Overcome the loss with the new drama film ‘Shutter the Doors’ – Film Daily

Sheri Sussman’s feature film Close the doors has done a whole round on the festival circuit and caught the attention at the right time Toronto Film Magazine in the process. Starring Ian Buchanan and Billy Wirth, Close the doors captures a moment in time by a man struggling to deal with an unimaginable loss in his life.

In a recent interview with the magazine, we learned more than a few revealing details about the film and what Sussman has in store as a result of the film’s resounding success.

Inspirational breakthrough

On the question of the basic inspiration for Close the doors, Sussman says there’s more to it than just a juicy Hollywood script. “The inspiration behind making this film was the desire to write a role for Ian Buchanan that I know and am just such a fascinating actor for me.” she says.

“I had always had a picture of him sitting at a bar with a glass of Scottish as a character who was a bit ruined for some mysterious reason.” Sussman continues. “Then I added Billy Wirth, my friend who I’ve also worked with before and had imagined a certain type of role for him that worked perfectly for this film. Then it was just to dive in and be in the moment in my” emotional state “at that time.”

Inspiring challenges

Sussman says, however, that it did not come without challenges. “Short films are challenging to create a complete world, emotion and feeling with as little plot as possible, but keep the audience interested. Short films can be the longest minutes of an audience’s life and be the most compelling! This genre was a classic style film, that should remove any sense of unnecessary drama. “

The pandemic provided an extra challenge, but Sussman was more than ready for the task. “There was the risk of choosing not to shoot features or cut away from the actors and just sit still in the scenes, which is contrary to many short films today.” she says. “Shooting it all in one day because of Covid and budget (or lack thereof!) Was also a challenge, as well as doing post-production at a distance.”

Multi-hyphen

Sheri Sussman is a writer, director and producer born in New York, raised in Cincinnati and currently based in Los Angeles. She studied at the UCLA Extension Writers’ Program when she moved to Los Angeles at the age of 18. Shortly thereafter, she became a working screenwriter in Hollywood. Sheri was the author of the critically acclaimed independent feature film, MacArthur Park, directed by Billy Wirth, which premiered on Sundance and is distributed by The Sundance Channel.

Sussman has written, directed and produced award-winning feature films, documentaries and short films, where her works have been shown at a total of over 50 film festivals. Sussman is currently a judge at the prestigious PAGE International Screenwriting Awards. As the founder of Spiral Gate Productions, she has worked with a wide range of respected veterans and upcoming talents in the entertainment industry.

The future

Towards the end of the interview, Sussman received a tempting answer when asked what she sees in front of her as a writer, producer and director.

“I’m putting together my first feature film, which I have to direct. I have two features I wrote – so what gets funding first is what I want to do. One is a satire on Hollywood called, Just another day in Hollywood, similar to Customization & The player. The other is the feature of this short film that Ian and I collaborated on about the story, called Sam’s place. Ian will participate in it and is also a partner (sic) in the project. “

What else do you think Sussman has up her sleeve now that the pandemic does not suit her? Tell us in the comments!