4) Discover Film Awards / London, UK, (Oct. 22 & 25) Orlando Film Festival / Orlando, FL, (Oct. 25-31) Evolution! Mallorca International Film Festival / Palma de Mallorca, ES, (Nov. 4 & 11) Ojai Film Festival / Ojai, CA and (Dec. 8) Santa Monica International Film Festival / Santa Monica, CA