We recently connected with Marlin Darrah and have shared our conversation below.
Marlin, appreciate you joining us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.
It’s always worth taking a risk, to pursue your dreams. Many advised when I was young to not follow a path into the creative arts. They said it there was never a guarantee of income. They asked, “What will you do for retirement security?” But I’ve learned through a life of traveling and meeting people around the world – there are certainly no guarantees, at all, in life. As the Roman poet Virgil said, “Fortune favors the bold.” I’m so glad that I did ignore the practical advice of certain family members, and instead I followed my heart and dreams.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I knew I wanted a career in filmmaking from a young age. My father acquired an 8mm camera when I was 12. I essentially kidnapped the camera and started making short films. I won some early awards in high school, and never looked back.
Now with filmmaking experience in at least 140 countries over the past 45 years, I’ve tried to establish a niche for myself that in some way makes me unique in the film production world. While most American production companies are either afraid to go to, or are unwilling to go to remote (and sometimes perceived as “dangerous”) corners of the planet, I always say YES to virtually any movie production assignment – in any of the almost 200 countries of the world. I intend to make 10 movies in the next 10 years.
I’ve made more than 100 documentaries and travel-adventure films, but for the past many years all my attention has gone into making feature films. Thus far, I’ve made three dramatic thrillers, all currently being distributed worldwide..
I made a promise to myself when I got started with filmmaking back in 1976 … Always be proud of the work and make films that I will be proud to show to friends and family. I’ve kept that promise for 45 years.
A good example of that is my recent movie, “AN EGYPT AFFAIR” – it’s my 3rd feature film, and I made it in the same spirit of indie-filmmaking as I had done with my previous movies, “Amazon Queen” in Brazil, and “Monsoon Lover,” in Cambodia. The logline for “AN EGYPT AFFAIR” … A spurned husband, a beautiful stranger, a dangerous liason. For two couples enjoying an adventurous Egyptian holiday, treachery and deception cruise the River Nile along with them.
To produce and direct a suspense-thriller feature film in Egypt had been one of my dreams and passion projects for many years. I’d spent several months in Egypt during previous trips, but in March 2022, I finally was able to assemble an intrepid team of actors and filmmakers who were willing and able to take on this challenge.
Egypt can be a difficult country for filmmakers. That’s why so few Hollywood movies ever shoot on location there. It can be a bureaucratic nightmare, with production insurance hard to come by, and with the censorship issues and the stack of government permits a filmmaker needs to secure. And too there are the copious number of bribes – “hand grease” – that a filmmaker has to be ready to give to dozens of local Egyptian people, every day of production.
But it’s all worth it in the end, since no country in the world can truly match Egypt’s ancient archeological marvels and cultural history. “AN EGYPT AFFAIR” looks absolutely beautiful due to our shooting in the actual locations described in the script. And I was fortunate to have Lin Zuo as a key producer, along with Nick Dreselly Thomas, Alfonso DiLuca, Robert Nadell, DVM, and Michael Hull by my side, assisting with directing the actors and with the logistics of producing. Ian Tilson was the Director of Photography. And we simply could not have made this film without the skills of Egyptologist and our brilliant location production manager, Ahmed Osman. Our cast – Yolanthe Cabau, Jarred Harper, Massi Furlan, Nick Dreselly Thomas, Alfonso DiLuca, Stacey Williams and Lesley Grant – all were brilliant.
And my previous movie, AMAZON QUEEN (2021), was no less of a challenge. Making a movie in the heart of the Amazon – and during that terrible time of COVID – was a daunting task. Though the prime dramatic story is about a group of eco-tourists taken hostage on an Amazon riverboat, I also wanted the movie to reflect the horrible background issue of deforestation – the systematic burning of the Amazon (mainly to create pasture land for cattle) and the stripping of the Amazon of its natural treasures. Through this film, I want to transport audiences into the great jungle and river so they can be entertained, yes – but also to learn more about the marvel that is the Amazon.
