“Quiet on the set” took on a whole new meaning for Ben Meenan during the summer of 2021. Filming from sundown to sunup, the eerie silence of the repetitive 4 a.m. shoots still rings in his ears. Not to mention, the smell of a skunk skulking around the garage is hard to forget.
“There was a scene we needed to film that took place inside a car,” said Meenan, a senior mass media major in the School of Communication and lead actor in the independent film SUNDAY*.
“Our car was parked in the garage, and we had the full film crew in there. It was getting kind of claustrophobic, so we opened the garage door—and in walks this skunk! We all tried our hardest to lure him out so we could keep filming before the sun came up, but that little guy got stuck behind all the tools in the corner!” said Meenan. “Luckily, we got him out before he sprayed anyone.”
The unwelcomed skunk visit was just one of many fond memories on the set of SUNDAY*, a coming of age stoner thriller set in a world with no sun.
“This film is about a kid named Leo Carraway. He lives in a world where the sun only comes out once every seven years and he wants to ask his high school crush, Emily, to go see the sunrise with him. But after fumbling the bag and getting into a disastrous car accident with his friends, Leo learns about the illusions of his world, his friendships, and himself—all leading up to the sunrise,” said Meenan.
SUNDAY* saw its world premiere on Friday, March 30, at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater in Bloomington, Indiana. Written as a powerful warning of the impacts of climate change, the film offers viewers a glimpse into the future—a future where the sun doesn’t exist but once every seven years.
“It’s a passion project for sure,” said Meenan. “And the message my buddy Adam and I wanted to get across really shines through in the final piece.”
Childhood friend to Meenan, Adam Ahmed is the director and executive producer of the film and has worked diligently to bring SUNDAY* to life since 2021.
“Adam and I have been best friends for over twenty years. And I just remember being at a mutual friend’s house one day chillin’ on the sofa and he leaned over and asked, ‘Ben, do you still want to make movies one day?’ And I was like, ‘hell yeah!’ The rest was history.”
Having matured from lovable, silly homemade videos filmed in the backyard, SUNDAY* is the first full-length feature film the duo has produced. With a full cast and crew of over 30, the independent film took shape in South Bend, Indiana.
“When I moved to Moline, Illinois, I met this kid named Chandler,” said Meenan. “And he’s this crazy talented guy in both editing and sound recording. When I told him about this idea Adam and I had, he joined us as an executive producer. We were the main three on the full production.”
The cast of SUNDAY* filmed on location for a straight month from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m., bouncing between South Bend and Bloomington, Indiana. Because the concept of the film takes place in a world with no sun, each scene required total darkness.
“At least five or six times during filming, the cops pulled up on us and were like ‘what are you guys doing?’” recalled Meenan.
While a script was written, much of the story had to be improvised on the spot due to the time constraints of darkness—not to mention some of the actors in the film had only a week or two to shoot their scenes.
“We had a solid story structure in place, and we definitely knew what needed to happen in each scene,” Meenan said. “But we had to play with a lot of the dialogue until it worked.”
SUNDAY* premiered in Bloomington, Indiana, and its next stop is the historic Normal Theater, scheduled to show on April 21, 2023, with the hopes that more theaters will pick it up in both Indianapolis and Chicago.
“I just called the Normal Theater, and they were happy to support us and show our film. I mean, a lot of college students only make short films, but we made a full-length feature film,” said Meenan. “We did a test screening and it just felt so weird to see myself on the big screen!”
But Meenan is no stranger to being in the spotlight. As a theatre minor at Illinois State University, his love for performance has already graced the stage, having been casted in Guys & Dolls, Mary Stuart, and Mother Courage and her Children in the Center for Performing Arts.
“Acting is my career. I’ve known that I wanted to be an actor since I was a little kid. Actually, I remember in fifth grade my mom convinced me to audition for Through the Looking Glass. And I got to play the Red Knight!” recalled Meenan.
There’s no doubt that Meenan excels on the stage—and on the screen, but his love for film doesn’t stop at the performance. In fact, his fascination with film and entertainment production persuaded him to join the School of Communication.
“I knew that I could continue to build my acting craft by myself if I needed to, but I really wanted to learn more of the behind scenes stuff, so I applied for the mass media major. And now I’ve gotten to work on TV-10 and get that experience. Not to mention, enroll in the Foxtail Film Festival course.”
The Foxtail Film Festival is a new initiative for the School of Communication. Scheduled for April 27-30 at the Normal Theater, the festival has provided hands-on learning opportunities for Communication students.
COM 334: Film Festival Management and Curation is a new course offered by Dr. Andrew Ventimiglia, assistant professor in the School of Communication. This class focuses on the business and art of film festival management, including evaluation and judgement of entries to produce a curated festival lineup.
“I saw this film festival class offered for this semester and immediately knew I wanted to take it. Having filmed SUNDAY*, I definitely wanted to see our film in a festival one day, so what better way to gain knowledge was there? This class has really delivered, and I’ve enjoyed it so much so far too.”
The feeling is mutual.
“I’ve had the pleasure of having Ben as a student in three of my classes, including COM 334. Ben has an excellent eye for details when we are screening films for the Foxtail Film Festival largely because of his experience working on and acting in a feature film, which is quite an ambitious undertaking for a full-time student!” said Dr. Ventimiglia.
The School of Communication will always support its students—and their passion projects.
“I got to show my teaser trailer for SUNDAY* in Dr. Ventimiglia’s class, which is so cool because I’ve been telling people about this movie for a while and hyping it up.”
Meenan’s enthusiasm and passion for the film has rubbed off on his peers and instructors.
“Ben has the biggest smile and he’s just so genuine,” said David Allen, a fellow student enrolled in COM 334. “It’s obvious how much he really cares. When he talks about his film in class, you can see his face light up.”
“Ben’s interest and passion for film extends beyond his acting and is evident in the ways that he talks about film, understands details about the film industry and its demands, and actively works to improve our film festival. From what I’ve seen, I’m confident that Ben’s got a bright future ahead of him!” added Dr. Ventimiglia.
A bright future, indeed. SUNDAY* is set to premiere in the Bloomington-Normal community on April 21. Tickets can be purchased in advance from the Normal Theater.
“We’ve all got one life. Let’s just do it. And let’s have fun,” said Meenan with a smile.
Follow the film SUNDAY* on Instagram and subscribe to the YouTube channel to watch the growing success of the independent film.
