Emmy award-winning actor and producer Mike Manning (“The Bay” and “Days of Our Lives”), director Darius Dantzler, writer Brian Barnes, and actor and producer Bobby Burkich chatted with Digital Journal’s Markos Papadatos about his new short film “Guilt,” which has an important message to it that raises social awareness.
“Guilt” stars Bobby Burkich (“13 Reasons Why”), along with Mike Manning, and Julia Black (“Magic Mike XXL”).
This week, the short film “Guilt” premiered at the Venice Shorts Film Festival, in Venice, California. The film was directed by Darius Dantzler (“Fox Hunt Drive”) and it was written by Brian Barnes (“Consent”).
“Guilt” is an emotionally powerful film that is centered around a conversation between Officer Logan (Mike Manning) and Devin Johnson (Bobby Burkich), as they discuss the death of Devin’s sister Sarah (played by Julia Black).
Particularly impressive about “Guilt” is that it was filmed over the course of one day. It deals with the damage and heartbreak following accidental police shootings in the line of duty. It carefully illustrates the emotional impact for victims, while reminding audiences of the lingering guilt experienced on the other side. It ponders such questions as “Why do these killings happen?” and “Who do they impact?”
Darius Dantzler remarked about the movie, “When Bobby and Brian told me about an opportunity to bring a painfully important story to life, I couldn’t say no. Being a POC in America, we tend to be ignored and or thought of less than our peers. Being offered a beautiful script and an opportunity in leadership as director was why I said yes.”
Bobby Burkich, in addition to being an actor, also served as a producer of the film. “Producing this film gave me the opportunity to explore the worlds of both sides of today’s conflicts. While others tend to want to argue, I choose the path of art and creating a film that explores each perspective,” Burkich said.
Creating art that tackles important issues is nothing strange to Manning, who was also an executive producer on “Guilt.” Manning’s most recent documentary “Lost in America” scrutinizes the complex issue of youth homelessness, why young people are on the streets, and what society is doing (or not doing) to help them. “Lost in America” features such luminaries as Rosario Dawson, Jewel, and Halle Berry.
“It was important for us to tell a story that was first and foremost about humanity, about the common thread that connects us all,” Manning said about “Guilt.” “We then wanted to take that idea and expand on it, adding in elements of trauma, aggression, institutional carelessness, and the anger associated with certain communities in America today not feeling listened to or seen,” he expressed.
“Julia Black and I previously worked on other projects together, ‘Killer Date’ and ‘Overexposed,’ so when I asked her to do this, I was thrilled she said ‘yes.’ She was perfect for showing that mix of anger and humanity in this film,” Manning added.
When asked why he wrote the film, Brian Barnes responded, “After the tumultuous 2020, I wanted to explore the shades of grey between right and wrong and find the unspoken conversations hiding in the margins of the dialogue. ‘Guilt’ was the first iteration of that journey, and I’m continuing that with my future projects.”
The highly-anticipated short film “Guilt” will be released in the winter of 2021.
To learn more about Emmy award-winning actor and producer Mike Manning, follow him on Instagram and Twitter.
Read More: Check out the following Digital Journal article on Mike Manning and Eric Nelsen: “The Bay” actors earn Emmy recognition for same-sex marriage storyline, filmed during the pandemic.
