SWAMPSCOTT — Swampscott native Bryan Buckley said he is looking forward to launching the next phase of his career now that he has been nominated for his first Academy Award.
Buckley received the nod in the Live Action Short category for his film “Asad.” About 16 minutes in length, it tells of a young boy in Somalia who chooses the life of a fisherman over one of piracy. Buckley, who wrote, directed and produced “Asad,” said he got the idea for the film while interviewing Somalian refugees while he was working on a documentary in Sudan.
“Their stories were so inspiring, but sad,” said Buckley. “Their spirit was so powerful, and there was a lot of humor. I thought, ‘Wow, these are really interesting people.’”
Buckley, 49, said the situation in Somalia was so chaotic and torn by war, his crew was unable to shoot there, instead choosing South Africa as their set.
“That world is a world of which few Westerners have any conception of,” he said.
Buckley was so touched by his two “really bright” lead actors, Ali and Huran Mohammed, ages 10 and 12, he put them in touch with a program in South Africa to learn English. Buckley said the boys have been learning since last March and are already at a fourth grade reading level and speaking fluent English. The boys had never acted before in their lives, and memorized their scripts for the film since they couldn’t read because there are no schools where they live, said Buckley.
Buckley said if “Asad” wins the Oscar, he will have the Mohammed boys accept the award speaking perfect English. “It will be an impactful moment in front of a world audience,” said Buckley.
Buckley said he is hoping to show countries like the United States and Canada that it’s worth taking a chance on refugees to accept them into their countries. Currently, refugees leave their dangerous home countries to escape to refugee camps in another country like South Africa, where they are surrounded by fences topped with barbed wire until another country agrees to take them in, said Buckley. He added that most refugees remain in the camps for an average of 17 years.
“Asad” is Buckley’s first narrative film, but he said it was not much different from what he is most known for, which is his work with Super Bowl commercials. He was named “King of the Superbowl” by the New York Times, directing over 40 commercials since 2000. This year Buckley will direct his first feature film, “Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus,” an adaptation of the bestseller, starring Reese Witherspoon.
Buckley said when he first found out he was nominated for the Oscar, he “let out a really big scream that woke everybody up,” around 7 a.m. last Thursday when the nominees were announced.
“It’s pretty amazing,” he said. “‘It’s surreal’ is really the best way to sum it up. I can’t quite believe it. This was a pretty major effort.”
Buckley, who grew up in Swampscott and now travels frequently between California and New York City, also has family across the border in Marblehead, which he joked has “destroyed the rivalry forever.”
Kait Taylor can be reached at [email protected].
