Round-Up: FINAL GIRL Release Details, New Vinyls from Death Waltz & Mondo, CLOSER TO GOD Q&A

Closer to God: "In this dark and gritty sci-fi thriller, a brilliant geneticist, Dr. Victor Reed, has just achieved a huge scientific breakthrough by successfully cloning the first human being, an adorable baby girl named Elizabeth. This immediately becomes a media spectacle and ignites a firestorm of debate concerning the moral and religious implications of such a discovery. Soon, Dr. Reed and his family lose all sense of privacy and safety as they are swarmed by protesters and the media. Their biggest threat, however, could be Victor’s own secret."

Q&A with Closer to God writer/director Billy Senese:

"Uncork’d Entertainment and Breaking Glass Pictures will release the acclaimed Closer to God, a hauntingly chilling and provocative sci-fi horror that’s equal parts David Cronenberg and Mary Shelley, in theatres and VOD July 3.

In writer/director Billy Senese’s “ambitious, thoughtful and provocative take on the Frankenstein story” (ScreenDaily), a scientist on the cutting edge clones the first person but events unravel when news leaks out before his team is prepared. The “mind-blowing, thought-provoking, disturbing and brilliant film” (Talent Monthly) played to thrilled, captivated festival audiences in recent months.

We caught up with Senese to speak about the film, which has been garnering positive reviews since its festival run last year.

When did this journey start for you, Billy?

Billy: I started writing the script back in early 2012, and we finished the film in April 2014. So it took two years to complete from start to finish. But, of course, then you add in the festival circuit and distributor courting, and there goes another year. Ha! 3 years, now. Probably par for the course for indie films nowadays. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the roller coaster ride!

And what was it that appealed to you about telling this particular story?

Billy: I’ve always been very drawn to Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein.” This was a big book for me when I was young, and I love the James Whale movies from the 1930s, “Frankenstein” and “Bride of Frankenstein.” So, I always wanted to do my own interpretation of this story, kind of reinvent those same ideas and themes into a modern reality, one that we might actually face in our lifetime.

What part of the country was it shot?

Billy: The entire movie was shot in and around Nashville, Tennessee. And the entire cast and crew (save Thomas Nola, the composer) is comprised of Nashville people, too.

There’s something fantastically ‘Jeffrey Combs’ about your lead, where did you discover him?

Billy: Jeremy Childs is awesome, isn’t he? It’s more like we discovered each other. We are both artists in Nashville with very similar ideas and sensibilities. We worked together on several projects leading up to this one. So when I was writing the script, I always had him in mind for the lead. Jeremy is an extremely talented, perceptive, and hard-working actor. I think he was perfect for this role. We’ve gotten to be close friends over the last few years, which has been great. Jeremy’s a working actor here in Nashville – he stays busy with ABC’s “Nashville,” along with various stage, TV, and music video projects.

And those babies – great work! Were they patient? How did they go on the shoot?

Billy: Yes – good question. What is it they say in the film business, try not to work with kids or animals? Well, I had three babies on set, two four-year-old girls, and a teenager! Oh yeah, and very little budget. So let’s just say I had some special challenges. It was a lot of fun, though. There’s something about having kids on set that forces you to keep things fun and light, at least during
their scenes. We tried to keep them away from the dark stuff as much as possible.

Olivia Lyle was the main baby Elizabeth, and she was perfect. She looked a bit younger than her age, so that really helped out with the newborn look. She cried when we wanted her to cry, and she slept when we wanted her to sleep. I got lucky - everything really came together, and everyone did such a great job.

How much did winning the Fantasia award help the film? Did it open a lot of doors for it?

Billy: I’m so honored and humbled to have won that award. Fantasia is a great genre festival. They truly care and foster each one of the films they program – and they program a lot of films. The festival staff and their audiences are equal with their commitment and love of good cinema. And yes, winning a Best Screenplay award at a big festival like that doesn’t hurt my career, that’s for sure!

And with all those great reviews, did you end up getting your pick of the distributors?

Billy: Yes, the reviews generated a lot of interests. We are absolutely fortunate to be working with Uncork’d Entertainment. Keith Leopard, the owner of the company, has been extremely hands-on and collaborative every step of the way. And that was very important to me. I knew that my film didn’t fall into a simple one-dimensional category. It is a lot of things: it’s sci-fi, drama, thriller, horror all wrapped up together. That makes it a delicate and important process to find just the right marketing campaign to represent the film properly. We’re working together on it as a team, and I think we’re on the right track. Uncork’d has been a great fit for us."