Interview mit Derek Ocampo & Nicholas Downs

Interviewdatum: 18. September 2019.

OmegaBetaZeta.de und Dewey Darko unterstützen seit einigen Jahren das Kurzfilmprojekt „THE HANDYMAN“ von Autor und Hauptdarsteller Nicholas Downs. 2019 läuft der Film auf drei Queer-Film-Festivals in Deutschland, international gab es für den Film bereits auf verschiedenen Festivals Applaus und auch einige Auszeichnungen. Zudem gibt es gerade das Gerücht um eine mögliche Fortsetzung? Ein Grund warum wir uns mit Darsteller Derek Ocampo und Nicholas Downs erneut unterhielten.

Weitere Informationen zum Film gibt es unter:

http://omegabetazeta.de/the-handy-man/

https://www.facebook.com/thehandymanshortfilm/

INTERVIEW!

OBZ: Congratulations! Her film is already running at a third, big queer film festival in Germany. Let’s take a look far back. How did the idea for the project come about? And what happened in the last months? What impressed you most

DOWNS: I was looking to create work for myself. I wanted to build off of the fun, comedic films I have been in that were successful in past film festivals. After a few versions of the script I landed on The Handyman. In the past months, the film has played in over 20 film festivals worldwide and has secured distribution through Dekkoo. The film will be released to the public on October 16th. I would say I’m most impressed by the wonderful reactions of people who have seen it. They laugh, and that’s all I could ask for.

OBZ: How did you start working with Derek Kody Ocampo and why did you choose him?

DOWNS: We had auditioned Derek for our Steam Room Stories web series a couple years back. He was always on our mind for a role in something, we were just looking for the right role for him. JC suggested I meet with him for the role of Frank and it was the perfect match.

OBZ: How was the realization then? Was there a problem with the implementation?

DOWNS: Once I had the script in place, I worked tiredly to pull all the other elements together. From the props to the wardrobe to all the crew, I put everything in place. I also hired a great Director of Photography, Michael Willer, he came with a great skillset and talent that helped to make the film look as good as it does. I feel the key is to put good people in the right places and magic can happen.

OBZ: Derek, how did you experience it? Cooperation? Other impressions?
OCAMPO: Nicholas is such a pleasure to work with! I have done multiple projects with him and with more to come. He and his team make the work day seem like a party and he produces great work. It’s easy to see why he has so much love and support for his films. It’s wonderful to see how far The Handyman has gone and I am proud to be a part of it.

OBZ: The film has been screened at many festivals and has also won awards. The international response was great. A reason why the story has to be told further?

DOWNS: With the success of the first film I thought it would be fun to share with those same fans where the two characters, Walter and Frank are now. So a story was created to share that with the fans of The Handyman as well as keeping it enough of a stand alone story so it could be enjoyed without having to have seen the first film.

OBZ: How will it go on?

DOWNS: The next film will be called, Honey Do List: A Handyman Story. Honey Do List continues Walter and Frank’s story. Walter’s honey do list piles up and Frank is too busy to do the fixes, a new sexy handyman arrives with an agenda that isn’t exactly on Walter’s fix-it list. Can Walter resist this new temptation?

OBZ: How and who can support the franchise? And where can you support it?

DOWNS: Anyone can help to support the franchise. I am taking everything I made on the first film and putting it right back into Honey Do List. But I’m just a bit short. I have an indiegogo campaign where anyone can help to make the film a reality. It’s at: https://igg.me/at/HoneyDoList/x/16726955#/

OBZ: Nicholas, do you always tell private stories in your stories?

DOWNS: I think a lot of good stories and performances have at least some personal touch to them. I think that’s what helps to make them more relatable. A lot of us go through the same experiences and emotions and when you can share a part of yourself on screen, people connect with that.

OBZ: What would you wish for THE HANDYMAN? And which statements apply to the narratives?

DOWNS: That it has a great release next month through Dekkoo. That it puts a smile on the viewer’s face and makes them laugh.

OBZ: What are your hopes for Germany?

DOWNS: Germany has been very receptive of the film. I’m hoping that the fact that The Handyman will have played in three film festivals there is a good indication that the film will do well once it’s released to the public in Germany.