Local Filmmaker Kelly Schwarze Slates “Domicile” for February Release
Science-fiction lovers take note: Las Vegas’ Indie Film Factory is set to release suspense-thriller Domicile in February of 2017. But this isn’t just any ‘creature feature’ (Pictured: Filmmaker Kelly Schwarze).
Writer/director Kelly Schwarze goes against the grain to make a film about human conflict, subterfuge, and horror…that also happens to have aliens in it.
Actress Elly Brown, Filmmaker Kelly Schwarze and Director of Photography Omar Gomez watch a playback
After the success of his previous film, Territory 8, Kelly Schwarze was approached by a distributor with an interesting request: to make the same movie, but with the addition of an alien creature.
“Our distributor had success with the last film and felt there was a market for types of films I was making”, says Schwarze. “I began sketching out a film based loosely on Area 51, but it became clear that the commercial horror/action direction was the least interesting avenue for the film”.
Elly Brown in Sci-Fi Thriller “Domicile”
Despite discouragement from the distributors and other industry colleagues, Schwarze pressed on down his own path to create a story of suspense, thrills, and mystery that shatters the mold of the traditional commercial horror flick.
“Taking the film in this direction has certainly put me at odds with a few people in the industry, and was one of the main reasons I had to finance the movie myself. But it was an important turning point in my career”, he says.
Schwarze has long proven himself a trailblazer in the Las Vegas film community by carving out his own roads. But he began with few resources, and worked production jobs until starting his own company.
“Starting from nothing is never easy. I’m not from a wealthy family, and I didn’t have anyone mentoring me. The only thing I knew was I wanted to make movies. I read a few chapters of Robert Rodriguez’s book Rebel Without a Crew, and it sparked a feeling of independence that has stayed with me to this day”.
Instead of waiting around for someone to give him a job, he decided to just start directing movies. So he and his wife Charisma Manulat founded The Indie Film Factory in Las Vegas—a creative place for filmmakers to shoot movies, hold casting sessions, and host educational events. IFF became much more than a rental facility, sparking a culture around the studio for independent artists.
“I call this place The Clubhouse, because there are so many local creatives who play here”, says Schwarze.
And what can we expect from his upcoming feature, Domicile, in February?
“I think the aspect that separates Domicile from other sci-fi horror films is that we have a strong emphasis on female characters, and minorities”, he says. “The film is more about human conflict, subterfuge and horror than it is about aliens. But make no mistake, there are plenty of aliens and scary scenes in here.”
At the end of the day, Schwarze just wants to work hard at creating content that plays true to himself as an individual.
“Domicile was a movie that nobody gave us permission to make. I said, “Screw it, there is never going to be a right time to make this movie, so lets just make it now.”
You can learn more about Domicile at Facebook.com/AlienDomicile