AN UNINVITED GUEST UNLOCKING DOORS

Director Richard B. Pierre shows his spin on police brutality

Despite the pandemic, last year was incredible for Canadian directors showing their moxie and sense of urgency with their films. We were utmostly impressed with Richard B. Pierre‘s An Uninvited Guest which screened at Reelworld Film’s Festival short films program last year. Having a joyfully eerie and twisted vibe to the film, An Uninvited Guest shows director Richard B. Pierre‘s angst towards police brutality and the message clearly gets sent.

Having this film screened after many of us were recovering from the death of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor is a stark reminder that there is much work that lies ahead of us. The film does not add wood to the fire but it is the key ingredient that will help us reduced it for years to come. An Uninvited Guest is unlocking those doors that have been shut tight in our faces when it comes to police brutality. Having the film picked up by CBC Gems in a time of turmoil will motivate others to lock those doors that have lead to times of despair. FERNTV spoke with director Richard B. Pierre about the unique journey of this film, An Uninvited Guest.

FERNTV: Can you tell us the exact trigger of the 6 o’clock news report on television that inspired you to make “An Uninvited Guest”? 

Richard: I’m going to try and dodge this question and here’s why: a few months ago, amidst all the turmoil after George Floyd’s murder I read an article featuring a family member of one of the many black people in America murdered by police. The family member was adamant that it hurt them every time they saw their loved one’s name used as an inspiration for someone’s art. That really hit me and made me re-examine how I talked about my inspiration for this film. I don’t want to retraumatize any of the families who have lost loved ones so I’ll just say, it was inspired by many incidents we witnessed as a collective between 2014-2015.

FERNTV: Richard Walters who is no stranger in the industry is the lead actor in this film.  Tell us why he was perfect for the role? 

Richard: I auditioned lots of talented actors for this role but there was just this intangible ‘it’ factor with Richard (and we have the same first name so obviously I’m biased.) All joking aside, Richard is a pro and I love the energy and thoughtfulness he brought to set. He understood the importance of the role and the film and was willing to do whatever I asked of him in service of our mission. 

FERNTV: What are some of the directorial influences that are present in “An Uninvited Guest”?

Richard: I wrote the script in 2015 and tried to get it funded shortly thereafter and I don’t think it was until 2017 that the OAC funded us. Shortly thereafter GET OUT hit the world, I knew people might compare my short to Peele’s masterpiece and they did but I can’t say it influenced any of my creative choices. Although, it did reassure me that there might be an audience for my short.

I struggled to find similar works. I re-watched some classic Twilight Zone episodes trying to help myself envision the film. Beyond that in terms of performance, I watched the original Stepford Wives and Invasion of the Body Snatchers (and the plethora of remakes…) But I could never find a film that nailed what it was.

So, the short answer was that I really didn’t have a particular influence so I spent a lot of my time just filled with doubt about whether the film would work but luckily it did.

FERNTV: Last year was a very difficult year when it came to film festivals.   What were some of the advantages of having things virtual film festivals and how were was the film and yourself able to enjoy that? 

Richard: It really was! It’s funny the film was barely finished when we had our world premiere early in 2020 at the San Diego Black Film Festival;  I lived in SD growing up so I was really tempted to fly down. Shortly after that, COVID hit and it seemed like festivals were over for the year. And the whole concept of the virtual aspect was not appealing to me. But then reality sunk in that this wasn’t changing anytime soon so I embraced it and quickly realized online is amazing!

I think it all started with my mixed-race documentary “What Are You?” getting selected for the prestigious Yorkton Film Festival. This is normally a big networking festival and a great opportunity to connect with industry pros that could help me to level up so rather than squander the chance, I started cold emailing specific people who I thought might be worth chatting with. And with the short trailer as my calling card, I started making connections! So, I learned to embrace the virtual festival concept.

No longer did I have to feel bad about not attending the festival because I could be at six festivals around the world simultaneously (which truth be told is still a time management challenge) and not have to fret about shelling out for flights, hotel, etc. So, it may not be the same level of interactivity as being at a film festival in person. But thanks to resources like Zoom it can still be great. As a filmmaker, virtual film festivals taught me that I need to work harder at networking. 

FERNTV: What did you learn from having your film at Reelworld and what has founder Tonya Lee Williams taught you along the way? 

Richard: I always love screening at Reelworld! I received some great feedback about the film and my lead Richard Walters picked up the Stand Out Actor for a Short Film Award. They put on a bunch of great networking opportunities for filmmakers to connect with established industry professionals so it was a really terrific experience. And they also scored us some great press with the Toronto Star.

Tonya inspires me. Since I first attended the festival years ago as an audience member, she’s always been there on the ground welcoming people to Reelworld and it’s such a breath of fresh air. She’s just down to earth and unfiltered. I think Tonya’s taught many filmmakers that our stories matter. She’s also taught me that this industry is tough and as racialized filmmakers, we have to be tenacious to make sure our stories are heard.

FERNTV: Do you feel that George Floyd or the Breonna Taylor incident has affected the viewership of your film in any way? 

Richard: I think the level of consciousness of racism changed in 2020. A lot of people woke up to the reality that Black people feel in their veins every day. And for me as a filmmaker, it did feel like I was getting selected for more top tier festivals than I’d initially thought I would. I also think a wider range of audience members are willing to watch and discuss the film.

FERNTV: Are you happy with the feedback and criticism of the film and how is that going to help you for your future projects? 

Richard: Thus far, I’ve received lots of positive feedback about the film from industry people of all shades. And the press reviews we’ve received are amazingly positive. Getting any sort of press coverage for a short is a challenge and I was amazed to have “An Uninvited Guest” featured in the Montreal Gazette and Toronto Star among many others. For the time being, I’m still awaiting the harsh critiques but I know they’ll show up eventually! 

The success of “An Uninvited Guest” has shifted where I see my career focus and the attention it’s received is opening up doors. Production companies have reacted with enthusiasm to the film and many have expressed interest in seeing a feature-length version of the short which I am currently developing. So, it’s been a really unexpected journey. It’s safe to say that I’ll be using “An Uninvited Guest” to continue to break down doors in the film industry catapult me to the next level.

FERNTV: What does it mean to you by having this film screen on CBC Gems? 

Richard: A week or so prior to our first COVID lockdown, I attended a CBC – BIPOC Film and TV event and I ran into, Paige Murray, the person who programs shorts for Canadian Reflections on CBC. We had a brief chat about “An Uninvited Guest” and she was excited to check it out. When she expressed interest in it a week or two after I sent the film, I was over the moon with excitement.  I’d intended to do a YouTube type launch and had all these ideas about finding guerrilla ways to showcase it to the masses. But to have it air on CBC and be available to all Canadians on CBC Gem is amazing. It means that people who might never have stumbled upon the film have access. That’s huge, especially for a short film.

Click link below to watch An Uninvited Guest on CBC

https://bit.ly/3ow5W2W