Nick and Nathan Lacey’s excellent short film, Die Bully Die, has won the $7,000 Dendy Live Action Short Award at the 71st Sydney Film Festival.

Die Bully Die follows Max (Matthew Backer), who encounters his high-school bully, Adam (Drew Weston), 17 years later in a fancy restaurant, where Max’s grudge against Adam manifests in horrific ways. This LGBTQ+ comedy horror film explores the lasting effects of queerphobic bullying and the broader theme of overcoming trauma.

The film draws from screenwriter, producer, and actor Matthew Backer’s personal experiences of being bullied for being gay at his all-boys Catholic high school in Brisbane. The story gains depth from Matt’s real-life encounter with one of his bullies, now an openly gay man, which inspired the film. Matt collaborated with his best friend, Drew Weston, to write Die Bully Die, capturing the raw emotion and lasting impact of their experiences.

The film is directed by Nick and Nathan Lacey, who previously collaborated with Matt on the award-winning short film Ghosted, which you can read more about here. Produced by the Lacey Brothers, Matthew Backer, Drew Weston, and Nicole Thorn, Die Bully Die continues the team’s tradition of creating impactful films.

Nick Lacey has produced and directed for major Australian television networks and production companies, while Nathan Lacey has extensive experience in post-production for major studios. Their short films have been selected for numerous film festivals, with Ghosted receiving multiple awards and nominations.

Die Bully Die not only highlights the personal struggles of its creators but also resonates universally with audiences facing similar challenges.

Cinema Australia caught up with Nick and Nathan following their award win at the Sydney Film Festival.

“Anyone who has been bullied before knows how nightmarish that experience can be and we wanted to depict that in a very visceral way.”

Interview by Matthew Eeles

What drew you to Matthew Backer and Drew Weston’s Die Bully Die script?

Nathan: The script appealed to us for a number of reasons. We thought it was a really interesting way to explore the effects of childhood trauma and the impact that has on you as an adult. We thought this was a very relatable theme and knowing it was based on Matt’s own experiences growing up made it even more important to us. We also really appreciated that although the film depicts a very serious subject, the script didn’t take itself too seriously. We thought the blend of horror and comedic elements throughout gave the script an original tone and we were really drawn to that as directors.

Nick: It was very exciting to read the script through the first time. I remember thinking there were so many areas where we as directors could expand creatively on and develop a strong visual and artistic through line to encompass the film, and even now a year on I still get excited thinking about the script. We felt the thematic elements and melding of genres really played to our strengths as filmmakers and was a great opportunity to put together a really exciting and thought-provoking piece.

Not only do Matthew Becker and Drew Weston star in the film, they also co-wrote and co-produced as well. As directors, what is it like to work with two other people who have so much creative investment in a film?

Nathan: We were fortunate to work with Matt on our previous film Ghosted, so there was already a good foundation there going into this film. Matt and Drew approached us with this script because they trusted our vision and we really appreciated that. We encouraged both of them to come on as producers early on and working with them from an early stage was very helpful as it meant we could spend a lot of time workshopping the script with them in pre-production which really paid off when we got on set.

Nick: We were delighted when Matt and Drew agreed to come on board to produce. We felt especially with the story being so personal to Matt, it was imperative to have them stay on in a producing aspect also. For first-time producers, they took to the challenge and were great at fitting into our working process alongside our other producer Nicole Thorn. Myself and Nathan believe the best way of getting great onscreen content is having a great atmosphere on set, and Matt and Drew really embodied this which made the on set experience very enjoyable.

While Die Bully Die is not a direct horror film, you seem to enjoy injecting horror into real life situations. Why is that so important to you?

Nick: Horror as a genre is such a captivating and encompassing medium to work with as filmmakers. It is hardwired into us as creatures to be cautious, aware and prioritise self-preservation – thematically and tonally, horror is so relatable. Our minds are the best creatives when it comes to our fears and terrors – be it a bump in the night, or something seemingly normal that terrifies us on an individual level, to us it’s about how to engage that primal voice in your head that spells out WARNING. How fantastic is it to get to play with that notion, bend reality a little and dip into the dark recesses of the mind when dreaming up scenarios or scenes – What if this happened? What if that stranger is some kind of deranged psycho? How can we bring an audience on a journey here, inject a little of those emotions of terror into a seemingly normal environment or situation – the more normal or mundane, the more contrast for a horrific event or situation to move an audience.

Nathan: We both love horror, so integrating it into our work seems to come pretty naturally. For this film specifically, we saw opportunities to lean into this, particularly when we see young Max bullied in the school bathroom. We wanted this scene to feel like a nightmare so the audience would understand the sheer terror that Max experienced at school. Anyone who has been bullied before knows how nightmarish that experience can be and we wanted to depict that in a very visceral way.

I love the use of mirrors to reflect the past in Die Bully Die. Can you talk us through that creative choice, and the challenges of filming with so many reflections?

