Finding the Greatness in Big and Small Films with Producer Mil Alcain
There are seemingly two delineations in film these days; massive budget CGI productions and everything else. Most of the “everything else” films have adopted the feel and vibe of Indie productions. This freedom on the side of the artists results in some of the most heartfelt and interesting stories of “regular” people and communicates the richness in all our lives as long; as we recognize it. Producer Mil Alcain knows this all too well. Contributing to some of the most warm and yet gripping tales in the past few years, Alcain understands that the public is more attentive than ever to the subtleties and craftsmanship involved in communicating how special our lives can be. Films like New Year’s Eve, awarded Best Foreign Language Short Film at the Peak City International Film Festival as well as the Jury Award in Short Feature Film at the Provinziale Filmfest Eberswalde, attest that Mil is committed to connection in film whether it be crew to cast, cast to story, or film to audience.
When award-winning director, Hao Zheng (of The Chef, winner at New Zealand’s Show Me Short festival) approached Alcain to work on a film together, it checked off a very important box on Mil’s list; a coming-of-age film. From Clueless to Rebel Without A Cause to Superbad, this theme communicates both an evergreen life experience and a specific era in time. The idea of creating a story that would channel the Chinese experience in a manner that all people could relate to as a rite-of- passage is what excited Mil about this film. Alcain and Zheng created the incredibly well received New Year’s Eve; the story of a Chinese teenager who has returned home to his family for the holiday following his first year away at Kung Fu school. Ultimately this is a story of commitment to one’s personal dream when no one else seems to fully believe in you. The story, which centers around a Chinese family’s holiday dinner, experienced a bit of “life imitating art” when the shoot had to be pushed due to the filming schedule in February (the time of Chinese New Year) and the film’s all Chinese cast observing the time-off of the holiday.
When the Music Stops Playing saw Mil producing for Director Frank Donnangelo, known for the ECA award-winning film Frames, and Motions (Rhode Island International Film Festival winner and Victory International Film Festival winner). This tale of a funeral parlor owner who has lost his wife and must now prepare her for burial is haunting emotionally rather than supernaturally. The casting for the two primary roles was paramount. Alcain describes, “Frank [Donnangelo] and I did the casting together. The ending was always going to be something an audience either felt comfortable with or not. To accomplish the mood we wanted, we had to get the most likeable cast possible. They had to possesses an innate ability to pull you in. We got really lucky that Andy (Ben) and Eva-Marie (Mary)were available. The details were really important here so I spoke at great length with the costume designer and makeup artist concerning Mary’s dress and the change in makeup to get what was envisioned. The ending was powerful for the audience as well as those of us who made this film. This was the first time that I’d ever shed a tear as a scene was playing out in front of me. The combination of the acting with the music really got to me. It reminded me of the power a scene can have. The film is beautiful and looks expensive.” Of course, more proof of Mil’s incredible producing talent lies in the fact that When the Music Stops Playing was manifested on a fraction of the budget it appears to have.
Currently, Alcain is preparing for the upcoming feature film Kirkwood. The press release describes it as, “This suspense thriller follows former police detective Joe Dolan and his estranged teenage son, Max, who grow closer as they work together to cover up an accidental murder. When the family of the deceased hires a ruthless private investigator to re-examine the evidence in the case and the investigator begins to suspect the Dolans, Max’s sanity is pushed to the breaking point and Joe must go to extreme lengths to keep their secret safe.” Producing different kinds of films is natural for Alcain who cites films like Momento and Clueless as having had a massive personal impact. Mil relates, “My mother never allowed me to watch TV or films during the school week so I exhausted them on the weekends. All these years later, a film like Clueless really stands the test of time and Memento was so original when I saw it…it convinced me that I wanted to be a filmmaker.” These days, Mil Alcain is a link in the ongoing chain of creative professionals who manifest the films that will inspire the next generation of talented filmmakers.
