Writer/Director Kyle Laursen ’s live-action short film Josiah examines issues inside the creative process of a casting room, excavating unconscious stereotyping and complex power dynamics based on race, class, and gender. The stellar cast includes Kevin Dunn (VEEP), Luke Forbes (Crown Heights), Melanie Chandra (Code Black), and Mather Zickel (Better Things). This topical film will premier online, in competition at the Palm Springs International ShortFest this June.
Synopsis: Brandon, a talented actor who has yet to break through, auditions for what might be another stereotypical part in a period television series. Being the only Black man in a Hollywood setting is not unusual for him, but when something unexpected occurs in this casting session, Brandon must contend with three other perspectives in the room for a role that could actually change his life.
Kyle Laursen graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder, where he received a BFA in Film Production and a BA in Film Studies. Kyle completed his MFA in the Graduate Directing program at the UCLA School of Theatre Film and Television, where he wrote, produced, and directed several short films that screened at film festivals across the country. For his work in film, Kyle was a recipient of the Hollywood Foreign Press Award and the Stanley Kramer Directing Award. He worked as a development executive at Plan B Entertainment for three years and currently produces television for Big Beach. Kyle wrote, directed, and produced Josiah.
The cast is Melanie Chandra, Kevin Dunn, Luke Forbes, and Mather Zickel. The crew includes Director & Writer Kyle Laursen, Producer Kyle Laursen, Janet Lee, Director of Photography Jennifer Gittings, Make-up Yvonne Wang, Casting Director Jennifer Presser, Caitlin Well, VFX Supervisor Aileen Acayan, Editor Eric F. Martin.
A Colorado native, Kyle moved to Los Angeles to attend graduate school at UCLA where he produced several award-winning short films as well as a micro-budget feature film entitled Acting Like Adults. Kyle got his start in the film industry working as an assistant at Plan B Entertainment where he then began working in development as a Creative Executive.
While at Plan B, Kyle produced the pilot Monsters of God for TNT and worked on several other shows including Zal Batmanglij and Brit Marling’s THE OA (Netflix), Sweetbitter (Starz), and Deadbeat (Hulu). Kyle joined Big Beach TV in the Fall of 2018 and looks to continue building an already impressive slate. He spends his free time reading comics/graphic novels, comparing breakfast burritos across Los Angeles, and walking on the beach with his wife as their dog digs endless holes in the sand.
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