I NDEPENDENT STREAK M AGAZI NE Oct ober / Novem ber 2021
Spot l ight : "Shut t er t he Door s" By Rachel Gal vin Dimly lit with pops of blue and pink, the historic bar seems like at one time it was quite the place to be, but now it sits quite desolate, save two inhabitants. Sam, a man who appears weathered by life, commiserates at the bar with Jimmy, the attentive bartender, who acts as a spiritual beacon ready to take in all Sam's woes and dish out sage advice in return. Sam is bothered by something, although we are not sure what at first. But the pressure of regret, grief and maybe even a little fear sits on him like a burden. Jimmy also looks pensive, unsure and concerned. Something has gone terribly wrong here and we don't find out until the end exactly what it is. But, in the meantime, in this short 13 minute film, we witness a man unraveling with friendship as the only respite. The emotions are deep and real, therefore underplayed and natural. That type of acting technique can only come from seasoned actors. ?Shutter the Doors? has just that in Ian Buchanan and Billy Wirth. Buchanan is well-known for his work in soap operas like ?General Hospital,? ?The Bold and the Beautiful,? ?All My Children? and ?Port Charles.? In addition, he has been in countless TV shows and films, including ?Twin Peaks,? ?Nip/ Tuck,? ?Quantum Leap,? ?It's Garry Shandling's Show,? ?Charmed,? ?Panic Room,? ?The Seventh Sign,? ?Stargate? and so many others. Wirth was a vampire in ?The Lost Boys,? but also has been seen in ?Sex and the City,? ?Scorpion,? ?Body Snatchers,? ?Tales From the Crypt,? ?CSI,? ?Chicago PD,? ?Godfather of Harlem? and others. Both have worked with Sussman before on several of her films. 11 She wrote the film ?Kismet,? which Wirth directed and was in, as
well as co-writing ?MacArthur Park,? which he directed. Buchanan was in her short ?One Night in Hollywood.? Sussman has written, directed, and/ or produced award-winning short films and documentaries that collectively have screened at over 40 film festivals, along with securing distribution. She is the founder of Spiral Gate Productions and a judge for the prestigious PAGE International Screenwriting Awards. And she has entered "Shutter the Doors" into the Oscar race. This short film is perfectly timed, as we discover that it deals with business closing during the pandemic, something felt by countless people at this time, making the film all the more poignant. SHERI SAYS Asked how she came up with the idea for the film, Sheri Sussman said, "It was February 2021 and I hadn?t really written anything during the pandemic, and just felt like writing something 'just to write' one night. I always wanted to write a role for Ian Buchanan of a man in a moment of his life that had broken him. He's such an inspiring, brilliant actor who has always amazed me with what phenomenal range and depth he has. I had a scene in my head, since I've know him, of him sitting alone at the end of the night at a bar with a glass of Scotch. I didn't have any story or character or even the idea of what had broken him. I just started writing that scene, and pouring the mood I - and most of the world - was in into the scene, which fit this set up. "Also, I've always wanted to write a role for Billy of an empath with a kind heart always wanting to save people, that I know him to be, and bring that out on screen. He as the bartender just was perfect." "It unintentionally turned out to be capturing a moment in time and what seemed to be a collective consciousness of the whole world having the same feeling of wondering what was going to happen, and
