With his next feature film, Laura Louise, set to shoot in Chicago this fall, Producer / Director, Duane Edwards sat down with Reel Chicago to talk about his directing style, creative process, and the importance of staying independent.
Edwards is an independent filmmaker whose Chicago-made feature film debut, Wrong Numbers, made waves on the festival circuit with its U.S. premiere at the Beverly Hills Film Festival, followed by screenings at Cannes. The film, starring Emily Hall and David Kelsey, is now streaming internationally through Amazon and has a 93% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Before turning to features, Edwards honed his craft with a series of acclaimed short films and earned national attention as one of the Top Ten directors on season 3 of Project Greenlight, the HBO competition series created by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon.
Let’s listen in on Duane’s approach to filmmaking.
First off, let’s get your backstory.
I was born in Texas and raised in Houston. After high school, I moved to New York City to study acting before heading to Los Angeles, where I worked on multiple TV shows and a soap opera. However, I soon realized I wanted more. Moving to Chicago allowed me to transition into the corporate world of information technology, where I learned the ropes and could finance my projects independently. My passion for filmmaking never faded, leading me to produce and direct five short films in Chicago. That led me to participate in Project Greenlight, a competition led by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, where I was recognized as one of the Top Ten directors.
Tell us a little about your debut feature film Wrong Numbers—how it came together and what the story is about.
In 2024, I made my feature film debut. Wrong Numbers is a drama that follows the aftermath of a disastrous blind date, leading to an intense and complicated one-night stand. Starring Emily Hall and David Kelsey, the film was shot in Chicago, at 4 locations. The screenplay was written by Frederick Mensch.
What was the biggest hurdle in making your first feature?
Going from shorts to suddenly doing a feature, there’s so many things that can go wrong. I’m still represented by UTA, and they wanted to put name actors in it. I didn’t want to do that because it would eat up my budget. I would need to go find money. I didn’t want them to bring in an actor with any trace of past work. I just I wanted it to be very like a clean canvas. I wanted unknown actors that could deliver and really have it more believable. People were asking ‘how are you going to sell it? How are you going to make money? You’ve got to have names in it.’ And really, that was the biggest choice I felt like I had to make artistically. It’s kind of going against the whole dynamic of putting someone on the cover so you can sell it. When my UTA agent, came and saw the screening, he said, ‘We get it.’
How would you describe your directing style, and what do you look for in a screenplay?
I take a business-conscious approach to filmmaking, ensuring my projects have a clear path to distribution. My directing style is minimalistic and realistic, focusing on intimate settings with limited locations and a small cast to create an intense, engaging experience. I emphasize authentic performances and natural dialogue; that’s why I like working with local writer Frederick Mensch; he draws inspiration from playwrights like David Mamet and Aaron Sorkin.
Explain how that approach influenced the way you produced Wrong Numbers.
For Wrong Numbers, my co-producers Phil Lee and Darryl Manueland and I kept the production streamlined, working with just two actors and a 115-page script, filming in four Chicago-area locations over six days. I prefer to finance my projects independently rather than rely on external investors, allowing me full creative control. Above all, my directing style prioritizes character-driven storytelling, ensuring the emotional depth of my films resonates with audiences. Wrong Numbers has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 93%.
Tell us about your upcoming film Laura Louise. When will you begin filming?
My latest film, Laura Louise, is set to take place in Chicago this fall. It’s an indie thriller starring Corbin Bernsen and my intention is to find great talent based out of Chicago. The story follows Edward Brannock (played by Bernsen), a retired postal worker who becomes entangled in a reopened missing person’s case. When new evidence surfaces decades after a teenage girl vanished, Brannock faces intense scrutiny, forcing him to confront long-buried family secrets.
Twelve days of filming in October. All of the filming happens in a house. One location.
This is an edge-of-the-seat thriller, who-done-it. It keeps unraveling — there’s lot’s of twists and turns. The screenplay was written by Frederick Mensch, who previously collaborated with me on Wrong Numbers. I plan on producing the film under The King Productions, alongside my co-producers Phil Lee and Darryl Manuel.
Reel Chicago will continue to cover the making of Laura Louise as it enters production in the fall.
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