First of all we want to thank you for answering these questions. It is a pleasure to interview you. We are going to divide the interview into two parts. The first part we will talk about your project and in the second part we would like to know your cinematographic preferences.

 

How did you start this project. How long did it take from the initial idea to have it finished?

I started this project a few years ago. I had lost both my grandparents on my mother’s side and my cousin. I was in a certain state of grief and I was going to Howard University at the time and I started writing the script in 2021 and pitched it later on. It was approved and my team and I shot it in March 2022. I finished the editing in the summer of 2022. I have been self-distributing it myself through my filmfreeway profile, which is why I’m able to do this interview. So, it took me about a year and a half from inception to completion. 

 

Has it been a self-financed project or did you find private financing?

This has been a self-financed project. I used my own money to develop this. 

 

Many filmmakers finance the entire project, finishing it in their spare time while studying or working etc. This makes it a very wear-and-tear process and takes a long time to finish. Even many of these projects never end up being assembled. In your case, how has the process been?

The project was my thesis for Howard University and this, in turn, was my study which I was required to do. So, my schedule was easier for me to manage and handle. 

 

At what point is the project in terms of festivals? Tell us a little about your experience in festivals and what you expect from festivals for this project.

The project is getting into a few film festivals and won a few awards. It still has a long way to go. 

 

Tell us the best moment and the worst experienced during the process of finishing the project.

The best moment was when we finally wrapped on the second day of shooting. We completed production in just two days and I was ready to edit the project. The worst moment was when I had to try to edit the audio which was a pain in my ass. 

 

Do you have any other project in mind? If so, can you tell us something?

I am working on a documentary about sex work and I should be releasing it this year where I try to normalize sex work and sex workers. I think sex work is important because it provides a certain level of entertainment value that people need to get off and everyone has kinks and festishes that need to be fulfilled, if not by their current partner, by someone who is able to properly do it. 

 

What do you expect from a film festival? Where do you think they should improve?

When it comes to film festivals, I think they are good for networking and they are great for possibly getting exposure for your films. They could improve on letting people know if they got in or not faster. 

 

Now we would like to know more about you.

 

How did you start in the cinema?

I started in cinema when I was doing home videos in the 2000s and 2010s with my family and then I went to school for it. 

 

How do you define yourself as a filmmaker? Your best virtue and your worst flaw?

I have said that if Tim Burton and Robert Zemeckis had a baby, that would be me. My best flaw is how I write characters. My worst flaw is that I sometimes rush the concept for my movies. 

 

What percentage do you dedicate to?

-Production/location:15%

-Work with actors: 15%

-Planning of the shots with the director of photography: 30%

-Art/costume: 5%

-Sound design: 20%

-Editing: 10%

-Soundtrack: 5%

 

Tell me three favorite movies

My three favorite movies are Gunga Din, Dinosaur, and Sweeney Todd. 

 

And directors?

Tim Burton, Steven Spielberg and Robert Zemeckis. 

 

For you, a good movie should have:

For me, a good movie should have emotional resonance and weight.