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Purple Foxes in the Night Sky (2021)
Drama 11min
An unlikely pair study an astronomical phenomenon for a class project and discover more about each other in the process. Written by Price Payne, "Purple Foxes in the Night Sky" was filmed by a crew of four in two nights in Abilene, Texas.
Starring Kathlyn Messer and Carl Kimbrough, Directed by Sammy Castillo Jr., Produced by Rankin Dean, Sound Design by Cody Tolle, Assistant Directed by Price Payne, and Cinematography by Rankin Dean.
Short Film
To Reckon With (2020)
Action/Suspense 13min
Benny goes undercover to a gang's poker night to take out the gang leader with a bomb disguised as a briefcase.
Inspired from James Bond and Hitchcock films, To Reckon With was filmed in just 2 days with only one day of pre-production due to special & last-minute circumstances.
Written & Directed by Rankin Dean, Produced by Hannah Raymond, and Cinematography by Braden Garner.
Short Film
The Willows (2020)
Horror 10min
On the night before Halloween, James and his friends watch a cursed film for their annual movie night.
Written & Directed by Cody Tolle, Produced by Rankin Dean & Sammy Castillo Jr., Starring Trey Smith, Sydney Keating, Peyton Eliot, Dillon Gutierrez, and Dr. Rich Traylor.
Short Film
Within Sight (2020)
Drama /Romance 11min
After buying a unique vintage camera, Axel meets the girl of his dreams who is only visible through the lens of the camera.
Directed by Sammy Castillo Jr., Produced & Written by Rankin Dean, and Cinematography by Braden Garner. Special thanks to Record Guys!
Short Film
Dying In December (2020)
Drama 10min
A young man is predicted to die in one month and is forced to contemplate how to spend his few remaining days.
The first short film by writer/director Cody Tolle, starring Trey Smith.
Short Film
On a Different Page (2020)
Drama/Romance 25min
Behind the Scenes
Throughout a date night with the love of his life, Chris quickly learns that life is just like reading a book: you take it page by page. However, Chris becomes desperate to skip through the book to find out what happens next once something unexpected happens.
Directed by Rankin Dean and Hannah Sanza, "On a Different Page" was filmed in Abilene, TX by a small group of Abilene Christian University students. The film was later entered into the annual ACU FilmFest and won 5 awards including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Actor, and Best Actress.
Short Film
Turtles All the Way Down (2020)
Drama/Romance 15min
Behind the Scenes
Aza struggles against her OCD of catching a disease in order to get closer to her crush, but her spiral of thoughts prevent her from finding her true inner self.
Written for the screen and Directed by Rankin Dean, Turtles All the Way Down is based upon John Green's latest book. It was filmed in just three days by students at Abilene Christian University.
Starring Mariah Martin, Lauren McDonald, Rankin Dean, and Catherine Baumgardner. Produced by Corban Gililland and Cinematography by Sammy Castillo Jr.
Short Film
The Brotherhood (2019)
Drama/Action 52min
A still of the Pi Sigma pin from The Brotherhood
Pledging is a great opportunity to make new friends and find your identity in college, but how far will you go and what are you willing to sacrifice in order to be accepted?
"The Brotherhood" is an intense action-drama that takes pledging to a mafia-style level. Written by Wade Austin and Directed by Wade Austin & Rankin Dean, The Brotherhood is an indie-student film produced in two months on a super-low budget by a small team of student filmmakers and actors.
Edited by Rankin Dean, the film was cut down to 10 minutes in order to qualify for ACU FilmFest 2019 where it won 3 awards, including BEST PICTURE, Best Producer (Hannah Raymond), and Best Cinematography (Rankin Dean).
Short Film
Sacred Space (2019)
Drama/Comedy/Romance 13min
Behind the Scenes
"Wherever we are is whatever you want it to be."
Sacred Space is about the 10 minutes during intermission of a theatre production where things fall apart and people come together so that the show can go on.
Written & Directed by Rankin Dean and Produced by Hannah Raymond, Sacred Space won 4 awards at the 2019 ACU FilmFest, including Best Director (Rankin Dean), Best Actor (Corban Gililland), Best Production Design (Hannah Raymond & Rankin Dean), and Best Ensemble Cast.
Short Film
Jars (2018)
Drama
11min
Behind the Scenes
After returning from the army, Blake reunites with his autistic brother, Jimmy, and discovers that he's been collecting feelings in jars.
Based on a stage play by Brittany Taylor, Jars was filmed in two days by a small team from Beyond Star Films. It was submitted into the Abilene Christian University FilmFest and won Best Picture, as well as Best Actor and Best Screenplay.
Short Film
Romance/Comedy
1hr 36min
This Is You (2017)
This Is You is a coming of age romantic comedy about two groups of people mixing together after a guy finally meets his crush. Written and Directed by 21 year-old Rankin Dean and Produced by 20 year-old Sammy Castillo Jr., This Is You was made in only seven months in Abilene, TX and is the first feature-length film by both Rankin and Sammy.
It first premiered at the Historic Paramount Theater on June 30th to an audience of over 200 people. It later had three more screenings in Colorado City, Rankin Dean's hometown, at the 3M Palace Theater. The film received overwhelming responses from viewers, including multiple reviews and interviews in both The Abilene Post and The Colorado City Record.
This Is You was made on a self-financed super-low budget and did not charge admission for any of the screenings.
NOTICE: BEYOND STAR FILMS DOES NOT OWN OR CLAIM TO OWN THE RIGHTS TO ANY OF THE MUSIC WITHIN THE FILM. THE FILM WAS SHOWN IN SELECT THEATERS FOR FREE AS WELL AS UPLOADED ONLINE FOR FREE TO VIEW.