Writer/Director Dylan Gary began his screenwriting career on the writing staff of HBO’s critically-acclaimed series TELL ME YOU LOVE ME. Since then he’s had his original pilot BEHIND THE SUN included in Sundance TV’s 2015 development slate, received a “blind pilot” deal from Sony Television, and was hired to do an adaptation of a novel by Steve Buscemi’s company Olive Productions.
But film and filmmaking is Dylan’s first love and deepest passion. And he’s recently formed Three Umbrella Films, a New York based production company focusing on low and micro-budget features.
What it the title of your film in BIFF 2024?
THE UNIFORM
What was your first experience with film and how did it influence your first project?
Well, I think I’d have to say THE TIN DRUM, directed by Volker Schlöndorff. I saw that movie WAY too young, and it seared itself into my psychic flesh forever.
If you don’t know the film, it’s about Oskar, a three-year-old boy who throws himself down a flight of cellar stairs in an effort to stunt his growth and avoid having to enter the adult world he so reviles…
As a child growing up in Southern California and being diagnosed as allergic to the sun (yes, that’s a thing), I could relate to that feeling of being somehow outside the world one finds themselves in… Whether through lack of understanding or, in Oskar’s case, lack of interest, this idea of people being unable to enter a life that everyone else seems to be living so naturally had a huge thematic impact on me. And it hasn’t really faded.
In fact, this TIN DRUM-esque dynamic of characters being chronically out of sync with the very life they are leading has infused the bulk of my creative pursuits. And it is certainly at the heart of THE UNIFORM… Minus the war, the incestuous cousins, and the tin drum of course.
Who is (are) your favorite filmmakers?
Too many to name. All the biggies on all the lists, from Kurosawa to Kiarostami to Cassavetes.
A few others that might not be on the lists but probably should be, are…
Masaki Kobayashi – He did some of my favorite films, including HARA-KIRI, which is like the Death Of A Salesman of Samurai movies.
Joan Micklin Silver – CHILLY SCENES OF WINTER and HESTER STREET are excellent, and I don’t think she quite gets the shine she deserves.
Ralph Bakshi – His dark and chaotic and totally visceral style of animation in WIZARDS and his version of LORD OF THE RINGS, which I also saw very young, left a big mark on me for sure.
What are you working on that no one knows about?
I’ve got a feature version of THE UNIFORM and another feature that I’m going to be making through my production company Three Umbrella Films.
And the longer reaching Three Umbrella plan is to start working with other emerging writers, directors, writer-directors to help develop and find funding for their projects, and to form a community of like-minded collaborators.
But first up is THE UNIFORM… By the way, I’m currently looking for a producing partner on that. So if there are any micro-budget masochists out there, do hit me up.
Who would play you in a movie? What’s your go to movie snack? What’s the film title that best describes your life?
Actor:
Oh man, I don’t think I could in good conscience ask any actor to play such an uninteresting role. Maybe many years ago, when I was an angry young drummer in filthy Hollywood there could have been something to see… But now it would mostly just be a guy at a computer, thinking.
I think this would be the one case where I would recommend using an AI generated actor.
Snack:
You get a thing of popcorn and a box of Milk Duds. Then you open the box of Milk Duds and pour all contents INTO the popcorn. Shake it around a little and you’re good. An old showbiz trick…
*Note: This can also be done with Junior Mints instead of Milk Duds. Just consult local laws in your area prior.
Movie Title:
Hmm. I’ve been searching for a less tragic sounding title, but I think I have to go with…
THE LONELINESS OF THE LONG DISTANCE RUNNER.
Not because I’m tragically lonely or anything like that, but because this film stuff is nothing but a LONG. DISTANCE. RUN.