About Myself and The Foreverlands:
My name is Kyle Kauwika Harris, I am the writer, producer, and director of The Foreverlands. The Foreverlands began about five or six months ago when I began writing the story that became the short film. The Foreverlands is about a drifter, Ace Denison, who is on a personal mission of self discovery as he navigates through the southwest roaming from one place to another with no particular destination in mind. Ace's past is shrouded in a dark cloud and a moment of violence witnessed in his youth, separates him from reality and leaves him questioning life and searching for answers he may never find. Enter Henry Bonneville. The smooth talking, silver fox, West Texas cowboy in black who seems to have all the answers in life. At first it seems like just another friendly ride, soon leads to a web of bribery, lies, and violence. Henry Bonneville, like the car, seems to have insight into what ails Ace internally and through his malicious ramblings he slowly plants the seed within Ace to get him to act out his most innate primal behavior. Murder. Though, Henry never spells it out what you have to do, he opens the door in which Ace goes through to fulfill those sins, whereas Ace is humanity’s metaphor. The opening line of the film Ace's voice over says, "Our mortality is found upon the path." That can mean a lot of different things but the one thing I took from this when creating these characters is that Ace is translating to the audience that our lives are created on the path that we walk. We each have our own journey to experience and to touch on one of the many themes within the story and for me one of those would be CHOICES and the choices we make lead us down certain roads. Some may be good some bad but in the end no matter which road we pick when we are faced with a difficult decision, do I go left or go right? Do I say what’s on my mind or walk away? In the end no matter what influences us and to what extent we still have a choice.
As a Director on the Project, I particularly want to bring a sense of surrealism to the story and create this dream-like mythos that crawls under your skin and lingers there. Something ethereal and haunting without it being a horror film. The interaction between the two characters of Ace Denison and Henry Bonneville reminds us of past unions such as Dennis Hopper and Nicolas Cage in Red Rock West or Terrence Malick's Badlands for instance. Night and Day. Good and evil. A post 70s noir feel with spiritual and religious under tone throughout, coupled with the desolate setting of West Texas. There is a feeling of empathy we have towards Ace because of what he is up against but even Henry cannot predict in the end what a person will choose. "He just arranges things."
There is a very powerful visual element to this story. A shadowy cryptic atmosphere that creates a narrative threshold for the characters. Though they are moving constantly, continuing on this journey, they seem to be frozen in time.
An element of symbolism and surrealism that permeates through to this ethereal and haunting world in which these characters exist. As always I try to create a cinematic and yet tonal poem with all of my material.
- This project is also very valuable for investors as it has the chance to become a full length feature. I initially wrote The Foreverlands as a full length feature film and condensed it into a tighter version that still hits on all the BEATS a feature film would have. My writing has lead me to penning eight feature films (two of which have had success in Script Competitions) and a television series (Valleys of the Sun) which recently made Quarter Finalist at CWA.
- I have had a lot of success in the last two years since I began pursuing filmmaking wholeheartedly. My very first short film was nominated for Best Contest Short at TrailDance Film Festival. I have also been nominated for a Best Originality Award for my short film The Reunion and another short film I completed in Summer 2015 is currently in the festival circuit. All together I have made 9 short films in the last two years.
- This is my passion. It is who I am and what I am meant to do. For many years I pursued careers that were very beneficial to my growth as a writer but not necessarily the best position for me as an artist but once one lets that guard down and pursues what they love to do, it is like a weight is lifted from your conscious and makes way for inspiration, setting long term goals, and taking educated risks.
Why would anyone what to help support this story and bring it to life on the screen?
There are so many reasons why we should bring this to the big screen and story being one of them but I think looking at who is involved with this story. It is an honor to be working with...
Mark Adam Goff He has done done two feature films recently The Long Drive Home (Festival Winner) and Windsor directed by Porter Farrell and starring, Barry Corbin of No Country For Old Men. I’ve been following his films for a while now and there is just something magnetic in his performances, something underlying that you just can’t get a grasp on that I want to explore more and for him to want to play the character of Henry Bonneville was an honor.
Also, it’s good to be back working with my DP Titus Fox, he is so quiet and still and when I explain my vision to him and what it is I am trying to translate to the screen, he understands it and that’s something very valuable to have on your side when working on a film. He also has worked on 3 feature films in New York and Chicago. You have to speak the same language as your crew or you can easily get frustrated.
Also, the guys at Three Egos Films who are helping bring this story to life as well. Austin and Colton Warren, John Dylan Brown and Reese Baker. These guys are a talented group of young filmmakers who I call my cinema family who have done seven short films in the last two years. Evan Shaull and Marvin Hughey, another pair of hard working film lovers whose expertise on set help us to achieve our vision.
I am also very excited to be working with Zac Abbott another talented actor who has done local films with the likes of Charles Baker from Breaking Bad and Michael Pitt of HBO's Boardwalk Empire and Sidney Flack who recently wrapped shooting a role in the upcoming feature Gosnell starring, Dean Cain.
My UPM/Line Producers Chad Baker and Yosuke Shingu. These guys are go getters and I welcome their attitudes and passion they bring to the table. Their expertise in the local film scene is very valuable when shooting a film in OKC. Both of them having done short films, music videos, and feature films from OKC to Hollywood.
SO to answer your question why would anyone want to support this film?
"It's because of the passion we have for what we do. It’s something one can’t explain in words. It's a lifestyle, something you’re born with. We are storytellers. Entertainers. Help us tell our story. You are our audience, and we want you to be along for the ride from the start. Help us make this film! See you all at the movies..."
What We Are Asking for