The Exploding Boy follows Alex Silver, a talented but angsty teen who dreams of becoming the next Jim Henson. Unfortunately, his life is no happy puppet show. His dad is overbearing, his school is oppressive, and even people in the neighborhood seem out to get him. But everything changes when Julius, a mysterious transfer student, enters his life.
About Us
Riding Each Other's Coat Tails
Monty Wolfe and Ian Southworth met at a Portland, Oregon Comicon, later bonding over film talk at a Red Robin surrounded by various Jedi, anime characters, and a few Batmen. Ian was an art school graduate and regional Emmy winner and Monty had worked in television news for a decade, but not long after, Monty would enter film school and the two would collaborate on a myriad of projects from Sci-fi to romcoms. Today, they navigate the magical chaos of their film sets with a sort of linked telepathy.
The Production Story
Inspired by Ian and Monty's previous collaboration, the award-winning short film Look Up!, the screenplay took shape during the long boring Covid 19 lockdown. Influenced by the intense loneliness of the period, Monty carved out a story about the need for friends and fellowship.
Production began in October of 2021. Initially, things moved quickly, but the holidays soon slowed the shoot, and many exterior scenes needed to be rescheduled due to the Pacific Northwest rains, and the production was completely halted twice after cast and crew caught Covid19.
Everyone's perseverance paid off, and filming wrapped in October of 2022. For the next 5 months, Monty worked on editing while Ian assisted musician Jimi Evans with the score. Additional music was gathered from Atlas Viper, The Peekers, The Exquisite Taste of Plain Water, and Dylan Mars. The final touches were added by colorist Lucas White.
The Exploding Boy premiered to an enthusiastic crowd of friends, family, cast, crew, and film fans on Wednesday, March 22, 2023 at the Kiggins Theater in Vancouver, Washington.
Meet The Team
Artist Profile
