MUTE
Monette, a recently separated book salesman tells his grim story to both a priest and a hitchhiker, looking for absolution.
Interview with actor Andrew Bee and director Kyle Dunbar
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
KYLE DUNBAR -- I have been a Stephen King fan for as long as I can remember and I wanted to adapt one of his stories into a film.
ANDREW BEE -- I first read Stephen King when I was thirteen. The book was Salem’s Lot, and I still remember the absolute terror I felt. I have read almost every book he wrote and am in awe of his unbelievable creative output. I love how Mute turned out and it now gives me a solid piece of work to showcase my skills as an actor.I have already done a Stephen King short film called, Big Wheels, through the Dollar Baby Program, and when Kyle told me about Mute and that he had adapted it with me in mind I said yes immediately. I have always loved Stephen King and am very grateful that he made some of his creativity available to the public through this program.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
KYLE DUNBAR -- I wanted to shoot it more old school, not in 4K, and it was inspired by the 1980's crime/horror films.
ANDREW BEE -- Kyle and I want the audience to enjoy a story that stands on its own merit, without jump scares, gore or monsters. Mute is a fascinating tale of what can happen to an ordinary person.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
KYLE DUNBAR / ANDREW BEE -- The main character, Monette, is not a religious person, but under stress he did what most people do and went back to what he knew, which was religion.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
ANDREW BEE -- Kyle and I felt that the ending could be different, so we changed it when we were filming.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
KYLE DUNBAR / ANDREW BEE -- We have had some very good reviews, one in particular from Indie Mac User: “Andrew Bee is required to essentially carry the film and he manages to find different levels to his character that keep us hooked. Director Kyle Dunbar mostly allows the story and performances to speak for themselves; making only simple yet elegant visual choices.”
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
KYLE DUNBAR / ANDREW BEE -- The feedback has been all good. I have not had enough press yet in my career to come across negative feedback. I am waiting for that day so I will be challenged.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
KYLE DUNBAR / ANDREW BEE -- Because of the agreement with the Stephen King Dollar Baby Program, we can't post Mute publicly. So we want critics to review it and festival programmers to showcase it for more people to watch it on online festivals. The timing is perfect for us because covid has forced many festivals to add virtual events to their programs.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
KYLE DUNBAR / ANDREW BEE -- What we want is to have as many film festivals and journalists promote Mute as much as possible.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
KYLE DUNBAR / ANDREW BEE --We want to show that a great story can be told without blood and guts, sex, or gimmicky filming.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
KYLE DUNBAR / ANDREW BEE -- Why make a Stephen King short film?
Would you like to add anything else?
KYLE DUNBAR -- You can find more information about Mute at www.pendlefilms.com and pendle films on Instagram and Twitter.
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
ANDREW BEE -- I’m working on a couple of short films that are very, very dark and not politically correct. In the time we are living now, with Twitter and Instagram arbitrarily cancelling accounts they deem inappropriate, as an artist, I won’t give into the fear of offending someone. I spend a lot of time on social media, out of necessity, and when I see how terrified people are of saying anything “wrong” and the disclaimers that they put in their posts, I feel very sad that this is where we are in society.
Interview: October 2021
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
MUTE
Length:
22:48
Writer
Stephen King (Story), Kyle Dunbar (screenplay adaptation)
KYLE DUNBARKyle Dunbar is a British-Canadian film director, producer, and screenwriter based in Toronto, Canada. Particularly fond of horror stories and anthology shows, Kyle’s projects pivot towards societal satires and ordinary situations that take unexpected turns. He has directed several short narratives of various genres, which include an adaptation of a Stephen King story. While walking a tight-rope between comedy and horror, Kyle's approach to storytelling aims to captivate and surprise.
Director
Kyle Dunbar
KYLE DUNBAR is a British-Canadian film director, producer, and screenwriter based in Toronto, Canada. Particularly fond of horror stories and anthology shows, Kyle’s projects pivot towards societal satires and ordinary situations that take unexpected turns. He has directed several short narratives of various genres, which include an adaptation of a Stephen King story. While walking a tight-rope between comedy and horror, Kyle's approach to storytelling aims to captivate and surprise.
Producer
Rebecca Callender, Kyle Dunbar
REBECCA CALLENDER and KYLE DUNBAR are both based in Toronto, Canada and they both produced the short film MUTE.
Key cast:
Andrew Bee (Monette), Christian Tribuzio (The Priest), Alexandre Stoupenkov (The Hitchhiker), Rebecca Callender (Kelsie Ann), Laura Shanter (Barbara), and Marvin Holland (Cowboy Bob).
Looking for:
journalists, film festival directors
Social media:
https://www.instagram.com/aandrewbee/
https://twitter.com/AndrewBee10
http://facebook.com/ShortFilmMute
Made in association with:
Where can I watch it?
MUTE just started its film festival tour and will have its world premiere at the London Rocks Film Festival in the UK.