A dark Shakespearean love story hits the homes of millions with cable, satellite and telco operators including iTunes, Amazon, Direct TV, and more. Ronnie Kahlil, an award-winning producer, writer, and director of the new film, With a Kiss I Die writes a true love story that originally was only about a boy and girl but, eventully, the film’s story begin to shift.
Kahlil’s new film came together quickly after casting the roles, both Kahlil and his team had a specific deadline to meet. Over the course of three months the script and production were put together following shooting that took place for about 21 days. Kahlil and his team spent about two years putting together this film including editing and photography that took place.
Set in the Greek islands of Mykonos and Santorini, With a Kiss I Die tells the story of Juliet Capulet, a vampire who loses her love Romeo and, centuries later, falls in love with a woman who captures her heart again. Juliet, who is stuck and falling in love, is faced with the challenge of choosing between love and family. The film has a modern take on the Romeo and Juliet story but is scripted and filmed to give the feel of an LGBTQ Shakespearean romance, exploring the feelings of loss and love and exploring how both are intertwined with life.
The film came together quickly after the roles were cast; both Kahlil and his team had a specific deadline to meet. Over the course of three months, the script and production were put together, followed by filming that took place for about 21 days. From beginning to end, production took about two years.
“Well, surprisingly, not only was it not an interracial LGBT film [at first], but it was also not a drama. It started off as a comedy—a My Fair Lady type comedy,” said Kahlil.
For about 13 years, Kahlil was a stand-up comedian. He realized that he had such a passion for writing and developing scripts that he followed his heart, which led him back to film.
According to IMDB.com, Kahlil co-directed and co-wrote, You Can’t Kill Stephen King!—a horror comedy filmed in Maine that sold both domestically and internationally. Also, having served as committee member for the Miami International Film Festival and a guest panelist at the Dubai International Film Festival. Kahlil has made appearances on ABC News, BBC, CNN, The World, NPR, FOX and more.
After asking Kahlil what his audience can expect differently with his new film, he said his audience can anticipate the sense of allure and a true Shakespearean tragedy, adding, “I think also the way that it was shot, it’s a different type of artistic vampire film and not just your typical black and white vampire scene.”
Kahlil is currently working on new projects and curating new ideas for future films, one of which is currently in Egypt, and writing his first novel. Before ending the interview, Kahlil was asked to name three actors living or dead he would love to shoot a film with; those were Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks and Mike Colter.
For more information on the film and actors please visit WithAKissIDie.com.