A low-key weekend getaway starts to turn weird for three old friends in “Montana, GA,” a stoner horror comedy from director Ryan Dickie. We asked Dickie how the project started, what the biggest challenge was, and what comes next for him…

1) Can you talk briefly about your background, and how you first got interested in filmmaking?

I was born in Dallas, TX but moved around a bit as a kid. In Atlanta, GA, I switched high schools in 10th grade and there was a video production class available as an elective. The guidance counselor asked me, “If you like movies, have you ever thought about being behind the camera?”. I had no idea what he was talking about because I thought movies were just purely made by way of magic and wizardry, so after taking that class my whole world view changed. I realized then that it would someday be possible to make my own movie and I’ve been chasing that dream ever since.

2) What’s the backstory here - what was the initial idea and how did it evolve from there?

When I entered that video production class in high school, I met Brad, David and Lyn who star in the film. We’ve been friends for 20 years and they were the first people to introduce me to DIY filmmaking on VHS, outside of class just for fun. We’ve done a few projects over the years and share a mutual love for cinema.  We live in different cities now and don’t get to hang out as much as we want, so over the years I developed an idea to make a feature with the group and wrote it with them in mind, playing lightly modified versions of themselves. After I wrote the script, it felt important to make a proof of concept to showcase the cinematic approach, genre bending tone as well as the guys performances, all of whom are non-professional actors.

3) What was the biggest challenge in making this film? And generally what part of the creative process do you enjoy the most, and the least?

I absolutely love being on set, so the most difficult thing is being patient during pre-production while things seem up in the air. Once we all got on settled on day one in upstate Georgia, it was a wonderful time working through the scenes and having a bonding experience with the team. We all stayed at the house and played games during down time, it felt like a summer camp think tank.  There were hurdles along the way just like on every set, but we got through it because we had done the necessary prep to know where to move next. So, pre-pro is like eating your vegetables, you know they’re good for you but often taste like shit.

4) What’s a film you’ve seen recently, new or old, that you really loved and why?

I absolutely loved Parasite, definitely my favorite film of last year. Uncut Gems and The Lighthouse are also stunning. I saw Five Easy Pieces for the first time a few months ago and it rocked me. I was also recently introduced to Edward Yang’s films, Yi Yi and Brighter Summer’s Day are both masterpieces. All those films have exceptional filmmaking craft behind them, delicately balance a wide of spectrum of narrative tones and deliver a poignant cultural observation with universal themes.

5) What’s next for you?

I’m making the feature length version of Montana, GA. The short is a condensed teaser of the first act and we’ll be filming in Montana in the Fall. I just finished a fellowship at the Short to Feature Lab out in California, hosted by Jim Cummings and Ben Wiessner, and it was super inspiring.  I’m also directing a pilot for an interactive, choose-your-own-adventure, style series which we’re shooting at the end of this month. Tomorrow is my birthday. It’s an exciting time!

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Website: http://ryandickie.com

Instagram: @ryandickie__