A fantastic debut short from Vancouver-based director Kasey Lum (previously featured here). “Kingspin” follows the forging of an unlikely partnership amidst the chaos of a fledgling criminal empire. The project was inspired by the sound of the Romanian language, an appreciation Lum picked up after sharing a house with a girl who routinely transitioned between speaking English and Romanian. Obviously another big source of inspiration — Lum’s love for the “gangster” film genre. As he shared with us:
“One question I found myself asking frequently was: how do I make this a gangster film without being clíché? My answer was: I can’t. I love gangster films because for the most part, they are all the same. It usually starts with someone’s betrayal and then, shit hits the fan, and I really wanted shit to hit the fan.”
Check out Kingspin above and see full credits below!
Starring:
Élise (French Girl) – Maud Pugliese
Sorin – Mike Doaga
Doru – Raresh DiMofte
John – Stephen McNaughton
Lot Boy – Fletcher Donovan
Ion – Adam Kirschner
Written & Directed by Kasey Lum
Producer: Matt Prior
Director of Photography: Jan Klompje
Editor: Orion Mccaw, Kasey Lum
Assistant Director: Emily Lê
Casting Directors:
Kasey Lum
Jordan Cooper
Adam Kirschner
Britt Schafer
1st Assistant Camera: Mikael Bidard
2nd Assistant Camera: Bryce Zimmerman
Sound Mixer: Sam Beatch
Key Grip: Denis Ogrinc
Grip: Raivo Kruze
Costume Design: Araceli Ogrinc
Makeup: Carole Méthot
2nd unit:
1st Assistant Camera: Jeremy Cox
2nd Assistant Camera: Joel Cox
Grip: Anton Saefkow Seaman
Colourist: David Tomiak
Online Editor: Ryan Mance
Visual Effects: Syafiq Jaafar
Post Sound: Kevin Hamilton
Music Supervisor: Samuel Rutledge
Musical Scores: Cyril Hahn
Music:
“Summertime” by Billy Stewart
“Untitled (Future Times)” by Unknown Artist
“Sunny” by Vladimir Petrenko Orchestra
Narration Written by: Sheila Lam
Narration Translated by: Maud Pugliese and Geneviéve Paris-Griffiths
Cameras Provided by: Clairmont Camera
Film Processing by MELS
Imaging Transfers by Film House
Thanks To:
Clairmont Camera Vancouver
Brightside Cinema
Silver Lining Post
William F. Whites
Cole Graham
Cycle Media
Victor Norberg
Britt Schafer
Monique Lum
Kelly Lum
Cyril Hahn
Norm Li