Today we’d like to introduce you to Rachel Kylian.
Hi Rachel, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I am an actor, producer, and writer in Los Angeles. I currently have two short films in the festival circuit: “Epiphany” (drama) and “It’s Time” (dark comedy). I started as an actor and decided to tell my stories, so I started writing and producing my films.
I produced two films during the pandemic, “Epiphany”. It premiered last year at The Burbank International Film Festival, and just joined the official selection of The SOUSS International Short Film Festival 2023 in Morocco; “It’s Time”. It has been selected for The Meihodo International Youth Visual Media Festival 2023 competition in Japan and has just been nominated for The LA Independent Women Film Awards 2023.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
There are multiple challenges involved in filmmaking. Finding the right team is challenging, you must rely on a group of people to show up, work together, and make great work. Casting “Epiphany” was not easy, my director and I had to go through multiple tapes to find the right actors. I also had a crew member cancel at the last minute, but I am lucky to have a great network that helped me replace that person very quickly.
Financing is another challenge; you have to budget for pre-production and post-production properly. There are additional expenses to consider after the film is made such as ADR expenses in post, or film festival expenses. There was also the Covid crisis, so we were all at risk of getting infected while we were filming. However, it was a great learning experience, and I am ready to make my next film.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Kylian’s film credits include, notably, the comedy “Almost Christmas” (Universal), “The Wrong Man” (Lifetime) and “The Climb” (Sony Pictures Classics). She most recently co-starred in the ABC Drama series “Promised Land”. Other TV credits include “Physical” (Apple TV+), “FBI” (CBS), “Counterpart” (Starz), and “MacGyver”(CBS). She will next be seen in the thriller “Lipstick” directed by Kimberly Conner.
Kylian is a filmmaker too. She wrote, produced and acted in a short film called “It’s Time”, a dark comedy. She wrote and produced another short film called “Epiphany”, a drama. The film premiered at the Burbank International Film Festival in 2022.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
All roles are luck. But I believe my perseverance, faith and hard work sets me apart. Every booking is a win for me. But I have to say I was very happy to book a project filming in The Bahamas. The production put me at The Atlantis Hotel on Paradise Island and that was one of my favorite shoots. I love the ocean so any project that films on an island is an absolute joy. I was just filming in Hawaii earlier this year; another great project. I want to thank Darren Darnborough, Co-Founder and CEO of WeAudition for introducing me to the Hawaii market.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.rachelkylian.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rachelkylianfilmandtv/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rachelkylianofficial
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/rachelkylian
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/rachelkylian
Image Credits
The pictures in blue are Still of Its Time (my film).
