Kelsey Egan Explained

Birth Date:20 March 1983
Birth Place:Wisconsin, U.S.
Alma Mater:Vassar College
Organisation:Writers Guild of South Africa[1]
Yearsactive:2003–present

Kelsey-Colin Kass Egan (born 20 March 1983) is an American-South African filmmaker, actress, and stunt performer. She founded the Cape Town-based production company Crave Pictures. Her short film Gargoyle (2009) and science fiction film Glasshouse (2021) were nominated for SAFTAs.

Early and personal life

Egan is from Wisconsin and attended Whitefish Bay High School. She took a course at the British American Drama Academy in London. She double majored in Drama and Neuroscience and Behavior at Vassar College, graduating in 2005. She briefly lived in New York City and Beijing before moving to Johannesburg in 2008.[2] [3] She holds dual citizenship.[4] [5]

Career

Filmmaking

To gain experience in the industry, Egan decided to begin her career working both in front of the camera and on sets behind the scenes. She was a production assistant for the documentary Trumbo (2007) and the films I Am Legend (2007), Stop-Loss (2008), and Deception (2008), and a production coordinator for the films (2008) and Gugu and Andile (2008) as well as the Sky One series Strike Back (2011). She was a script supervisor for Neill Blomkamp's District 9 (2009).

Egan's first short film Gargoyle, filmed in 2008, was nominated for Best Short Film at the 2010 South African Film and Television Awards.[6] Her other short films include 21th Street (2010), Red Herring (2014), The Bull (2018),[7] and The Fighter (2019).

Egan was a VFX producer for the 2014 adaptation of The Giver and cast assistant on the sets of the films Eye in the Sky (2015) and The Dark Tower (2017). She wrote on seven episodes of the 2018 children's animated series Munki and Trunk as well as on the 2019 M-Net crime thriller miniseries Trackers.

While The Fix was postponed, Egan began collaborating with screenwriter Emma Lungiswa de Wet on a slate of three "grounded" science fiction films for Local Motion Pictures.[8] The first of the slate Glasshouse was written over Zoom during the COVID-19 lockdown and filmed on location in the Eastern Cape in late 2020. The film premiered at the 2021 Fantasia Film Festival, officially marking Egan's feature directorial debut,[9] [10] followed by a wide release in 2022. Glasshouse received six nominations at the South African Film and Television Awards that year, including Best Feature Film, winning five of them.

Egan's upcoming titles include The Fix,[11] Outer Edges,[12] and the latter two films in her slate with Lungiswa de Wet.[13] [14]

Acting and stunt work

Egan first did stunt work for . She made her television debut in 2012 as a stunt performer in the Channel 4 historical miniseries Labyrinth. She played Nicole Weiss in the 2013 crime film Zulu. For , Egan alongside the other stunt performers won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Stunt Ensemble. She was Claire Foy's stunt double in the first season of The Crown on Netflix and Jane de Wet's in the BBC America adaptation of Terry Pratchett's The Watch. She played Honey in the dark comedy film Fried Barry and Siri in the Afrikaans romantic comedy Kaalgat Karel.[15]

Filmography

Filmmaking

Director! width="65"
WriterProducerNotes
2008Waiting in Beijing
Homo SapienShort film
2009Flat LoveShort film
District 9
GargoyleShort film
2010Khuthala Bo!Short film
201021th StreetShort film
2014Red HerringShort film
The Giver
2018The BullShort film
2019The FighterShort film
2021GlasshouseFeature directorial debut
2024The Fix
TBAOuter Edges
I Carry You Always
Untitled third slate film
Director! width="65"
WriterProducerNotes
2018–2020Munki and Trunk7 episodes
2019TrackersMiniseries; 5 episodes
Notes
2010"My Baby Don't Love Me No More"The Death Valley Blues BandDirector, writer, producer
2012"Rum Trifle"JakkalsDirector, writer
"Gunuza"Bongeziwe MabandlaEditor, producer

Acting and stunt work

Notes
2003Making RevolutionActivist
2005Discover MeRachel
2013Stunts
ZuluNicole Weiss
2014Red HerringRiderShort film
2015DestinationShort film
Stunts
2016Forever (Afrikaans: Vir Altyd)Cat
2020Fried BarryHoney
2021Kaalgat KarelSiri
Notes
2012LabyrinthStuntsMiniseries; 2 episodes
2013Kids RuleStunts (Tommy Wiebeck)Television film
Striving for FreedomStunts (Gräfin Cecilie von Hohenberg)Television film
2014Shark WeekLindsayEpisode: "Shark of Darkness: Wrath of Submarine"
2015Clan of the Cave BearStunts (Ayla)Television film
2016Of Kings and ProphetsServantEpisode: "Offerings of Blood"
The CrownStunts (Elizabeth II)Episode: "Pride & Joy"
2020Raised by WolvesSoldierEpisode: "Virtual Faith"
WarriorMrs. KellermanEpisode: "Warrior"
2021The WatchStunts (Alice Band)Episode: "Better to Light a Candle"

