The marriage survival film and an interview with an Irishman in New York

Was going to set this to publish tomorrow but it’s more suited to a Sunday afternoon/evening viewing. It’s a really lovely 6 minute short film called No Peeking and the ending caught me by surprise.

I thought I detected and Irish accent in the film, so being the nosey type I went googling to find out more. This search led me to get in contact with Barry McBrien (who takes the part of the marriage counsellor in the film) to find out more about the film and how he got involved.

le craic : The film was made for the DVX Love Fest - what is it?

Barry McBrien :  The DVX Love Fest is a part of an online community on http://www.dvxuser.com/. It was set up by a bunch of guys years back that wanted to get people to shoot short digital films. It has grown from strength to strength. They have four film competitions every year each with a theme. Love Fest was short film competition with love as the theme. I got involved with them through a friend, Moses Lee, who I met early on my arrival in NYC at the New York Film Academy.

lc : Acting wasn’t your first career choice. What prompted you to pursue a new direction in life?

B McB : Over five years ago, a friend had asked me to fill in for him for a play with Taney Drama in Dundrum. I loved it so much I decided to take a week-long introduction course at the Gaiety School of Acting and was hooked. I decided I wanted to study acting full-time so I quit my job and went about working how I was going to do this. I’d been in NY on holiday for a weekend before and was addicted. I’d been all over the US before and love the country. I’d a choice to go to London or NY, as I wanted to study abroad for the adventure and the decision was an easy one.

I did the two-year full-time course at HB Studio (www.hbstudio.org). Classes consisted of the standard sort of classes you get at most acting schools. We had voice, speech, monologues, movement and scene study. It was a great experience and I still keep in touch with my teachers.

lc : What other projects have you been involved in / what’s next for you?

B McB : I’ve been involved in many projects from film to TV to theatre. My highlight was when I got to play Rip Torn’s nephew in a production of “Lake Hollywood” by John Guare last year directed by Amy Wright. I will probably be shooting another short pretty soon for the DVX User group and am currently in talks to play the lead in an independent feature film shooting early next year.

lc : Do you keep yourself up to date on what’s happening back home news wise?

B McB : I keep up to date with home frequently. I go back twice a year and in the meantime I talk to my parents, family and friends who keep me up to speed. I also go on to the Irish Times website to catch up on the news.

lc : Any recommendations for must do’s when visiting New York which won’t be in the guide books?

B McB : In terms of places to go, I don’t know where to start There are so many bars, restaurants, clubs, etc. I personally like to go to jazz clubs so I’ll go to The Iridium, Birdland or the Village Vanguard. There are also a few smoking bars which I go to which are cool.

There is a bar called Dublin 6 on Hudson and Bank in the West Village. It’s the local bar for students and teachers at HB Studio. Turns out it’s owned by an Irish guy called Jason from Rathgar (hence the 6 postcode in the title). He can be seen there pulling pints regularly and that bar became my local during my studies and I still frequent it.

It’s been a wonderful experience so far and am looking forward to the next few years.