Forsaken Filmz Wraps Its First Feature “Thou Shall Kill”

Thou Shall Kill Production Still Courtesy of Andrew Bard

It’s always a wonderful and unusual occurrence when a feature-length independent film is able to successfully progress from the opening credits to the last cut.  With a budget of roughly $2,000, Forsaken Filmz’s Thou Shall Kill seems to be on that path.  The film is the brainchild of Andrew Bard and Scott Grass, and it wrapped on December 12th, 2009 at The Last Page bar in Weymouth, MA.

The story of Thou Shall Kill revolves around the Cooper family and their decision to relocate from suburban Massachusetts to northern Maine.  Upon arriving in their new town, Blood Cherry, the Coopers are unable to find their home, leading them to stop at a gas station to ask for directions.  The story takes a turn to the terrifying as the family is forced at gunpoint to the middle of the woods, and then on to their aggressor’s house.  The father is able to escape with his ill son, and begins his struggle to lead the sheriff back to his trapped wife and daughter before time runs out.

Growing up in Gorham, Maine, Andrew Bard first discovered an interest in music in his youth, before turning to filmmaking in high school.  He has never lost those musical roots though, as he is in fact composing the score for Thou Shall Kill.  Janet Llavina, who worked as the casting director, helped promote the project, and is now with Forsaken Filmz, was the first person to take an interest in the film.  From there on, it snowballed into an ambitious undertaking which had them talking to actors before the screenplay was even completed.

When asked how Bard felt about shooting in the area, he replied, “I would have to say that filming here was exciting, at least for me.  I know it gets bitterly cold in the winter, but I wouldn’t change a thing about New England.”

Once Thou Shall Kill finishes post-production, they hope to have it premiere in both Maine and Massachusetts, since they filmed in both states.  The movie’s actors and actresses are also from Maine, Massachusetts, and throughout New England, so to have Forsaken Filmz first feature screened in these places would allow not only the actors, but everyone who was involved, to see the completed film.

Looking to the future, Forsaken Filmz is always working on fresh ideas for subsequent movies.  “Whether they don’t amount to anything or will turn out to be our greatest projects yet,” Bard says, “we don’t know – but that’s the beauty of it.”

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