Nathan: The mirrors were definitely challenging! The restaurant and bathroom locations we used in the film were both lined with mirrors. We never originally planned to integrate mirrors so prominently in the film but once we saw these two locations we knew we could utilise them to great effect. It was something we spent a lot of time discussing and we felt helped to visually reinforce the power Max’s past has over him throughout the film. Our DP, Patrick Coe, and gaffer, Josh Lafou, did a great job to ensure switching setups was seamless and all lighting and camera gear was hidden from any reflections in shot.

Nick: I think that’s one big takeaway from making short films in the past, with independent films you are more often than not at the mercy of the factors and environments you’re working in, and often, with limited resources you need to decide which challenges to focus on and what to accept and move on with. I feel sometimes constraints can be massively helpful in forcing you to think creatively and differently in your approach to filmmaking – turning constraints into advantages. Rather than try and shy away from reflections, we embraced them and made them a focal point. It was a fun challenge to work out how to shoot everything in the way we desired in a very reflective location – myself and Nathan spent two weeks just discussing where best to seat our two leads. We decided to embrace the mirrors as a focal point to suit the story that focuses so much on the past and looking back on past events – with everything revolving around the decision from there we shotlisted the entire film in an afternoon.

The visual effects in Die Bully Die are seriously impressive, and the film is all the better for it. It would be an injustice to talk about Die Bully Die without mentioning its visual effects artists Kyan Woodpower and Scott Brice who have worked on films like Monkey Man, Alien Covenant and Three Thousand Years of Longing respectively. What do these two bring to a project like this?

Nathan: We’re very fortunate to have worked with a team of amazingly talented individuals on this film and Kyan and Scott were a big part of that. Complex visual effects require a lot of careful planning to pull off successfully so we relied on their input early on in order to ensure the visual effects looked as realistic as possible. Their input was invaluable in how we approached filming certain shots. There were quite a few visual effects shots in this film, many of which you wouldn’t even realise.

Nick: We’ve worked with Kyan on every film we’ve made so far and he is probably the most likeable and easy-going person you’ll ever meet, alongside being extremely talented. A cohesive team coming together with a shared mindset requires so many intangible and unspoken factors happen to be successful, and aside from just being brilliant – he makes that creative and collaborative process so much easier by just being a joy to be around. Scott’s work is incredible, and he came with such a depth of experience and creativity. We live in a strange world with this film where you get excited over things like gore and blood being convincing and shocking, and the flair he brought to the film with little touches really adds to making the world feel real.

You both obviously share an incredibly creative synergy. What do you enjoy the most about working with each other?

Nathan: Being brothers, we already have such a shorthand with one another so that helps a lot when we’re working on a film, as there is usually a lot going on. We’re very aligned from a creative standpoint but we do try and challenge each other creatively and I think through that process we bring the best out in each other. Ultimately having that level of trust with a creative partner ensures we are united and focused on our goal of making the best film we can.

Nick: Our relationship has sustained every high and low you can imagine through just knowing each other for our entire lives, but being siblings is an unbreakable bond which helps when it comes to the practicalities of creating films. We share the high points and embrace the difficulties of filmmaking, which is important in the creative process. We’re not afraid of offending or trampling one another if we think an idea or angle may not work, and when a great idea is poised usually the other builds on that and we are able to elevate the idea into a fluid construct of a film. With each project we do together there is a greater understanding and synergy, which almost becomes like two bodies one brain at times – which is a really wonderful feeling, when you’re in your groove creatively and firing on all cylinders and your creative partner is in the exact same headspace. Nathan will often say something in creative meetings and the first words out of my mouth will be, “I was just about to say that” or vice versa.

I loved your previous film, Ghosted. How much have you both grown as filmmakers since that film?

Nathan: Thanks! Hopefully we’ve grown a lot as filmmakers. Every film we make is an opportunity for us to challenge ourselves both creatively and technically and Die Bully Die was no different. We worked with a bigger budget and crew on this film than Ghosted and had scenes involving a lot of sfx and vfx work as well, so there were many fun challenges for us to solve. Making films is definitely the best way to continue growing as a filmmaker and we certainly feel like we’ve grown even more since shooting this film.

Nick: I think with every film and every opportunity to hone our particular style and tastes, it’s just made us more confident with our decisions and direction. In each of our shorts we’ve taken calculated and well-thought out creative risks in our approach to aesthetic, character and story which I feel has been imperative in developing our skillsets as filmmakers and also readying us for long form films. Die Bully Die is another step forward for us in our storytelling careers and has built on what we’ve learnt so far and is a showcase of what we will continue to do in the future.

What does the future look like for The Lacey Brothers? Is there a feature film on the horizon? 

Nick: We’re currently developing our first feature film, a psychological horror. It’s our current focus and next project for us in our careers.

Keep an eye on cinemaaustralia.com.au for upcoming Die Bully Die screenings. 

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