Film: Dirty Dutch

Director: Matt Dixon

Writer: Matt Dixon

Actors: Ryan Bown, Ben Manning, Pablo Raybould, Laurence Saunders, Chris Lines

Synopsis: With its tagline ‘A Disaster in the Making’ proving to be most appropriate, this wacky, hilarious ‘mockumentary’ follows filmmaker George Parker’s wild quest to create his very own cinematic masterpiece, based on those high octane action pictures from the 80s. Of course, anything can go wrong on a film shoot – but this takes ‘mishaps’ to a whole new level of absurdity. However, George is nothing if not persistent, and never has that old showbiz adage, ‘the show must go on’ been so apt!

Great fun, with the makers behind the Southend Film Festival Opening Gala presentation, sending themselves up something rotten!!

In a new interview on Blazing Minds, I got a chance to ask writer-director Matt Dixon a few questions about his hilarious mockumentary Dirty Dutch.

Q. Your film ‘Dirty Dutch’ has been selected to play at the Southend Film Festival. Can you tell us what we can expect from the film?

A. I like to describe it as ‘The Office‘ meets Grindhouse! The film uniquely blends a fly-on-the-wall style mockumentary with a low-budget grindhouse action film. You’ll get a comedic, behind-the-scenes look at the cast and crew as they navigate the chaotic process of making the film, interspersed with scenes from the film they’re creating. It’s a satirical look into the world of independent filmmaking!

Q. How did the idea for the film come about and What were your inspirations when writing the script?

A. They say ‘Write what you know,’ and after years of making independent films, I wanted to tell a story that captures that unique environment. The idea for ‘Dirty Dutch’ came from my experiences in the indie film scene and the colourful characters I’ve encountered along the way. Many of the characters and events in the film are inspired by real-life incidents, though exaggerated for comedic effect, of course!

Q. What were some of the influences on the look and style of the film? 

A. ‘The Office’ very much inspired the mockumentary, fly-on-the-wall style that we used to capture the behind-the-scenes chaos and humour. For the film within the film, we tried to draw from the aesthetic of classic grindhouse films and John Carpenter’s ‘Escape From New York,’ which are the types of films the characters are trying to imitate.

Q. Were there any elements of the original script which were adapted during filming? 

A. Definitely. We encouraged a lot of improvisation from the cast, which often led to unplanned moments. Since the film revolves around a production filled with mishaps, we embraced real mistakes and incorporated them into the scenes!

Q. What were some of your favourite moments whilst making the Film?

A. Shooting the scenes with the police chief was definitely a highlight. Pablo Raybould, the actor who plays him, was hilarious with his improvisations. His spontaneous and comedic additions brought so much life to the character and kept everyone on set laughing.

Q. Did you experience any issues whilst making the film? 

A. We began filming at the end of 2019 with the intention of finishing in spring 2020, but as you can imagine, those plans were disrupted. After the first lockdown was lifted, finding an available filming location was tricky. I eventually secured somewhere and set a shooting date for November, only for a second lockdown to hit! It was quite the challenge, but we managed to navigate through it and complete the film, although it took a lot longer than we had originally anticipated.

Q. What do you hope people will take away from the film 

A. I want the audience to leave with a smile on their face, having met some memorable characters and witnessed the chaotic world of filmmaking!

Q. Do you have any other projects which you are working on? 

A. I’ve just finished the script for our next project. It’s a dark comedy set in a sleepy village where the mundane meets the macabre. We’re currently in the pre-production phase for that.

Q. If someone is looking to direct their first film, what advice would you give them?

A. Start off small and don’t be afraid to experiment. And whatever you do, avoid making the same mistakes as George Parker!

Philip Rogers

Published in various websites, Philip is a reviewer who is best known for his interviews and media coverage of independent projects including; films, books, theatre and live events. Always on the lookout for something different to cover!