Out of Exile, an Oklahoma film written and directed by Kyle Kauwika Harris, had its world premiere at the Oklahoma DeadCenter Film Festival on Thursday June 9th, where it was announced the winner of this year’s Best Oklahoma Feature.

The film was shot in Oklahoma and produced by Perm Machine, Through Films, and Axtion Pictures. It stars Peter Greene, Ryan Merriman, Haley McFarland, and Adam Hampton and is directed by Kyle Kauwika Harris.  

Out of Exile follows the trials and tribulations of recently paroled thief, Gabriel (played by Hampton), after a botched armored car robbery, as he tries to deal with his troubled family issues while a determined FBI agent hunts down him and his crew.

The film was shot in about 20 SAG (Screen Actor Guild) days on a very limited budget, but by watching the film you would never guess that. The results are astounding in this heavy and beautifully done film. It’s a bit dark sometimes, with plenty of action to keep it all progressing, but also laced with complicated human emotions and the dire consequences of our choices. It keeps you invested emotionally, while offering a high suspense action film at the same time.

I chatted with Hampton about the making of the film and getting to roll it out during the film festival.

“It was a very tight schedule, everybody had to be really on point and ready to go, from the cast to the crew. The days were very full and very calculated. It was a calculated frenzy,” said Hampton.

The film was shot during the covid pandemic, so they had strict covid protocols of isolation and testing, which added to the challenges of making the film with a limited amount of days to film and a small budget to work with.

“They got just enough money to get in some names and have some nice effects, but not enough to do it comfortably. We have the names but have them for a very short amount of time. Everything had to be very calculated, everything had to be very efficient and effective. They got just enough money to hang themselves if they did it wrong. I think that Kyle and his team, I think they nailed it. That whole stoic phrase that I stole from my wife, where the obstacle becomes the journey thing, I think when you are forced to find creative ways to tell stories, you do end up with something a bit more unique than what might come easy,” said Hampton.

When watching the film, Oklahomans will recognize some familiar places, such as Classics Bar and Grill in Oklahoma City.

“We filmed in Classics bar in Oklahoma City, we filmed in Shawnee at a house, one of the heists that we filmed was across the street from the courthouse which was interesting. We filmed at a gun range in Yukon, we filmed in the stockyards, we were all over the place. Kenny Pitts was the one who handled the locations and I think he did a great job. It gave it a very specific flavor I think, and while the movie doesn’t explicitly take place in Oklahoma, to me it certainly feels at least Oklahoma adjacent,” said Hampton.

While Hampton said he enjoyed working with everyone in the film, getting a chance to work alongside Peter Greene, known for such movies as Pulp Fiction and The Mask, was one of the highlights of this film.

  “Peter Greene is special just because, at least for me, Pulp Fiction was a very pivotal film for me. I remember it was the first time I saw a movie with some level of maturity and thought, man these people, Tarantino, it was next level. It was like the opening of a door. It was like the first time you heard a rock song or something. So, Peter Greene being a huge part of that film, getting to be on screen with him and playing opposite him and getting to go back and forth with him was truly a highlight of my career thus far. As a human being he is a firecracker, just very intense, just very big. His personality is so huge. It can be menacing in some areas, just like he is on screen, it’s that same level, so being able to work with him was an honor,” he said.

The cast had to go through gun training for the film, as well as prepare themselves mentally and physically for the different scenes. They were able to create a team, with everyone working hard to make it all happen and Hampton says without everyone being so willing to put in the work together, it wouldn’t have been able to be done.

“The challenges of trying to make a very highly intense dramatic movie, at that budget, at this level, it required a real focus and discipline with everyone involved. I try to approach that anyway with the characters I play, but just trying to maintain that level of focus when there are so many things to overcome, or obstacles to meet, and to not lose that. That’s where I do have to sing the praises of Kyle as a director, he’s tremendous in terms of his vision and his discipline. He works very, very hard and he’s very good at what he does. Haley McFarland plays my daughter and is just magnetic to me. I’ve got a lot of love for the guys I acted with the most. Kyle Jacob Henry, Wilson Navas, they played Wes and Marcos respectively. Both of those guys, being in the trenches with me, and having to push ourselves and push each other. Their personalities are both so different, their characters are so different and the way they approach film making is so different. All of us, it was a great chemistry so even when it was tough, we were just trying to use that to put a chip on our shoulder and push us forward and use it for the roles. I would have to speak to the talent of the people that worked on it, Ryan Merriman, Kyle Jacob Henry, Wilson Navas, the cast is phenomenal, and I can’t say that enough, it was just working with these people made the process organic and authentic. Everybody put their blood into it and I think that shows,” said Hampton.

Hampton said while you never do the work for the awards, it still felt really good to be recognized at the DeadCenter film festival, where the quality of films is stellar and the competition was such high-quality.

“It was exciting to show the work that we all did, and it was such a team effort and it was so beautiful that way. I’ve been on sets that weren’t that way. Where some people think they are better than some people, or they are giving more than other people, but this was such a choir. It was so many voices that were brought to it in the performances, and I think you can watch it and see that. While I’m happy to play the lead essentially, it was such an ensemble endeavor and the crew and all the work that they went through, being able to share that with these folks it really is a beautiful thing. It was beautiful at DeadCenter,” he said.

The film was showed twice during the festival, and they also had speaking panels and after parties for the film scheduled during the week. Hampton said he tends to feel a bit melancholy when going to the movies, because it’s all over. As soon as the screen goes black, he says it almost feels like attending a funeral.

“With shooting movies, and shooting independent movies for sure, a lot of times what is happening behind the scenes is even more riveting than what might be taking place in front of a camera. The drama, the comedy, the tragedy of trying to do it at this level, with just enough money to hang yourself, not enough money to make it easy, it’s a lot of sweat and a lot of elbow grease. The stories you get with the people you shared it with, it’s a lot like summer camp. I look forward to ten years from now sitting down and watching it and reminiscing, hopefully with some of the cast that I got to make this with. It would be a lot of fun remembering,” said Hampton.

There has been a lot of activity in filmmaking in Oklahoma the last several years, as more and more projects are filmed here.

“It's a cool time to make movies in Oklahoma for sure, and there’s just a super talented community. Oklahoma has so many beautifully underdog artists. You go to DeadCenter and watch some of those Oklahoma filmmakers and you are going to be blown away. They are telling stories about Oklahoma, about Oklahomans and our lives and our tragedies and triumphs and they are just as beautiful as everyone else’s on the planet and sometimes even in more aspects because of the multiculturalism here. It’s a beautiful time to be a creative in Oklahoma and I think we need art and voice and escape more so now than ever,” said Hampton.

Hopefully by the end of the year there will be more news on this movie and it’s plans for distribution. You can find out more information about the film by following the facebook page.