LI Native, Rapper, To Host Short Film Premiere At Coram Cinema

SAYVILLE, NY — Kurt Damas always wanted to be a filmmaker.

The 34-year-old musician had already led a creative career, opening for rappers like J. Cole, G Easy, Tori Lanes, Superduper Kyle and Modsun.

But while he toured with the greats, in his downtime, he'd write music videos that "had a story." When he came home, he wrote scripts and pitched them to HGTV.

"I was always into filming," said Damas. "I just never thought it was possible because of how expensive it is to do it."

But on Jan. 8, 2022, tragedy struck. Barry Ingram, a close friend of Damas, died unexpectedly.

While he is unsure of what exactly happened, all knew was that his heart stopped, possibly from overworking himself.

"He wasn't sick, nothing was wrong with anything at all," said Damas. "He was the healthiest one out of all of us."

Ingram was also creative, Damas said, and worked with clothes.

"He knew about my goal of shooting a film one day, and hopefully one day shooting a huge film," he said.

A few months later, Damas's uncle also passed away.

Through meditation and reflecting on his grief, Damas realized that Ingram's passing was a catalyst for him to write and direct his film "Speak To Me." The film will premiere at Movieland Cinemas, located at 1850 NY-112 in Coram on Thursday, Feb. 16 for public viewing.

Damas told Patch that he poured his pain and experiences into the script, writing it in only within two days.

"I wrote the script on my birthday, August 5," he said. "I work like that. Once I start, I won't stop. My wife will come (into the room) and make sure I have water or something."

He then sent a draft to his friend and co-director, Travis Jackson, as well as other people in the industry to review.

One notable filmmaker, Maryann DeLeo, who directed Oscar-winning documentary "Chernobyl Heart," gave Damas a rave review.

"She said, 'Kurt, I can't help you. Because this is incredible'," he said. "'I don't know how to help you, I just wish you luck.'"

The film tells the story of Simon and Josiah — two young men who, after life-altering events, struggle to deal with grief and trauma while upholding society's pressure to "be a man." It also deals with themes of mental health and vulnerable communication.

Damas said that after the loss of Ingram, he struggled with balancing the societal pressures of "toxic masculinity" while grieving.

At home, he felt the need to comfort his wife, who was also friends with Ingram.

"I didn't want her to see me feeling terrible," he said.

Luckily, he had a strong group of male friends to process his pain.

"I could call Trevor or I could call my brother, I could call my friend Jordan," Damas said. "I'd go over and we would just cry. And we'd laugh at each other. And we'd tell stories about Barry."

Damas said he is lucky, because not everyone has a support system like his.

"I couldn't imagine what it would be like, if I didn't have a place to cry, you know, like a place of comfort, a place to say, 'This feels terrible,'" he said.

In "Speak To Me," a main character named Simon doesn't have that support.

"Simon has to deal with the loss of somebody," he said. "And he feels like he doesn't have anybody to talk to."

In the African-American community, too, Damas said, it's often looked down upon to reach out for help with mental health issues.

"Hopefully, the movie is good enough that people want to talk about it (mental health). And then it'll start a conversation," he said. "Go seek help, or help somebody, even if you're not a therapist, listen to somebody, because a lot of people just need an ear."

Producing of "Speak To Me" took only two months, for several reasons.

First, casting the roles would be easy, he said.

His friend, Cory Saint-Laurent, who has appeared in various films, including "Crown Heights" on Amazon, plays the lead character, Simon.

"I always told him, for years, that I was going to write something for him to act in," he said.

Second, the support and care of the Long Island community helped Damas and Jackson find locations to shoot.

Jackson's barber in Islip Terrace let the crew film in his shop. Damas's brother let him use his own home.

The crew also shot scenes at Undertaking Alternatives, Inc. Funeral Home in St. James.

Thanks to this support, filming took only five days.

Saint-Laurent, as well as the majority of the cast, are also from Long Island.

"Long Island is full of people who love people and care about people," Damas said. "And if you look for the right ones, you'll find them."

Damas told Patch he is aware that Long Island has a reputation of "being racist to Black people." However, he only experienced kindness while filming "Speak To Me", he said.

The majority of cast and crew are also people of color.

"Everybody who believed in the project, didn't see color," Damas said. "They just saw somebody who was passionate about their goals."

Debuting the film at a location like Sayville Cinemas, Damas said, sets up the perfect opportunity to spark conversations, and to possibly gain attention from prominent streaming services.

"I also wanted to bring Hollywood to Long Island, "he said. "If you can make your hometown love you, everybody will love you."

To premiere the film during Black History Month, he said, is an honor.

"It makes me feel accomplished. A lot of wonderful things are happening for Black filmmakers such as Issa Rae, Ryan Coogler, Ava Duvernay and many others," he said. "To be able to put a piece of art out that I am very proud of during a month dedicated to our history is an honor, and I hope to join the league of filmmakers like the ones I just named in the near future."

To learn more about the cast and crew of "Speak To Me" or to purchase tickets for the premiere, click here.

UPDATE: A previous version of this story stated that the premiere of "Speak To Me" would take place at Sayville Cinemas. Due to an "overwhelming response and ticket sales" Damas told Patch that the location had changed to Movieland Cinemas in Coram.