Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrew de Burgh.
Andrew, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Having dreamt of being an actor from a young age and after graduating from college in 2012, I moved to Los Angeles where I started my journey to try and “make it” as an actor. I got very lucky when I soon booked a part in an independent feature film.
Unfortunately, the film was never finished, but it was a great learning experience, and I got to meet a lot of cool people that I would stay in touch with for years to come. I continued to seek opportunities as an actor, and I was lucky to book a small role in the Mischa Barton and Dave Bautista horror-comedy film ‘L.A. Slasher.’
I continued to get the odd small part here and there, but I longed for a bigger role in something. In 2014, a good friend of mine, who knew I was a passionate writer, encouraged me to write my own screenplay. One day, I had a nightmare of a New Year’s Eve party gone horribly wrong, so I decided to channel this idea into a script.
Thereafter, I began writing the psychological thriller short film ‘Just One Drink.’ A few months and dozens of drafts later, I was very happy with what I had written, so I set out to turn my screenplay into an actual movie. My plan was to produce and star in the film.
Having studied Advertising in college, I knew the value of effective marketing, so I was determined to cast a name actress to headline my film. I got lucky when Barbara Nedeljakova, best known as the villain Natalya in the hit horror film ‘Hostel’ signed on to play the lead.
I interviewed quite a few people to direct the film, but none of them shared my vision for it, so I made the bold decision to direct it in addition to producing and starring in it. I knew it would be a massive challenge, but I was determined to make it work.
My parents are also very supportive and helped me quite a lot on set. Although the shoot was one of the hardest things I have ever done, overall I was pretty pleased with how filming had gone. After the film was edited and original music composed, I was very proud of the film I had in my hands.
I started submitting it to dozens of film festivals, and although it got a great deal of rejections, it became an Official Selection at the 2015 Chinese American Film Festival.
Critics started writing reviews on the film, and soon the film joined an elite group of films (many of which are influences on my work) with a perfect 100% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Incredibly, my luck with the film kept going, and soon after the critical acclaim, the world’s leading short film distributor ShortsTV (the distributor behind the Oscar® Nominated Short Films) picked up the film and distributed it as an “Editor’s Pick” on Cable TV! I couldn’t believe how fortunate I was to get this kind of success so early on in my filmmaking career.
In the Spring of 2017, I shot a short black and white silent experimental thriller called ‘The Twisted Doll.’ I was very happy with how it turned out and with eighteen film festival selections (including a screening at the prestigious Polish Film Festival Los Angeles), a few award nominations and good reviews, it turned out to be a huge success.
I realized then that making films was truly what I wanted to do in life. Later that year, I also collaborated with the video game company GameIndica Entertainment and wrote and directed the short VR horror film ‘Queen of Hearts.’ I was determined to make a feature film, so I set out on probably what has been the biggest challenge thus far in life.
I wrote a sci-fi drama screenplay called ‘The Bestowal,’ which tells the tale of a suicidal businessman who is visited by an inter-dimensional being appearing in the form of a beautiful woman.
I shot the film in the summer of 2018 through my production company Sacred Ember Films, which I had founded earlier in the year. I was able to cast two phenomenal lead actors in Sam Brittan and Sharmita Bhattacharya, who both did a wonderful job in the film. I had an amazing team, and I am very proud of the film we made.
The reviews so far have been excellent, with long-running cult entertainment magazine Starburst calling it “unique, challenging and thought-provoking.” Another critic, Kirk Fernwood, favorably compared it to ‘Interstellar’ (one of the film’s influences), ‘Arrival’ and ‘Annihilation’! It is currently on the film festival circuit.
I am also in development with a VR short thriller film called ‘An Inconsolable Spirit’ and a Bollywood – Hollywood revenge feature which is actually based on my short film ‘The Twisted Doll.’ That’s where I am really fortunate to be as of today!
Has it been a smooth road?
To be perfectly honest, it has been anything but a smooth road. The film business is extremely competitive and challenging. So much of the time you can’t help but feel demoralized as there is so much rejection, but I am a firm believer that to achieve success, you have to really push yourself to the limit and put up with all the rejections.
It’s an extremely difficult industry to make your way in, but it is possible. The ability to not let failure get you down is one of the most important traits you need to possess to succeed. I learned this when my first film was rejected from dozens and dozens of film festivals before it got any success.
I’ve also realized the importance of leaving your ego at the door. It’s very inspiring how humble some of the most successful people in this business are. Hollywood is a surreal town in many ways, and some people think they have to act a certain way to appear ‘successful’ (the whole ‘Fake it till you Make it’ idea), but I think it’s absolute nonsense.
Although I am a firm believer in the importance of luck, I also believe that there is no substitute for hard work and a good attitude. Perhaps the greatest struggle and the hardest thing to do in this business is to pick yourself up after a setback. Due to a lot of practice, I’ve become quite good at this!
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Sacred Ember Films – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
My production company Sacred Ember Films was founded with the goal of creating innovative and cinematic films of all genres with ‘The Bestowal’ being the company’s first production. My long term plan is to make the company successful on both a critical and commercial front.
Being that film is an incredibly powerful medium and a way to influence and change people’s minds, I feel that through my films I have somewhat of a duty to spread messages and themes that I feel can make the world a better place.
With ‘The Bestowal,’ I did my best to make a film that I believe can do just that. The film deals with many topics, including empathy and the idea that helping others is the key to happiness.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and the least?
LA has a lot of awesome things about it. For starters, there are an absurd amount of things to do, no matter what your interests may be. Everyday there are dozens of different events, screenings, etc. all over the city!
There are also so many amazing and affordable restaurants of every cuisine imaginable which is really awesome. There are some great and genuine people here too, but you just have to find them! The weather is excellent too.
However, there are definitely some things I don’t like. The traffic, which is a well-documented problem, can be absolutely awful and may genuinely spiral out of control in the near future if certain measures aren’t taken.
There are also a lot of scam artists in the city. I’ve also found that there is a shallow and narcissistic side to LA and sadly a lot of people care a lot about status and what you can do for them. There is sadly a lot of truth to the LA expression “I’ve got friends I haven’t even used yet”!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5410488/
- Phone: 949-697-8204
- Email: [email protected]
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SacredEmberFilms/
- Other: https://www.facebook.com/TheBestowalMovie/
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