Filmmaker Jonterri Gadson (18 EVE)

18 EVE, 2min., USA
Directed by Jonterri Gadson
A mother motivates her son to werk.

https://www.instagram.com/jonterrig/

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film? My relationship with my son and a desire to see life beyond acceptance for an LGBTQIA+ family.

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film? I’ve had the idea for a full film version for several years, shooting a short proof of concept occurred to me in November and we shot it in mid-December of the same year.

3. How would you describe your film in two words!? Werk bish!

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film? Time. I didn’t get to shoot some scenes I really wanted to shoot but we still captured the true heart of the story in the edit.

5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video? I cried on the very first one. It felt good to have made an impact and to have been understood.

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films? I wrote my first feature-length screenplay in 2009 because filmmaking was something I’d always wanted to do, but I was headed into a two year MFA program in poetry. So I went to the library for four hours every day and wrote until my first screenplay was done. Just to prove to myself I could do it and I really wanted it. And also to have a sense that it was something I could come back to after I focused on something else.

7. What film have you seen the most in your life? The Five Heartbeats

8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career? Hands-on directing workshops would be nice.

9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site? It was super easy.

10. What is your favorite meal? A bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich with grits.

11. What is next for you? A new film? I’ll continue to be on strike with the Writers Guild until we get a fair contract.