Press release from Tsuki
Sydney Film School is pleased to announce 21 year old Nick Danger has been internationally awarded for his feature film Sick.
Upon completing high school, Nick Danger studied for one year at Sydney Film School, graduating in 2009 with a Diploma of Screen & Media.
His debut feature film Sick, inspired by the works of Kevin Smith, has won Best Comedy Feature and Best Supporting Actress at the American Independent Filmmaker Showcase (IFS). IFS recognises the best independent and underground filmmakers working outside of the studio system. Sick will now screen at the annual Independent Filmmaker Showcase Film Festival in Los Angeles on the 22nd March.
“Nick has always been audacious and his latest film is no exception: it is a frank and funny portrayal of what high school students get up to on weekends. It’s all the more astonishing when you consider the shoestring budget,” said Sydney Film School Director Ben Ferris.
A feature comedy, Sick is a teenage party romp with heart and intellect. James and Rachel are high school best friends set to have a party. When a ‘sure thing’ gets invited to the party, James has only one thing on his mind, ignorant to the fact that Rachel wants to be more than just friends – the result is a love triangle that takes the party to a new level.
Written, directed, produced, edited and starring in the film, Nick raised $5,000 to finance the project, with his brother and father paying for the editing.
“I was inspired by 'Clerks’, Kevin Smith’s independent extremely low budget comedy about people who just seem to spend their day at work talking and talking. It had one main location, few characters, and hilarious dialogue. I figured I could do the same: a teenage party set over one night, only one group of friends therefore few costumes changes. I wanted to play with comedy and drama as Kevin Smith's works do and I approached this project as Robert Rodriguez did on his first film, 'El Mariachi' an action film shot for $7000: Rodriguez did as many jobs as he could, so he could learn. He shot things quickly and cost cut anywhere possible," said Nick Danger.
“At Sydney Film School we had lots of practical experience and this really spurred me on and boosted my confidence. Being a filmmaker is all I’ve ever wanted to be. In creating Sick I wanted to play with comedy and drama so the dialogue is very frank and sounds like what teens are actually saying to each other. I think audiences might be shocked by the realism,” said Nick Danger.
IFS judges remarked: “Themes that could easily fall into cliché are done with intellect and fresh sensitivity. We wish Hollywood still made films this honest and funny”.
Nick is now working on the screenplay for a second film, an action movie.