Bluestocking Film Series - Charlotte
Alex, excited to have befriended the popular girl at school, will do anything to stay in her good graces. When her new friend wants to play house, Alex innocently plays along and develops feelings she doesn’t understand.
Interview with Writer/Director Angel Kristi Williams
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Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
I wanted to explore the complexity of adolescence and what attraction feels like before you understand what it is.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
This is a film that I hope will make audience members remember what it felt like to be 13.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
Whenever I tell a personal story about love, loss, or whatever - I find that the story is universal for a lot of people. We're all human and we relate a lot more than we're sometimes willing to admit.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development and production?
The script was written a couple years before it was made but I had the film in my head before writing the script. The film is pretty close to the original script.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
Most of the feedback for the film has been positive and the negative usually stems from people feeling uncomfortable. In 2016 these types of stories still make some people very uncomfortable.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
The feedback has definitely challenged me to be more courageous in the vulnerability of my storytelling. I didn't expect the film to receive the type of recognition and response it's gotten thus far. It was just what I wanted to make.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
I hope this helps the film reach a bigger audience.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
Sales agents, buyers, film festivals and journalists!
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
The most rewarding thing that's happened after a screening is having a grandmother come up to me and say that her teenage granddaughter recently came out to her family and her parents were not very happy about it. She asked if she could share the film with the family because it really gave her the ability to be in her granddaughter's shoes.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
What do you think the character Alex feels at the end of the film?
What are the key creatives developing or working on now?
I'm collaborating with a screenwriter on a script that will be my feature directorial debut. It's a love story set in Washington DC about a Black painter.
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We are moving stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series and music video. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
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CHARLOTTE
USA | Color | 11:00 minutes
Written & Directed by
ANGEL KRISTI WILLIAMS
Producer
MEL JONES
Starring
BRIANNA CORMIER
ZAYDEN BATES
DENISE BOUTTE
Director of Photography
MICHELLE LAWLER
Editor
JASON ROBERT BECKER
About Angel Kristi Williams
Originally from Baltimore Maryland, Angel received her BA in Visual Art (Photography & Film) from University of Maryland, Baltimore County. After graduation she worked in television for Discovery Communications before being awarded the Lumiere Scholarship to attend Columbia College Chicago as an MFA candidate in Cinema Directing.
Her short film The Christmas Tree has screened at numerous festivals both domestically and internationally and garnered the attention of Participant Media, a production company committed to social responsibility through film. Her most recent project “Charlotte”, won the Jury Award for Best Short Film - Pink Peach category at its Atlanta Film Festival premiere.
Williams is a former Film Independent Project Involve Directing Fellow, winner of the Sony Pictures Diversity Fellowship and recently named one of ten Black directors to watch by Paste Magazine.