Other credits

! Year! Title! Role! Notes
2007TrumboProduction assistantDocumentary
I Am Legend
2008Stop-Loss
Deception
Coordinator
Gugu and AndileProduction coordinatorTelevision film
2011Strike BackAssistant production coordinator6 episodes
2015Eye in the SkyCast assistant
2017The Dark Tower

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2015/2016 WGSA Council. Writers Guild of South Africa. 14 September 2022. 15 September 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220915021014/http://writersguildsa.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/WGSA-Council-2015_2016.pdf. live.
  2. Woman director speaks about the challenges of male-dominate film industry. IOL. Keshia. Africa. 10 August 2021. 5 October 2021. 25 October 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211025115340/https://www.iol.co.za/weekend-argus/entertainment/woman-director-speaks-about-the-challenges-of-male-dominate-film-industry-6e4279d4-b573-4efa-96a7-a40191f015af. live.
  3. Web site: Kelsey Egan. Tongue Twisters. 5 October 2021. 1 December 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211201125724/https://www.tonguetwisters.co.za/gals-voices/1398675/kelsey-egan/bio?bf=1. live.
  4. Web site: Inside the Memory Box: Kelsey Egan and Emma Lungiswa De Wet on Glasshouse (Fantasia 2021). FilmInt.. Matthew. Sorrento. 21 August 2021. 5 October 2021. 19 October 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211019230406/http://filmint.nu/kelsey-egan-emma-lungiswa-de-wet-glasshouse-interview-alexandra-heller-nicholas/. live.
  5. Web site: The Bull. B-Sharp Entertainment. 22 November 2017. 19 October 2021. 22 October 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211022065037/https://bsharpentertainment.africa/the-bull/. live.
  6. Web site: SAFTAs Season 4. TVSA. 20 February 2010. 14 September 2022. 15 September 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220915021034/https://www.tvsa.co.za/shows/viewshowseasons.aspx?showId=2394&season=4. live.
  7. Web site: The Bull by Kelsey Egan - Short Narrative Film. Queens Film Festival. 19 October 2021. 22 October 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211022065025/https://www.queensworldfilmfestival.com/films/detail.asp?fid=1272. dead.
  8. South Africa's Local Motion Inks Three-Pic Pact With SVOD Showmax, Drops Trailer for Fantasia Premiere 'Glasshouse' (EXCLUSIVE). Deadline. Christopher. Vourlias. 29 July 2021. 5 October 2021. 5 October 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211005073209/https://variety.com/2021/film/global/local-motion-pictures-showmax-glasshouse-fantasia-1235029349/. live.
  9. Web site: Unforgettable: Kelsey Egan on memory, fairy tales, pandemics and Glasshouse. Eye for Film. Jennie. Kermode. 11 August 2021. 27 January 2022. 28 January 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220128022501/https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/feature/2021-08-11-interview-with-kelsey-egan-about-glasshouse-feature-story-by-jennie-kermode. live.
  10. FANTASIA 2021 INTERVIEW: 'Glasshouse' – Kelsey Egan. Flipscreened. Hayley. Paskevich. 18 August 2021. 27 January 2022. 28 January 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220128022456/https://flipscreened.com/2021/08/18/fantasia-2021-interview-glasshouse-kelsey-egan/. live.
  11. The Fix. Radio Times. 27 January 2022. 28 January 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220128022459/https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-q7067f/the-fix/. dead.
  12. Spier Films Boards Kelsey Egan's Sci-Fi Thriller 'Outer Edges' Ahead of Frontieres (EXCLUSIVE). Variety. Marta. Bałaga. 21 July 2022. 22 July 2022. 22 July 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220722013837/https://variety.com/2022/film/global/spier-films-boards-kelsey-egan-outer-edges-frontieres-1235321855/. live.
  13. Web site: Glasshouse: Exclusive interview with filmmaker Kelsey Egan. Pfangirl. Tracy. Benson. 17 February 2022. 6 May 2022. 17 February 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220217124211/https://www.pfangirl.com/entertainment/glasshouse-interview-kelsey-egan/. live.
  14. Web site: Glasshouse – A Dystopian Fairytale Challenging Female-Driven Stories. The Writing Studio. Daniel. Derckson. 9 February 2022. 14 September 2022. 15 September 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220915020156/https://writingstudio.co.za/glasshouse-a-dystopian-fairytale-challenging-female-driven-stories/. live.
  15. Web site: Kelsey Egan. Film Fatales. 14 November 2022. 14 November 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221114164245/http://www.filmfatales.org/directors/kelseyegan. live.