American funnyman and acclaimed actor Bill Murray has given his personal stamp of approval to a Sunshine Coast scriptwriter-director’s short film at a highly respected international festival.
Bin Day, a zombie apocalypse comedy written and directed by Beerwah’s Ryan Neil Butler, took out the Fun Is Good Bill Murray Comedic Shorts Award at the 2023 Twin Cities Film Fest (TCFF) in Minnesota.
The nine-minute short film – starring Anna McMahon, Stephen Walker and Emily Paxevanos – tells the story of a pacifist woman and her lazy husband who must work together to rid their home of an unwanted, ‘undead’ past during the apocalypse.
The 2023 Twin Cities Film Fest award winners were announced on October 28 (US time) at the Closing Night Awards Ceremony.
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Butler woke to the news on Saturday morning while scrolling through the festival newsletter containing the award winners. The “surprise” win was confirmed later this week in a congratulatory email from organisers.
He told supporters on social media: “We won! All the validation we need. The King of Comedy Bill Murray found our film Bin Day hilarious. Unbelievable. Congratulations to all the Bin Day cast and crew and to @twincitiesfilmfest for accepting our fun little film.”
Murray, a guest judge, chose Bin Day as his favourite funny short from a trio of finalists.
Butler was chuffed that a major comedian was enamored with the film, let alone “bloody Bill Murray”, and is now hoping to include any judging comments on future posters for celebrity endorsement kudos.
Needless to say, Murray has gone up a notch as Butler’s all-time favourite comedian.
And he fondly remembers what he was thinking when he nominated Bin Day for the Minnesota festival that started in 2005 – this year showing more than 140 films and featuring Oscar nominee Terrence Howard in a special spotlight conversation event.
“I remember thinking back when I applied, ‘Oh they’ve got an award Bill Murray oversees. Wouldn’t that be cool’. But you never think about it actually going all the way,” Butler said.
“I just figured my little film was going to do its little bit. It didn’t play by itself. It played in a short film block with eight other horror films.
“Just because your film is in a festival doesn’t necessarily mean it’s up for an award. Some festivals don’t even have awards. (The films) are just there to show and enjoy.
“But I like making a habit of this.”
Butler said he was now working on a feature-length version of Bin Day, which was a 2023 Sunny Coast Showdown finalist.
The Sunny Coast Showdown is a not-for-profit talent and idea incubator where successful applicants receive funding, support and mentoring to develop and produce their projects.
Showdown co-founder Jon Coghill said the Murray acknowledgement was “unbelievable”.
“This is the most fantastic news for such a talented director, Ryan N Butler, and the Sunny Coast Showdown,” Coghill said.
“Of course, we’re over the moon that Bin Day won, but the fact that one of the funniest people on the planet judged this category is unbelievable.
“I’d like to say that I’m lost for words but I’m not – I’ll be telling everyone who will listen.”
So, the question on everyone’s lips, then, must be: how do you make a zombie apocalypse hilarious?
“Zombies are probably the thing I’m scared of most in terms of fictional monster characters,” Butler said.
“I wasn’t aiming to make any zombie film. I was making a film about marriage, really.
“That’s how I approached it the whole way through. It’s a film about the bizarre arguments a husband and wife get into but when push comes to shove, you’re on the same team.
“I built on that and looked at bizarre arguments my wife and I have – ‘Oh there’s a huntsman in the house’ (which I’m terrified of). My wife has to take care of it – except I also don’t like killing things, so she has to take care of it humanely.
“I’m putting her in harm’s way and tying her arms behind her back, in a sense: ‘Get rid of that thing, put yourself at risk but don’t hurt it’. Meanwhile, I’m on the other side of the room … being a terrible backseat driver.
“I wanted to take that to the bizarre extreme. I thought, instead of a huntsman which I am terrified of, a zombie which I am terrified of.
“I love the idea of trying to get rid of a zombie but trying not to hurt it. I thought that was fun, though there’s disastrous results.”
Butler admits that everyone has their own sense of humour: one person could be doubled over with laughter while another can’t crack a smile.
But at times during the filming, he was “cacking myself” – whether due to a well-timed ‘slapstick-style’ sound effect, bizarre zombie moments, or watching lead actor Stephen Walker being sprayed with blood for a full 30 seconds.
“I checked with the production manager and I said, ‘How much blood do we have left or how much can you spray?’. And she said, ‘I’ve got a little bit left. We can just let it rip’,” Butler recalled.
“I said, ‘I’m just going to keep rolling. Steve, hold your breath. Once we spray you, your outfit’s going to be covered in blood. You’re going to be covered in blood. We’re not going to be able to do it again.
“He did so well. He just stood there, took all this blood on the face and then continued the scene.
“That was probably my favourite thing to do (on set).”
Bin Day received an honorable mention at the Athens International Monthly Art Film Festival and also was a finalist at the Australia Independent Film Festival and Golden Bridge Istanbul Film Festival.
Butler also has submitted Bin Day to the Melbourne Underground Film Festival, Slamdance Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival, London-Worldwide Comedy Short Film Festival, Flickerfest International Short Film Festival and Houston Comedy Film Festival.
Register your interest in getting involved in Sunny Coast Showdown 2024 on the website.
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