Xylograph Films is on a roll these days. The film and video production company, based in Western New York, will be hosting the world premiere of its next film project – Blue Diamond – at the North Park Theater 1428 Hertel Ave Buffalo, NY, Saturday July 17, 2021 at 11:00am.
Daeil Kim (principal of Xylograph Films), who wrote and directed Blue Diamond, takes viewers in an introspective journey, by examining the roles that Eastern culture and Western culture play when it comes to how we treat the elderly. Kim has done this in a gripping way that alters and bends the way that we typically deal with the subject matter, which is often times brushed under the rug in Western culture. This 30 minute fantasy/drama short film will take us to places that we never imagined that we would go.
Blue Diamond tells the story of Brandon played by Amherst Native Louis Visone, a young man who goes to find his missing grandmother – while doing so, he discovers that his past may actually be his future. It tells in gripping detail how he and others are kept alive by the Blue Diamond ‘process’ but at what expense.
“Aging is inevitable, but how you treat your senior citizens varies,” said Kim. “Growing up in South Korea you learned the importance of respect; especially for your elders. When I made Blue Diamond, I used my perspective of the differences between the Eastern culture and the Western culture to come up with a very twisted story. Though we don’t see the issue verbalized in the story, the message is clear; how are we treating our seniors?”
“Blue Diamond was shot over 5 days at various locations around Buffalo,” noted Melanie Sudyn, Kim’s partner at Xylograph Films, and wife. “The actors, who are all from the area, were selected based on an improv style audition. Each individual was given a scenario as they interacted with someone from our team in acting out that scenario. For Blue Diamond, we were not just looking for experienced actors, but those that already shared similar elements such as personality to the characters in the story.”
“I am proud of the emotional ride that this 30 minute short film provides to the audience, it has a little of everything; suspense, intrigue, science fiction and dark humor,” said Kim. “[The] Saturday July 17 premiere is the only scheduled viewing for the film. After this event, the film will be submitted to various film festivals around the world. Once we are juried, we hope to turn Blue Diamond into a series or a feature film. There are so many back stories within the concept of Blue Diamond that the subject matter could live on forever much like the Blue Diamond process itself.”
Tickets for the premiere are $16.00 and available through www.northparktheatre.org.