When a registered sex offender seeks redemption by helping a young runaway reunite with her family, his altruism and will are tested after the runaway betrays him to save herself.

Interview with Writer/Director/Producer/Editor Hilarion Banks

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

With every step of making this film, I was asked the same question, “why do you want to tell this story?” I could clearly see that people were confused why someone would ever want to make a movie with a sex offender as the protagonist during a time when the country was purging itself of anyone with any sexual misconduct in their past. It was a valid question.

I was always taught that art was meant to challenge its audience and I thought, what would be more challenging than taking a character like this and to almost dare an audience to have sympathy for him. There has always been a debate about how to handle sex offenders. Do we jail them for life? Do we chemically castrate them? Or just remove them from society like a modern-day leper?

I wanted to explore the question: if they too are someone's husband, brother, or son, do they deserve our compassion? Do they deserve a second chance? If not, we have to come to terms with the idea that people don't really change and that human’s willpower is futile. But if so, we might have to, even begrudgingly, find love for the unlovable.

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

This film stands out from your average indie short in a number of ways. The imagery is visually interesting to look at because the 35mm stock is gritty and imperfect and the plot has the same quality. It's a film that challenges its audience and will leave them with their jaw open and plenty to talk about.

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

A lot of my ideas seems to focus around the idea of loving your fellow man NO MATTER WHAT. As difficult as that is for us to do, I think this film is somewhat of a taste of what it might feel like to care about someone that we would normally deem an outcast. Another strong theme is redemption and the task, we all sometimes have, to prove to ourselves that we are better than what people think about us.

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

I finished the script about two weeks before the Harvey Weinstein story broke. Instantly, I wanted to throw away the script and never mention it again. Then I wanted to change it drastically since my protagonist was a sex offender and it was possibly the worst time in history to make a movie about a sex offender as the protagonist. But, then, I decided to move forward with the story as it is. I knew it would be difficult but the themes and morals are still important to talk about so, I guess the answer is, I tried to not change the script as much as possible for my own artistic integrity.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

It's all been very positive! One man approached me after a screening and told me he's a psychologist that specializes in the area of sex crimes and that I really nailed the internal struggle that they go through to be "normal" or "good people" and that they are afraid of themselves just as much as we are of them. That was the biggest compliment I could've gotten, I think.

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

Not really. It's always nerve-wracking to write about sensitive subjects like this because people tend to assume you're on the side of the protagonist. Luckily, no one has made that assumption so far.

One surprising thing with festivals is that this film gets categorized as a horror movie. Yes, I'd agree, the scenario is terrifying and the mood is dark but I never meant for it to be a horror. But, hey, as long as it gets seen!

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

Hopefully, a fellow producer(s) that is interested in my style and work would be interested in collaborating on my future scripts! What I'm mainly on the lookout for are producers that want to make the same type of movies I make and form some longterm relationships with.

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

I need them all! Right now this film needs exposure more than anything. It was completed and ready for festivals at possibly the most inopportune time and it will be an extra steep uphill battle to get this screened anywhere since so many festivals that I've submitted to are not operating for the rest of the foreseeable future.

Behind the scenes of The Devil in the Doorway - Talking through the shot with the crew.

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

I, honestly, just want this film to spark a debate among those that watch it. As an artist, it’s not my responsibility to answer any questions through my medium. My job is merely to ask them of the audience.

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

I like to play devil's advocate as a writer and challenge audiences to care about characters they normally would be very dismissive of. To up the ante as far in that direction as possible, I wanted to make a movie with a sex-offender as the protagonist. It's a story about the struggle we all have with our inner demons and it begs the question, do the worst of us deserve redemption.

What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?

I'm currently working on writing an extremely dark comedy about a love triangle between a man, a woman, and a corpse. I've also been developing a stop-motion animation that will go into production during the Fall.

Interview: July 2020

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

The Devil in the Doorway

When a registered sex offender seeks redemption by helping a young runaway reunite with her family, his altruism and will are tested after the runaway betrays him to save herself.

Length: 12:24

Director: Hilarion Banks

Producer: Hilarion Banks

Writer: Hilarion Banks

About the writer, director and producer:

HILARION BANKS is a director/DP whose work can be seen in shorts, features, commercials, and documentaries. His work has taken him all over the world but his favorite place to be is Austin, Texas where he's currently based.

Key cast: Sean Weil (The Stranger), Viv Lozano (The Runaway)

Looking for: film festival directors, distributors, sales agents, journalists

Hashtags used: #TheDevilintheDoorwayMovie

Website: www.thedevilinthedoorwaymovie.com

Other: IMDb

Made in association with: Cave of Time Pictures, LLC

Funders: Self-Funded

Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? Due to the pandemic, I really don't know. What I've been told by a lot of festivals is that it might not be able to be shown until 2021 when their festival is rescheduled. Fingers crossed, it'll be sooner than that.