I feel there’s not enough movies out there that present a combination of light adventure, suspense and exotic locations – movies that also have a compelling story to tell, and with interesting characters nested within. My movies have that. Though we don’t have the budgets to secure a DiCaprio or a Tom Cruise – and we don’t have green screen shots or expensive Marvel Movie computer effects – we can however offer exciting and emotional stories set in faraway and somewhat exotic lands. Movies that I hope viewers will remember long after they see them.
And regarding challenges along the way …While making documentaries and movies in every corner of the planet, I’ve certainly had some bizarre and dangerous moments. I’ve had the unusal honor of having breakfast with cannibals in New Guinea … and dinner with assassins and warlords in Pakistan. I’ve been knife-attacked by an angry old woman in China. I’ve been questioned or arrested in a couple dozen countries, from Cuba to Russia to Egypt. I’ve also had the pleasure of being assaulted and nearly kidnapped by the Taliban in Afghanistan. I survived a dreaded curse put upon me by a Madagascar witch doctor. I’ve many times went swimming with Amazon piranha, then caught and ate them before they could do the same to him. I’ve been robbed often and had to chase after thieves in several countries. In Arabia, I’ve dined with Saudi princes and as an honored visitor was expected to eat sheep eyes for appetizers. As a guest in certain faraway tropical villages, I had no choice but to feast on certain delicacies as insects, bamboo worms and beetle larvae.
I’ve been very lucky to have won more than 100 awards for directing and for my films, in festivals throughout the world. I think my finest award or honor came In September 2014, when I was given a Knighthood in the Royal House of Portugal, presented by His Royal Highness Dom Pio. This was in recognition of my extensive worldwide educational and charitable film productions.
But back to making films, our next movie will be “MADAGASCAR GOLD.” It’s going to be a fun, adventure-thriller that follows a young American female history buff as she faces danger while in Portugal as she discovers and unpeels almost forgotten clues that could lead to Captain Kidd’s treasure hidden away in exotic Madagascar. That movie is scheduled to be filmed in November and December of this year.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
A very good question, and one I’m asked on occasion. My goal since I was in my 20s was to be sure I personally wrote the best script of my life, rather than someone else writing it for me. We all know how easy it is to start on a career path when young – a job or career that we may not really enjoy – just to make some money to start paying those mounting bills. Then many of us get a bit trapped with the ever-increasing cost of living, with a house mortgage, buying and maintaining a nice car and keeping a family going. Many of us almost forget that we also had certain creative dreams of our own when we were young. I never forgot those dreams. I always had a strong drive, almost an obsession, to make films. So I made sure that I would not fall into a wage-earning trap at some greedy corporation for example, one that I didn’t respect or had any desire to work for.
Also with filmmaking, my overriding goal was to make films in as many countries around the world as possible — during our relatively brief appearance on this planet. I had an early interest in learning about the cultures and geography of the world (early on I collected foreign coins, maps, stamps, National Geographics), and that potent interest never waned. The goal in my 20s was to travel to every country in the world. I still have about 50 out of the 200 countries in the world, left to go. Though I must say that presently I really don’t have a “need” to go to all the countries of the world. The main thing is life is not quantity, but quality. I’m not judging others, and a person can certainly have a full and happy life without leaving his or her country. That’s a given. But for me, it was a necessity to go beyond our borders and see for myself what’s over the next hill.
How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
I’ve spent about 3 years in Europe, and I do know that in European countries, the arts are more valued than they are here in the U.S. Though European taxes are a little higher, taxpayers (generally) in Europe get more value for their tax money. They are more interested and more willing to be sure a portion of their taxes go to the creative arts – to music, to studio arts, to filmmakers, to theater, to writers, etc. And as Europeans don’t have much of their tax money going to military corporations – as we do in this country – there are more taxpayer dollars available for supporting the arts.
I do wish that more of our people here in the U.S. valued the arts to a higher degree. I wish people felt the arts are a necessity, and not an option — something worth fighting for, since the arts make all of our lives so much richer.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://marlin4.wixsite.com/mysite-1
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marlinmcdarragh/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marlin.darrah/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marlin-darrah-2a147513/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/MarlinDarrah/videos
- Other: https://mayamcdarragh.wixsite.com/egyptianaffair https://mayamcdarragh.wixsite.com/amazonqueen http://www.videojourney.com/marlin.html https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1135811/