MAKING FRIED BARRY

Gary Green as Barry

Fried Barry had to be one of the craziest films that screened at this year’s virtual edition of the Fantasia Film Festival.  The film focuses on a drug-addicted loser named Barry, played by Gary Green, in Cape Town, South Africa who is abducted by aliens and uses his body to explore mankind.  Unfortunately, the aliens might have selected the wrong guy to do this job as he doesn’t speak a word and not the sharpest tool in the shed and a deadbeat dad to boot.  When Barry begins his alien-influenced journey, he is thrown so many curve balls that he must figure out what to do by communicating physically.  Whether it is drugs, crime or sex, Barry must sail and control this crazy ship that he is on which is called life.   There is an underlying theme to the film as we see that Barry is experiencing mental illness.  It is quite interesting how others who enter his dark and interesting world treat and judge Barry knowingly that he is not well.  At the end of it, they hinder Barry rather than help him.

Director Ryan Kruger makes his debut with this risky film which is astounding and so much fun.  There was so much praise and attention for Fried Barry when they first shot the short film version back in 2017.  The 2020 edition of Fried Barry is Eyes Wide Shut for the lower class.  Instead of a doctor going on a journey into worlds of sexual sophistication with Illuminati like people that represent the circles of Hollywood moguls, the audience gets the complete opposite with Fried Barry.  Instead, we get a journey where the majority of people in this world can relate to which should not be offensive but should be handled with the truth.  The city of Cape Town makes this film special and accentuates the characteristics of Green’s performance of Barry where it blossoms.  FERNTV caught up with producer James C. Williamson who speaks of filming in this part of South Africa and this huge opportunity to make his film debut as well as a producer

FERNTV:  Briefly describe how you became the producer for this film Fried Barry and what was it about the film that intrigued you?

James:  Ryan and I had only known each other for a couple of months when he pitched Fried Barry to me. We had only done one short film together but we both share a love for filmmaking just for the sake of it and we were hungry to make our first feature. We just clicked creatively and only one month later; we had begun shooting the movie. Fried Barry intrigued me because it presented an opportunity to make a movie without rules – all of the creatives on the project pushed themselves into uncharted territory and the result is a film that is unlike anything you’ve ever seen before.

FERNTV:  There seem to be many different locations in Cape Town that highlighted the story of Fried Barry.  What was the experience like scouting these locations?

James:  Cape Town is a popular filmmaking service destination and thus, it doesn’t often “play itself”. It’s always shot to look like New York or Budapest or some idyllic, exotic location. Cape Town can be a beautiful city, but we wanted to go in the opposite direction: we wanted to show all the seediest, grimiest, and darkest avenues that Cape Town has to offer. Several reviewers have said that Fried Barry is the kind of film that makes you feel like you need a shower and all I can say is “you’re welcome”.

FERNTV:   So this is the first feature you have produced and it is Ryan Kruger’s first full- length feature film he has directed.  What is the advantage of going about Fried Barry this way?

James:  Ryan comes from a background in directing music videos, whereas I come from a background in doing publicity for studio pictures. The common thread is that we both have to follow certain rules that govern how we work to keep our clients or the studio happy. Producing our feature film, and especially a film like Fried Barry, was a hugely refreshing experience in that we didn’t have anybody to answer to but each other. If somebody had a great idea on set, we didn’t need to ask for permission – we just did it.

FERNTV:    What was the most challenging thing about making this film?

James:  Making a movie without a script sounds like an insane idea and that’s because it is. The reason we leaned so heavily on improv was that our lead is not a trained actor and most of his acting experience comes from being an extra. However, what was one of the biggest challenges for us also became one of the film’s greatest strengths. Our reliance on improv led to some of the most hilarious and affecting moments of the film. Looking back, I couldn’t imagine shooting the film any other:

FERNTV:  What was it like to have this film at a virtual Cannes this year and what was your strategy in marketing this film during a pandemic?

James:  I commend Virtual Cannes and other festival organizers for the innovative ways that they’ve been able to adapt the festival experience to an online space. A result of the pandemic is that online communities are more active than ever, and it’s been encouraging to see filmmakers, festival organizers, press and other industry stakeholders band together to embrace the virtual space. We’ve been pouring a lot of energy into online marketing; using an “everything but the kitchen sink” approach to help the film stand out to our audience. One of the great things about Fried Barry is that there’s no handbook on how to market a movie like this, so we’ve had so much fun with things like the Carole Baskin Reaction Video, the Fried Barry Condom Commercial and Social Distancing with Fried Barry.

FERNTV:  Last year the movie 8 (Soul Collector) made some noise in the film festival circuit which is from South Africa.  What are your thoughts on the current climate of the film industry in South Africa?

James:  8 (The Soul Collector) was a great achievement and the film has done so much for South African genre films. South Africa’s local film industry is conservative, to say the least, and the common belief is that genre films made here “just don’t work”. Films like 8 and Fried Barry show that we’re capable of producing standout genre pieces that find success both internationally and at home. We have such excellent film crews and creative minds in South Africa, it would be a great shame to pigeonhole South Africa as a place where only certain kinds of films are made.

FERNTV:  What is it like to be part of Fantasia this year?

James:  Fantasia nailed it with their virtual festival experience and you can tell by how excited and engaged their audience was. The feedback from fans and press at Fantasia has been nothing short of incredible. One of the most enjoyable things was the brilliant, hilarious and surprisingly heartfelt reviews we’ve been getting. It seems crazy that people can connect on such a deep level with the character of Barry, but people have fallen in love with him. I can’t wait to return to Fantasia when “2 Fried 2 Barry” drops.