Published on 08, Dec 2022

Ben Stranahan Challenges Film Goers with His New Thriller The King Tide

As Ben Stranahan finishes his work on The King Tide, his latest movie scheduled for release in 2023, he reveals that he is hoping that it will help to break the division in  society. The actor and independent film producer for Tip-Top Productions sees many parallels between Canada, the United States, and the movie’s idyllic community that devolves into civil war when its members cannot agree if a mysterious child really is the next savior.

“While we don’t have any children with incredible powers, of course, our societies have been engulfed by a king tide of sorts,” Ben says, settling back in his office in Los Angeles. “A king tide is basically an extremely high tide. It brings very high water levels and can cause flooding and enormous problems. In The King Tide, we have a coastal community that seems to be perfect but cracks under pressure. People appear to live in peace with each other - until the day a child with incredible powers washes up on the shore. Is this child their savior? It’s a question that splits families and friends.”

While other tides, or disagreements, had always come, people had been able to handle them amicably and find solutions. That all changes with a child that is so controversial that the community ultimately destroys itself. 

“It begs the question of how utopian this community really was. Perhaps under the surface, what was really happening was that its members were glossing over other issues, and when the biggest tide came, it pushed them over the edge,” says Ben. “How different is this from our cultures and society today? Thankfully, we are not in a civil war, but we are divided. We must be careful that we commit ourselves to peacefully solving our underlying issues so that we are not destroyed by a tide we cannot handle.”

Ben says he is looking forward to acting in and producing The King Tide, whose other co-stars include Clayne Crawford (The Integrity of Joseph Chambers) and Francis Fisher (Titanic, Awake, Grace and Grit).  

“It’s a very talented, fun, intelligent cast,” he believes. “They are going to bring a lot of intensity and depth to the storyline and make it very relatable for audiences. Plus, it’s just a really great story!”

Ben’s path to Hollywood began back in a Colorado middle school, where he acted in his first play. He readily concedes that his performance was not, unfortunately, memorable, but it taught him something very important: entertainment was in his heart and soul.

“In high school, I really got the acting and directing bug when I grabbed my cell phone and started making recordings,” he remembers. “I was lucky to have a couple of friends who liked to act, so I made my debut as a director. It was a ton of fun and revealed just how much I wanted to make this my career.”

Before landing in Hollywood, Ben took a detour to Boston after graduating, where he took classes at the Berklee College of Music. Ben is a passionate pianist, and he credits much of his ability to what he learned during that time. 

“I got to LA eventually, though, and enrolled at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts,” he says. “What a thrill that was! For three years, I ate and breathed acting, directing, and producing, and when I graduated, I was ready to take on Hollywood.” He pauses, then smiles a little. “I had all the drive and enthusiasm but was in for a lot of hard work.”

Eventually, through talent, luck, and sheer persistence, Ben began adding to his portfolio of films and awards. His 2016 movie Mean Dreams, which starred Bill Paxton, Sophie Nélisse, Josh Wiggins, and Colm Feore, premiered at the Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes and as a Special Presentation at TIFF. Mean Dreams was ultimately sold in more than fifty countries and released theatrically in over ten countries. 

Other successes have included Population Zero and the Netflix thriller Calibre, which was nominated for four BAFTAs and won for Best Actor for Jack Lowden. As a TV producer, Ben scored with The Midnight Anthology, starring Clancy Brown. Its pilot premiered at the New York Television Festival in 2015 and won the Artistic Achievement and Best Director awards.

In 2022, Ben released Monstrous, with Christina Ricci, and he is working to complete production of The Naked Umbrella, Nandor Fodor and the Talking Mongoose, Better Than Yourself, and The Inventor.

“Yes, I like to keep busy,” Ben admits. “I’ve got so many ideas for movies that I can’t wait to make. Some of them are light hearted, like The Inventor, and some are more thought provoking like The King Tide. All of them, however, have one thing in common: they’re just really good stories. Whether my films make the audience laugh, cry, or think, I want them to be unforgettable and help people to be changed for the better because they saw them.”