Old-school Francis and his new-school accomplice Danny have it all planned out: a heist to make them rich, thanks to inside information that their mutual friend Stevie B has provided. Only plans are apt to change, along with Francis and Danny’s relationship when homophobic attitudes and murderous tendencies meet in a head-on collision. Stevie B said they would make a killing, He never said they’d get along. Danny Boy is directed and produced by Cory DeMeyers, who has had a diverse career as a Stuntman with over 130+ Film & Television credits to his name. As a professional athlete, Cory directed and produced action sports content for several clients around the world ultimately leading him to co-direct a feature-length documentary titled From Here To There, a freerunning documentary, about his journey to the Red Bull Podium in 2013.
Working on set around several high-profile directors such as JJ Abrahams, James Cameron, Henry Joost & Rel Schulman, Zac Snyder, Ed Zwick and 2nd Unit Director Kevin Scott has inspired and fueled his passion for filmmaking, leading him to step out and direct his first narrative short film, Danny Boy.
Sammy Horowitz, is the writer and plays the role of Francis. He is a playwright and screenwriter from Chicago. Before Hollywood, he was a member of a Latino street gang and spent almost 10 years in prison. Sammy then went on to be a stick-up artist, a drug addict, an M.M.A. fighter, and a full-time professional boxer.
What intrigued you about Danny Boy?
For me the idea that this piece was dialog driven with only 2 characters was very intriguing. I have spent the last 11 years of my career performing stunts and designing action sequences, so having the opportunity to challenge myself, work with the actors to find their truths and prove that I am capable of working with story, not just stunts was very interesting for me. As well, the clever script penned by Sammy Horowitz grabbed me. Not only was Sam able to create a story that holds your attention while mostly playing out in a vehicle, he was able to sprinkle in very real human and social commentary while doing it through this unique lens of 2 low rent criminals.
Tell us about the film.
Danny Boy is a Crime Drama that follows 2 low rent criminals on their way to a heist, but along the way we have the opportunity to explore life, love, loyalty, acceptance and the concept of not judging a book by its cover. It was a fun short to make and something that sat for almost 3 years before we finally pulled the trigger on it in February of 2021. When we did, I pulled together a 7 person team that included our 2 actors and we shot the film out over 1 night in 4 1/2 hrs. Post production took us a bit longer, but we were able to wrap everything up and start reaching out to film festivals by late May early June.
How does Danny Boy shed light on the dark places in humanity and society that often go unseen and ignored?
Well, Sammy as a person has had a wild life. He is a reformed criminal & addict who turned his life around and became a Pro Boxer, Stuntman, Actor & now a very good writer. Because of this his writing comes from a place of lived experience and whether he is writing nonfiction or fiction, there is a raw authenticity that is inherent. His stories tend to be darker almost as a therapeutic exercise of a life he once lived, but with Danny Boy he brings a very relatable human element to these characters. They may be criminals in our world, but as we sit with them in theirs they are just people, living their life, doing their job, with their own unique set of issues they are dealing with. Take the crime out of the film and we all have known people both like Danny & Francis to an extent. Danny, goofy yet a little reserved, is a champion of equality and people but also a man who carries a secret of his own for fear of acceptance from his peers. Francis is overtly masculine, stubborn and a guy who holds fast to outdated ideology and values of the past.
Danny Boy as well as other writings of Sam’s tells stories of humans in dark places, where we often get stories of dark people in dark places, this makes the audience connect with the characters in a way that is more relatable all while being a bit uncomfortable.
“Danny Boy will certainly speak to underrepresented audiences and by extension allow us to continue telling stories like these.” Explain.
Look, Danny is a gay man working in a world that is typically in film dominated by outrageously masculine men, not only that general society places these same expectations on many people in the real world. I know several gay men who are more masculine then straight males I know, we wanted to show that Danny was a bad ass, he was participating in the seedy underbelly of the crime world and making his way regardless of his sexual orientation, but because of the stereotypes in this world he felt like he needed to keep his true self a secret. I think there are so many people in our world that can relate to that, they are or want to be a part of an industry or a group, but they feel as if they need to keep their true self hidden in order to be accepted. Through this many can relate to Danny, and if you’re a Cuban American you may just want to rally behind the exceptional performance of Jett Jansen Fernandez who breaks out in his portrayal of Danny.
We hope that by incorporating these elements into our film it will continue as well as start new conversations and allow us to dig deeper through our other stories, and shed light on more communities around the country that are often ignored . For example, Musket & The Rat, which is currently in development, explores the life of a multi-racial woman in Chicago who sells drugs out of her alcoholic mothers basement. When her little brother, who is a good boy, is wrongfully accused of a crime, she hustles through modern day Chicago to clear her brother’s name before tragedy strikes. This story is a little piece of modern day Americana, but it is not your typical family setting, although it is one that exists more often than we are willing to admit.
These are the types of stories we want to continue telling and the communities we are working to highlight in a more human way.
Tell us about working with Sammy Horwitz.
Sammy is amazing, he has become one of my closest friends over the last 4 years and someone I hope to collaborate with for years to come. As I mentioned early he has had such a wild experience in life, but without that he wouldn’t have the stories he has today. He teamed up with Adam Pasen a few years ago and as a writing team now they are a powerhouse.
Sammy and I both just get and trust each other, he sees stories in words and I see words as pictures so when it comes to telling stories together it really just feels right. Not to mention, growing up just outside of Flint, Michigan I knew several people that would have floated in and out of Sammy’s old world if they were in Chicago. This really allows me to understand and connect with the people in his stories. I feel like I’m one of the few people that understand the characters as well as the real story that Sammy is trying to get across in his writing, because of this I almost feel a responsibility to protect and tell his stories.
What is the philosophy behind this film?
Honestly, I have been a working stuntman in film & television for the last 11 years and Sammy has been in the business for 7 or so… We both, as well as many others in our usual side of the industry, consider ourselves filmmakers. We know more than how to fall down, we have learned from amazing colleagues over the years and we have a lot to contribute. For us Danny Boy was an opportunity to put those skills to the test with a small team, showcase his writing & show that I could work with actors as well as dialog & honestly make something we thought was cool, with cool people.
What’s next for you?
I just finished Executive Producing an amazing Sci-Fi/Drama short for Director Soma Helmi & Actor Yoshi Sudarso with an all AAPI Cast. That project was such an honor to be a part of. Soma is such a talent and commands her sets with ease; she is something special & Yoshi has been a friend of mine since I started in the business and I believe in anything he does. He has made his way from stunt man to growing and exploding actor , I can’t wait to see where he goes.
I also just wrapped shooting a Proof of Concept for the feature film MUSKET & THE RAT, written by Sammy Horowitz & Adam Pasen based on the Stage Play of the same name by Sammy. I optioned that film earlier this year and we are working on packaging it now so we can begin pitching, the daily’s and my first rough, rough edit really solidified that we have something special, we just hope we can convince financiers and distributors the same.
Outside of that, I just love creating and working in any capacity in film, so I’m excited to continue performing and coordinating on the stunt side of things in between these other creative ventures!
Please provide your social media/trailer
Instagram : @CoryDeMeyers / @dannyboyshortfilm
Twitter : @CoryDeMeyers / @shortdanny