Inspiration can come in the most unlikely places. For Ryan Dacko, the inspiration to create the screenplay of his feature film debut And I Lived came in a location which few people ever consider for bringing out their creative nature: Antarctica.
No, Dacko did not graduate from the Capt. Scott School of Filmmaking. Instead, his South Pole odyssey came while he was on active duty in the U.S. Coast Guard in 2000. While circumnavigating the lower part of the planet on the USCG Polar Star, used his free time to draft the screenplay of “And I Lived,” a gritty yet bittersweet tale of two high school lovers whose relationship is threatened by peer pressure rooted in a fervent class warfare that ruthlessly separated the haves and have-nots.
After completing his military duty, Dacko returned to his hometown of Syracuse, New York, to focus on the creation of “And I Lived.” Bringing the story off the page and into the screening room took a few years, but it was worth the effort. Shot on locations across Syracuse and Rochester, New York, “And I Lived” used an impressive array of local talent both behind and in front of the camera to relate Dacko’s mature and insightful vision of young love attempting to find stability in a hostile environment.
Film Threat caught up with Dacko at his Syracuse home to talk about the creation of “And I Lived.”
Get the interview in part two of RYAN DACKO: THE ANTARCTICA AUTEUR>>>
