From a very young age, Alan Delabie has always been drawn to the audiovisual field and more particularly to cinema.
Seduced by Bruce Lee, he began his career as a martial artist. Alan practices martial arts, more particularly Karate, Kickboxing and artistic nunchaku, discipline in which he was European champion. Attracted by martial arts dexhibitions, he provided more than 500 galas in Europe as well as televised appearances on France 3, France 2 in the program “C’est Heure” by Jean-Luc Delarue, on the channel of Belgian television, RTBF in Carlos Vaquera’s program “La Bande à Carlos” as well as appearances on Eurosport, on Paris Première TV for the famous judo gala at Paris Bercy in 2011 in front of an audience of 15,000.
Comfortable in front of audiences and cameras, Alan is interested in acting. He auditioned and landed small roles in TV films such as “Ten minutes from nowhere”, the series “Right or wrong” and also in independent feature films such as “JCVD”. But Alan didn’t stop there, he was spotted by Canadian producer Jalal Merhi and appeared in Toronto on the “Road To Hollywood aka Master of the Arts” TV show.
Inspired by the world of cinema, Alan set out to direct his first short film “Die to Love” with actress Catriona MacColl. With this great experience, he embarked on the writing, scriptwriting and directing of a first thriller, an independent feature film “8 hours”. Internationally oriented, he had the opportunity to be a guest on the American television channel KUSI NEWS in the program “Good Morning San Diego”. He also had the chance to broadcast “8 hours” in preview in the famous “Ken cinema” in San Diego, California. This is how his American adventure began.
Alan subsequently landed a role in director Chris Power’s “Bloodslinger” in which he played the role of Officer Gallant. Impressed by his talent, Chris Power wrote a bespoke screenplay for Alan “The French Dragon”, an action comedy.
Encouraged by these wonderful experiences, Alan decided to write “Anatomy of An Antihero”, a first film which will eventually turn into an action / drama trilogy.
He co-starred there with Eric Roberts, Academy Awards Nominee and Bob Wall, Bruce Lee’s legendary opponent in the movie “Enter the dragon” to name a few. “Anatomy of An Antihero” was a success. Alan won several international awards including the Los Angeles films Awards, New York Films Awards, Las Vegas movies Awards, Istanbul film Awards. He also won the best actor award for the Actors Awards 2019/2021 festival in Los Angeles., and the famous AOF Megafest Action on Film 2021 best male performance and nomination for best actor.
Alan didn’t stop there and wanted to explore the story of the main character in his film in depth. He continued with the writing of a second film in the trilogy, “Borrowed Time” in which he co-starred with Costas Mandylor (Saw franchise, Cosmic sin with Bruce Willis), Louis Mandylor (Debt collector 1 & 2, Rambo: last blood) and Mohammed Qissi Aka Tong Po (Kickboxer).
FMM: When were you drawn into the entertainment world?
Since I was a child, television has always fascinated me. I discovered action and horror movies thanks to my older brothers. On weekends, we used to watch action movies with Bruce Lee, Stallone “Rocky”, Eric Roberts “Runaway train” as well as horror movies like “Friday 13”, “Halloween”, “An American Werewolf in London” etc. And I must admit that martial arts captivated me right away, especially since my older brother was already a champion in a combat sport, wrestling. It didn’t take much more for me to get into it. As a child, I went from clubs to tournaments to live demonstrations on television.
FMM: How has your martial arts training catapulted your career?
Practicing martial arts has taught me to be natural in front of the camera because when you give live televised demonstrations you have no room for error. Concentration is essential. Afterwards, I went through casting for small roles in TV movies or mini-series in France. But I must admit that I always dreamed of the United States. The martial arts demonstrations were a first step in the entertainment industry. It helped me a lot.
FMM: You were spotted by Canadian producer Jalal Merhi and appeared in Toronto on the “Road To Hollywood aka Master of the Arts” TV show. Tell us more.
It was like a dream come true. I knew Jalal Merhi from the films I rented at the video store at the time. I took my courage in both hands and mailed him some video tapes of my TV demonstrations. I think he saw something special in me, especially my determination. I was amazed when he asked me to be on the show! Each contestant had to show their ability in martial arts, singing, dancing and acting. I keep an unforgettable memory of it in spite of it was very hard. I met some exceptional people! It was the first step in the realization of my American dream even though the show was held in Toronto, Canada.
FMM: Switching gears you directed your first short film “Die to Love” with actress Catriona MacColl. Tell us about the film.
I had always wanted to get behind the camera and make my own film. After writing my script, I immediately thought of Cartriona MacColl, an actress I had always admired and was a fan of. She has acted in several of director Lucio Fulco’s films, including “Black are the Galaxies”. I contacted her and she immediately agreed to my project “Die to Love”, the dramatic story of a very sick mother and her son who is ready to make difficult decisions to support her. Catriona saw in me an intense passion for the art of filmmaking and a strong determination to accomplish my project.
FMM: How did directing this film lead you to bigger productions?
In life you have to dare, and making this film helped me to go further. I continued to work as an actor of course, but after this first successful experience, I wanted to go further with “Anatomy of An Antihero Redemption”, the first film in the “Borrowed Time” trilogy. Little by little, things settled down. I gained confidence in myself and despite the difficulties, I didn’t give up. I had the honor of directing great actors like Eric Roberts, Costas Mandylor or Patrick Kilpatrick, known for his roles as a villain in Minority Report, Death Warrant, Class 99 etc. I also had the great fortune to work with David Worth, director of the movie Kickboxer with Jean-Claude Van Damme and other action movies with Cynthia Rothrock, Daniel Bernadht etc. I have known David for many years and working with him as co-director of Borrowed Time 3 has taught me a lot. He is a mentor to me.
FMM: You won several international awards including the Los Angeles films Awards, New York Films Awards, Las Vegas movies Awards, Istanbul film Awards. Which have been your favorite roles?
I like all the roles I had to play, even the smallest. Franck Denard in the Borrowed Time trilogy for example. But I must admit that I have a preference for “The Last Nosferatu”. Playing the vampire was fascinating. To go from being a playboy to a bloodthirsty monster was intense.
I won 4 times the best actor award at the Actor Awards festival. That’s a great performance. But I don’t stop there, I like to go further in my roles, always improving, doing better and better.
FMM: Who would you like to work with?
I would like to work alongside David Naughton, the actor of the movie “An American werewolf in London”, Viola Davis and why not Tom Cruise. Let’s be crazy! Jason Statham or Angela Bassett, one of the most charismatic actresses I know.
FMM: Share your current projects..
The Last Nosferatu has just been released on Amazon prime and VUDU platforms. It will soon be on DVD as well as Borrowed Time 3 falling Apart already released on Streaming.
I’m currently working on a new movie, THE SHEPHERD CODE, in which I’ll face a talented martial artist, Silvio Simac. There will also be a surprise cameo but I’m keeping the information secret for now. In addition to the current project, I have a few ideas for films ranging from thrillers, to live action horror as well. In any case, I have the desire to go further and further.