Montrealers Kevin Coughlin and Ryan Grassby’s first feature-film to make it to the big screen, Mean Dreams, got a loud and enthusiastic standing ovation at its world premiere at the Director’s Fortnight section of the 2016 Cannes Film Festival in May.
Coughlin, BA (comm. studies) 09, and Grassby, BA (comm. studies) 12, began co-scripting films and TV series after both graduated from Loyola High School in 2003.
Things really started to gel professionally, though, after they completed their studies at Concordia.
Scene from Mean Dreams, a thriller scripted by Concordia alumni Kevin Coughlin and Ryan Grassby
The duo scripted Mean Dreams, a thriller about a 15-year-old boy who steals a bag of drug money and runs away with his girlfriend, whose corrupt deputy father hunts them down. The film is directed by fellow Canadian Nathan Morlando and features veteran actors Bill Paxton and Colm Feore.
With the film’s success at Cannes and Hollywood now beckoning, the 30-year-old West Islanders look back on their 12-year “overnight success.”
Kevin Coughlin | Photo courtesy Kevin Coughlin
Kevin Coughlin: “We met in high school and were the two students most passionate about filmmaking. But we only really started collaborating with each other at John Abbott College [in Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, Que.].”
Ryan Grassby: “It started off as a comedic connection — we were both really into comedy.”
Ryan Grassby: “That came much later, 10 years after we started writing together. Kevin had this premise that is pretty much the set-up for this movie.
The best way to improve your chances of having a bit of success with a movie script is to do something that’s doable, small and relatively cheap to make.”
Kevin Coughlin: “We never really get down on ourselves, we just keep going. We get so excited about our ideas, we joke about how we never really talk about anything else but our scripts!”
Ryan Grassby: “I don’t know much about Kevin, actually!”
Ryan Grassby: “It was surreal. I love that our first bit of success came with a film called Mean Dreams because the goal of success in film writing is a bit of a mean dream! It’s this dream you can’t shake, but it’s so crazy hard, it’s kind of cruel in a way.
So the premiere at Cannes was pretty mind-blowing. The film ended and because people stood up right away before the credits started rolling — it was like a standing ovation — I didn’t even see my name pass!”
Kevin Coughlin: “I’d have to say my parents getting to witness it all was pretty cool. It definitely bought me a few weeks about them not worrying about my future, that’s for sure!”
Ryan Grassby | Photo courtesy Ryan Grassby
Kevin Coughlin: “Ryan and I are both from the West Island and I had gone to Fairview Centre Pointe-Claire to get my suit. The guy asked me what it was for and I replied, ‘It’s for Cannes.’ Then he went, ‘Oh, that’s interesting, I just suited this other guy for Cannes!’
I was like, ‘Wait a minute! How many people from Montreal are going to Cannes?’ Turns out it was Ryan!”
Ryan Grassby: “We cleaned up nice.”
Kevin Coughlin: “We now have a Hollywood agent!”
Ryan Grassby: “That’s the plan.”
Kevin Coughlin: “We’re not moving tomorrow, but it’s on the horizon.”
Kevin Coughlin: “It got me my first gig as an assistant editor, which was insanely invaluable. It was like a microcosm of the industry, and taught me the value of collaboration.”
Ryan Grassby: “I would second that — the collaborative element, especially in the production classes.”
Kevin Coughlin: “We don’t want to say too much about it now, but it is a psychological thriller. If all goes according to plan, we will be shooting it next August in Newfoundland. It takes place in this small isolated fishing village and has this small sci-fi element to it as well.”
Mean Dreams is set for theatrical release in 2016.
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