Writer and director Dallas Curry, also known by his entertainment moniker “Dvn Dsn” or Devin Daisean, says his early background was primarily in theater. Dvn Dsn became more actively involved in theater after moving to Columbus through participation at the Springer Theatre Academy and his high school theater program.
However, Dvn Dsn discovered his love for filmmaking by exploring different art forms. “I’ve always been a writer, but [I was] trying to just figure out how stories are told from a different perspective than acting on a stage or in front of a camera,” he added. “I ventured towards that path where I found that I love storytelling by writing, and I love being able to direct.”
Dvn Dsn went on to attend Columbus State University (CSU), where he earned his bachelor’s degree in Theater with a minor in Creative Writing. He also participated in the Georgia Film Academy (GFA), where he received a certificate for filmmaking.
Both of these institutions helped Dvn Dsn branch out and make connections in theater and film. He describes his personality as introverted, which can sometimes be a hindrance when working in the industry.
“CSU and GFA, they are very hands-on with their teaching, and they are, you know: no kid left behind,” he stated. “They think everybody has a voice, so they were very helpful in breaking down my shell, and I was able to talk to all these lovely people who shared the same kind of ideas and beliefs that I did.”
It was at CSU that Dvn Dsn discovered his love for filmmaking after joining the Film Club and participating in 48-hour film festivals with a group of friends. This led to the creation of “Multicent Productions,” a production company founded by Dvn Dsn and his friends to present their film festival submissions.
“We landed on Multicent Productions because at the time, we were college kids. We didn’t have money,” said Dvn Dsn. “Instead of […], oh, this is a multimillion-dollar production that’s going out; well, this is just a ‘Multicent’ production happening.”
Dvn Dsn’s main partner on this venture is Noah “Noble” Ligon, who works with Multicent Productions as a cinematographer. “He is my eyes for when I cannot vocalize my vision,” Dvn Dsn added. “He is the person who […] understands the process and how I would like my vision to come through. So in terms of who works with me, that’s my right-hand man.”
Other participants in this collaborative effort include assistant director Jordan Tuft, faffer Johnny “JJ” Dibartolo IV, production designer/art director Amari Roach and sound mixer Ashton Powers. Together, they are currently working on Multicent Productions’ first feature project, “Ammonia”, which was written by Dvn Dsn about three years ago and received the Anbessita Productions Inc. first place prize for screenwriting in CSU’s 2023 Carson McCullers Literary Awards.
When it came to his time at GFA, it was the connections he made with other like-minded individuals that made the biggest difference. He said making a film “takes an army” because of the various roles required on set. Through networking, he met people passionate about the different aspects of filmmaking, such as costume design/makeup, editing, lighting, etc.
“You really can’t make a film alone,” he said. “So I’m glad that these two institutes introduced me to so many people, and they’ve given me the opportunity to expand my network, so that when the opportunity did come, when I got the grants, I was able to know I want to work with these people.”
Multicent Productions spent all last year developing “Ammonia” after receiving a $5,000 grant from the Columbus Film Commission towards the project. “It is a story about a group of friends who come together on a bunch of holidays and through this, […] we basically go on a nostalgic journey about self-discovery, self-love and finding out if you are worthy of loving yourself, even if you’ve done terrible things in the past,” said Dvn Dsn.
Before working on “Ammonia”, Dvn Dsn’s senior project at CSU was a play that he adapted into a romantic comedy called “The Infinite Coffee Theorem”. This project followed three couples through the various stages of love and what that means for different people, using all CSU students to make up the cast and crew.
He said that he believes it’s important to use local cast, crew and locations in his productions because, before branching out in the Columbus community to make connections for film projects, he wasn’t aware of the numerous local resources that are available. However, now that he’s actively a part of the local filmmaking scene, Dvn Dsn has learned that Columbus is an “artistic hub of creatives.”
“We want people [to see]that film is alive in Columbus, Georgia. The arts are alive in Columbus, Georgia,” he added. “I think it is our responsibility to showcase that by showing them that we’re here and we’re ready for everything.”
When it comes to the screenwriting process for his projects, Dvn Dsn aims to tell grounded stories that he thinks will appeal to the masses. In an effort to do this, he often identifies the main characters in his work with an initial instead of a full name, striving to make them relatable to everybody and easier for the audience to envision themselves in the characters’ respective positions.
“I wanna tell stories about the human experience, and I think that it’s important for people to see that I mean, honestly, like your life’s a story,” said Dvn Dsn. “No matter how monotonous you think it may be, like there’s a story within everybody, and I think it’s very important that everybody’s story is told.”
