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What compelled you to make this piece? How does this work address issues that are important to you or close to your heart?
Based on the truthful tales of my father, the belief that there was more to this story than what met my ear is what compelled me to make this film -- discovering what happens when the ear meets the eye. It addresses issues of race, culture, and family -- all of which are important explorations for me as a filmmaker.
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| From AROUND THE TIME. |
How does living in the New York metropolitan area affect your work?
Living in New York City affects my work through the constant stimulus and story opportunities provided by day to day life here. That's both its blessing and its curse, though. Trying to write one flight up from a busy Amsterdam Avenue street corner can be challenging at times; particularly when I'm trying to transport my characters to a place without traffic, sirens, and con artists.
In including your work in REEL NEW YORK, do you think your piece in any way pushes the medium of television, or the viewing audiences' expectations of that medium?
I think REEL NEW YORK is bold by including AROUND THE TIME in the program schedule. The socially challenging nature of the film's content and somewhat graphic portrayal of love and loss certainly pushes the traditional TV envelope.
What about access to the tools of production and post-production?
Now that I'm no longer a film student, access to production materials ain't no walk in the park!
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| From AROUND THE TIME. |
Why did you become a film/video artist/maker?
I became a film maker because I needed to find a way to shut my big mouth without quieting my voice.
Do you feel the New York independent film/video community has changed in recent years? Do you find support living and working in such a large community of artists?
I've only recently become a part of the NYC independent film community (within the last three years) so I can't comment on how it has changed. I can compare it to others I've been a part of and tell you that while it is more challenging in some ways because there are more people doing it here, it is more gratifying because the competition forces a higher standard of production, giving the work a certain legitimacy it wouldn't have anywhere else. I found being in NYC has brought my work to a level it would not have reached in a more complacent environment.
Do you have any interesting behind-the-scenes stories about the making of this particular work?
Of the many interesting behind-the-scenes stories about making this film, I think finding my lead actress at the mailboxes in my building and ultimately finding the woman she portrayed -- my birth mother -- because of this film, is the most fascinating.
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