7eventh 7irkle, 16min., USA
Directed by Ty Brueilly
The 11th installment of Ty Brueilly’s ‘Shucks’ cinematic world, audiences should prepare to be transported into the seventh circle of the inferno with a new interpretation on CANTO XIII with symbolic images that will engage your innermost imaginations while unlocking new fears that you will face and conquer on the way to enlightenment or confinement, you choose.

https://www.instagram.com/filmbybrueilly/

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

My wife, my friends, fans and family. They all had heard me talking about creating this installment in my cinematic world for years and they finally all started to hold me accountable for making this a reality. I went from overthinking, to not thinking enough, until I got to the point of just filming and creating. And when the universe would bring me unique opportunities, I listened and I executed. For instance, I searched many wooded areas in our state of North Carolina to find the specific vision I had in my mind, and was about to give up due to the search being dry from 2020-2023. It was one of the last scenes to be shot, and if I couldn't find one I wasn't going to finish, low and behold a large tree was struck by lightning in one of my family's properties and it was beyond perfect for what I wanted in 2024. So yeah the universe and the powers that be also motivated me greatly when I finally just shut up and listened. When it comes to what source material motivated me though, that was the Inferno segment of Dante's Divine Comedy and the illustrations from Gustav Dore mixed with the real life tragedies of family members and friends who fell victims to the pangs of various addictions.

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?

The idea came during the production of my debut film, 'Shucks' which was 2016. I was always hoping for more funding, international locations and the like, but I never had the stamina to chase that for very long. So I'm not saying I settled by any means, but the 9 years it took from inception to completion really helped me come into being more confident and content with how '7eventh 7irkle' was always intended to be presented.

3. How would you describe your film in two words!?

Symbolic. Numbing.

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?

Time management. That was hard. There were some shoots and scenes we had unlimited time, then some we only had 15 minutes to capture one of the most integral and intimate transitions in the film. For something on this level of independent filmmaking, often times, we are forced to take what we can get and make it work within those time constraints, which can really lead to a detrimental impact. Then having to set my own deadlines, which is another level of time managment, I went from being super strict to super procrastinator. Thankfully it all worked out on our end, but time management was the hardest.

5. There are 5 Stages of Filmmaking: 1) Development. 2) Pre-Production. 3) Production. 4) Post-Production. 5) Distribution.
What is your favorite stage of the process and why?

Production on this particular film was my favorite, this was my first film where I reached out and tapped into a very large percentage of my network. Some days on set we had a few dozen people and each time teamwork and dedication was so stellar. Seeing everyone work together for this very strange, unique vision that I had in my mind, and they were helping me get it into film form was breathtaking for me as a director and filmmaker to see, it certainly touched my heart and was emotional.

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?

When I moved back home from China in 2015. It was always a playful idea or dream of mine but I never thought I could actually do it. I invested in camera for my photography career, but never really used it for filming until I met Odell Payne, who I hired to film one of my music videos, he lifted a tremendous burden on me when he said "you have all you need right here" and proceeded to teach me how to film and edit. Now, ten years later, I have been involved in the production of over 80 films of various genres and lengths and have established this 'Shucks cinematic world' which is now in it's eleventh title.

7. What film have you seen the most in your life?

Dark Crystal, it's hold on me is eternal.

8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career?

You are doing a great job so far, with the extras you provide to make it much more of a complete experience for the filmmakers. However I did notice that these are the same questions as from when 'Shucks' was in an earlier edition of your film festival, which makes it a little less tailor-made but that's not a bad thing.

9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?

As I dip further into it, there are a ton of scams that are out there and I feel like FilmFreeway does a really good job on not letting them stay on the platform for long, but I know it can be discouraging and overwhelming for new filmmakers to get on there and know which is which.

10. What is your favorite meal?

Rainbow Trout from the streams of the New River in North Carolina. With a close second being Roasted Duck from the Shanghai Streets.

11. What is next for you? A new film?

I have a script in the works for a follow up to '7eventh 7irkle' that helps to continue my 'Shucks cinematic world' as the 12th installment, however, I've already had to rework it since post-production ended for '7eventh 7irkle' because a really close childhood friend of mine died from self inflicted wounds and it changed the entire ending of '7eventh 7irkle' for me, so I felt that I really needed to dive more into suicide awareness in the next film, especially due to the fact that '7eventh 7irkle' has high tones of addiction awareness in it and I'd like to continue to create visuals that will hopefully ignite conversations on topics that are taboo and often tossed to the side.

Before that though, my company, that began as a record label, MTTS (Mightier Than The Sword Records) has been celebrating it's 20th year anniversary, so on December 11, 2025 at the historic SUNSET THEATRE in my hometown of Asheboro, NC we will have a MIGHTY GRAND FINALE arts, culture and entertainment event, which will include a sculpture showing, art exhibitions, standup comedy hour, a fashion show, the hometown premiere of '7eventh 7irkle', and a MTTS reunion concert. Putting all that together has been a really awesome experience. It will also be the first time the rest of the cast and crew of '7eventh 7irkle' has seen the completed film, so we will have a q&a panel following the film.