Supremely talented filmmaker Brandon Zuck spent his youth as an awkward Star Trek-obsessed Eagle Scout (and sometimes Ford model) in the exotic suburbs of Northern New Jersey.
While an undergraduate at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, he studied filmmaking in New York, London, Paris and Russia. Though he can’t remember his mid-twenties, he’s been told there were two years of law school and an accidental detour into the bleak hell-scape of the fashion industry. He has worked in publicity and production at major studios in New York and Los Angeles, and graduated from Columbia University’s MFA Film program.
His award-winning short films have screened at festivals all around the world, including Stay, The Happy Ones and Goodbye Blue Sky – all of which are currently streaming on Dekkoo!
The Happy Ones (2011)
In The Happy Ones, Zuck’s thirteen-minute 2011 short, a young drifter searches for a connection on the streets of Los Angeles, trying to understand his place in the world, and wondering who’ll remember him when he’s gone.
Stay (2013)
Stay tells the story of Ash (Brandon Tyler Harris), a kid from the grungier side of Florida. He’s a bit of a loner, and would probably be living in his car if only he could afford one. In order to make some quick cash, he accepts a shady job from the friend of a friend: delivering a suitcase to the Florida Keys. All he has to do is drive it down to a houseboat docked somewhere private, and wait for the hand-off. There are only two rules: don’t open the bag, and don’t get pulled over. But when Ash gets handed the keys to a slick car, he gets a dangerous idea. He decides to invite his ex-boyfriend, Jacks, along for the ride- thinking that he might be impressed by the weekend getaway. Ash never mentions the real reason for the trip, but it doesn’t take long for Jacks to start putting the pieces together. All Ash wanted was a chance at happiness, but Jacks has bigger plans. And when these two misfits come together, everything else falls apart.
Goodbye Blue Sky (2017)
Visually stunning, Zuck’s newest short Goodbye Blue Sky is a must-see. Long after the end of the world, five strangers sharing an abandoned desert motel are forced to decide between love and survival.
You can watch all three of these films right now on Dekkoo.