The Bunker: The First Movie Directed by a Blind Director

Imagine an independent film project like so many others. The whole crew gathers, the battle plan begins to unfold… so far so good, but then you discover an unexpected detail: its director is blind. The organizer, the leader, the number one responsible for creating that film from start to finish, cannot see. That's what happened to Joseph M. Monks. The film is called The Bunker, and it was the first to be directed (and finished!) by a blind director.

Actors, technical crew, script, production, development. Keeping these delicate elements in balance and running is a titanic task for any director, even at their best physical and mental state. Now… think of a blind director. Not partially blind, but blind 'lights out', victim of diabetic retinopathy. Where do you begin? How do you organize? The director in question is Joseph M. Monks. Fans of the horror genre might remember his name from the classic and provocative comic Cry for Dawn from 1989. Most of the cast and crew of his project The Bunker discovered that Monks couldn't see during the first pre-production meeting. Monks said they would make history, because never before had a blind person directed a film…

Editor's note: We declare the trailer NSFW, out of caution.

The Bunker: Created by a Blind Director

The enthusiasm wasn't so contagious. At least three people left the project immediately, and a couple more quit shortly after. It sounds contradictory, even impossible. A director who can't see? Monks' response was blunt: You can lose your sight, but not your vision. When it comes to quality, the recommendation for The Bunker is to lower expectations. "Daughter who hates her rich and political parents runs away from home and ends up kidnapped by a serial killer" isn't the most original thing in the world, and budget limitations are felt in every frame, but behind that plot we find pure determination, despite the difficulties and the natural rejection of the mainstream.

Monks admits a dose of stubbornness mixed with stupidity. In the comics space things weren't going badly for him, but he already had some experience in cinema while blind, writing scripts and developing pilots. What was the worst that could happen? In Monks' mind, that the final result would be terrible, but that didn't stop him. The Bunker also had to go through an erratic evolutionary process. Initially, the plot was designed for comic format. Then it became a short story, and finally it became a film (Monks admits it wasn't his first choice). However, the director reveals that a bigger difficulty was convincing the public that he directed the film. The 'behind the scenes' accumulates about 40 hours of video, so there is evidence.

And the big question: How does it feel to know that you will never be able to see the finished film on a screen? Monks notes that "enough time has passed" with The Bunker, but he would love to see two very intense scenes in particular. Want to know which ones? You'll have to get a copy.

Source: Mel Magazine