Kynan Dias is an actor and award-winning screenwriter, born in Honolulu and raised in Las Vegas. Inspired at an early age by great American playwrights such as Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller, and Edward Albee, Kynan taught himself to write feature-length screenplays as a 14-year-old high school student. He earned a B.A. in film from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where he pursued acting, screenwriting, and directing. Later, Kynan earned his MFA in screenwriting from the University of California, Los Angeles, where he developed a love for writing TV sitcoms that were further nurtured during his time studying improv comedy at the Upright Citizens Brigade.
As a writer, Kynan’s films tend to live within the thin space between the humorous and the tragic, in sarcastic dramas and in comedies that hurt. As an actor, he is often hired to cry in comedies. With Lester Ryan Clark, Kynan co-hosts a series of film history podcasts on the TruStory.FM network that are meticulously researched yet lean heavily on improvised comedy.
Teaching at UNLV FILM since 2008, Kynan has developed a wide variety of courses in film production, directing, acting, screenwriting, and film studies, being especially proud of building classes such as Women in Comedy and Queer Cinema. His research interests include animation history, studio system economics, queer coding in classic film, and foregrounding previously unsung collaborators within major film authors’ historiographies.
On this episode:Our first guest – Ian Hinden!Father, Son or Holy Cohost?Fun with Polymorphia!In Russian Soviet Theory, film edits YOU!A reading from the Book of Blatty…and more!
On this episode:Look both ways before crossing yourself!Of COURSE I know “The Appointment in Samara!” Inspiration, or cultural exploitation?… and more!
On this episode:Jesuit Dean!The Last Temptation of MerrinA hero at the end of his journeyAre movies like dreams, or are dreams like movies?Professor Kynan and film school freshman Lester…and more!
On this episode:6 themes of this film (#3 will fling you headlong into existential despair!)A Beautiful friendshipEvil against evilGreat Caesar’s ghost!The Shakespeare TrapZeus was an a*****e!…and more!
On this episode:EVERYONE’S possessed!Is Father Merrin without sin?Blacsmiths blacksmithering!The Godfather…again!Zoroastrianism!A reading from the Book of Blatty…and more!
Tea time!So, are you THE Devil…or just a devil? The wind is explained!I still can’t believe that’s makeup!A reading from the Book of Blatty…and more!
In this episode we are introduced to Max Von Sydow playing Father Merrin!
In this episode we talk about khakis, paganism, stage blood and ancient temples!
HOWDY! This is the introductory episode of The Exorcist Minute! Here you meet your humble hosts as we talk a bit about our experiences with THE EXORCIST and from there we dive into the first minute of the film!