A young man addicted to sex, drinking and nightlife has a casual encounter and contracts a nasty, unknown bug. A surreal, horror comedy, a venereal thriller. A descent into sex, passion, violence, madness and redemption.

Interview with Writer/Director/Producer Jensen Rule Tierra

Watch Harmful Sensations on YouTube

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

A few people have asked me why I made Harmful Sensations. The short answer is that as with many filmmakers, I have an obsessive compulsion to make movies. I am more interested in the "how" of things rather than the "why" of things.

Harmful Sensations is based on a terrifying nightmare I had many years ago. The kind of nightmare that makes one bolt up at night covered in a thin sheen of sweat and fear. The imagery stayed with me for days after and I had the idea to turn this nightmare into a narrative and I wanted to share it with the world. Harmful Sensations is the diseased fruit of my subconscious.

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?

Harmful Sensations is an immersive experience, a swirl of color, sex, sensuality, and brutal violence, but with a lot of humor. Harmful Sensations is a cautionary tale that bristles with surreal imagery and emotion. You'll laugh, you'll be scared, hopefully it stays with you and haunts you.

Harmful Sensations - Joelle Bayaa-Uzuri as Honey

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

Harmful Sensations is very personal as it erupted as a nightmare I had, but it is universal as we all have our own personal phobias and secrets. In the end, the movie is really about the phantom of sexual violence that is epidemic in our culture.

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?

The script went through many iterations. The nightmare that spurned the movie had to be wrangled into a narrative that made some kind of sense to the audience. I wanted to add a lot of humor and emotion that I find lacking in not only a lot of horror movies, but movies in general. I have always yearned to make movies where one can have a variety of feelings and conflicting reactions. I also wanted to ground the narrative with some real heart also. I feel the true center of the movie is the close friendship between the to main characters.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

The feedback has been fantastic. I was really surprised by the generous support of the horror film community. The main feedback was that it could be expanded to really get into the characters. But mainly, people have gotten from the story what I intended.

Harmful Sensations - Michael James Kelley as "R".

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

What surprised me was the outpouring of support and kindness from many horror fans. I was nervous they would find the movie too arty or balk at the graphic depictions of gay sex, but mostly it has been positive.

What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?

I would love to have more people just see the movie. Outside of that, if anyone is interested in helping me sell out, that would be fabulous.

Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?

I would welcome anyone with any ideas on how more people could see this little slice of body horror. Outside of that I made the movie for audiences, for people to enjoy and have a good time at the movies, but one that leaves you asking questions. I would welcome any journalists or writers with any inquiries.

What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?

My dream is to have Harmful Sensations blossom into a cult classic!

What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?

What are nightmares really trying to tell us about the way we live our waking lives?

Would you like to add anything else?

I think I've covered all the bases. If anyone has any other questions feel free to reach out to the director Jensen Rule Tierra!

What are the key creatives developing or working on now?

We are working on a short, experimental splatter punk movie with the artist Shaun Johnson called Secret Eater, based on his book and artwork. Also we plan on shooting a follow up short horror-comedy called Tina Bring Me the Axe!, based in part on the legendary cult classic Mommie Dearest. Also I have just completed another script Gaslight based on the 1944 film and play, but this time with thinly veiled characters based on Donald & Melania Trump and their marriage which I hope also to make in the near future.

Interview: May 2017

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We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series and music video. 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

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Harmful Sensations

Length: 16 mins 51 secs

Director: Jensen Rule Tierra

Producer: Nick Marenco, Eric Michael Kochmer

Writer: Nick Marenco, Jensen Rule Tierra

About the writer, director and producer:

Jensen Rule Tierra, co-writer/director was born in 1976 in Honolulu HI. Formal education Los Angeles City College. Real education: working at Rocket Video in Hollywood CA.

Nick Marenco, co-writer. Born in San Francisco, CA. Studied film at Los Angeles City College. Writer of gay erotic short stories and many other film projects including his short film as a writer-director, Kayla.

Producer Eric Michael Kochmer hails originally from Pennsylvania. A sometimes actor, also director, writer and producer. Known for his film Way Down in Chinatown and the upcoming About Strangers. Also an associate producer on the upcoming short film Coin.

Key cast: Michael James Kelly, Joelle Bayaa-Uzuri, Johnny Kostrey, Scott Fleming, Adyr Villavecencio

Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists): Mostly journalists to review or interview the makers of the movie, or anyone interested in working with us to find further venues to view Harmful Sensation or assist in making future projects.

Social media handles:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HarmfulSensationsMovie/

Other: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3640006/?ref_=ttfc_fc_tt

Funders: Many through Kickstarter

Made in association with: Bloody Donut Productions

Where can I see it in the next month?

We have online distribution as a part of the legendary Screamfest Horror Film Festival on their YouTube short film page!

https://youtu.be/Kfd5mgw9jWQ?list=PLB1BNQQl2Js9EfVr92Aa1o-5FDVc8doVq