San Diego Black Film Festival - other
In the wake of tragedy and racial tension in Charlottesville, one black woman must find a way to navigate her life as the rest of the world seems unaffected.
Interview with Writer/Director Xavier Burgin
Watch Other here:
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
The idea for the film originally came from Vanessa Baden Kelly, the writer/lead actress in other. After watching the devastation in Charlottesville, and processing what it meant as a black woman, person, & mother to watch it, she felt it was necessary to convey her emotions through film.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
Black people tend to deal with racially charged tragedies and incidents in two ways. We have our genuine response and the response we have to convey to White America. We have to put on a facade to mask our true feelings towards the racism we see and face in America.
Audiences should watch this film for two reasons. For black & brown audiences, it's a validation of how we must respond to racial trauma. For white audiences, it's a glimpse into what their black counterparts (friends, family, co-workers) deal with they cannot understand and/or see.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
On a personal level, other is an examination of black woman's psyche. She processes this upsurge of white supremacist action through the lens of a mother worrying for her child, a black person struggling with America's embrace of racial antagonism, and her need to mask her opinions and feelings from white friends & acquaintances. On a universal level, our film asks why black people must bottle our emotions when dealing racism & how this pervades our lives.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
The film first started from Vanessa's experience and over the course of a week, she penned a script conveying her emotions. We shot our film in one day so I had to minimize takes and be very concise in how I interpreted and conveyed her story. This led to our film retaining a very brisk, but to the point portrayal, laden with Vanessa's experience and my penchant for layering conflict with comedic underpinnings. For other, Vanessa and I towed the line between telling an honest story and injecting our project with a sense of humor for a dark subject.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
It's been positive. The people who have seen it, have loved it. Since we're at the start of our festival run, we'll be receiving far more feedback as we move forward.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
It's affirmed it, so far. Black people understand this feeling of holding in their emotions on racial issues. So the film has resonated with them.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
What I want from the film is affirmation for black people dealing with how to navigate their feelings on racism in America. I'm very vocal on such topics, but not many black people are, or have the opportunity to do so, especially in fields where their job or opportunities can be jeopardized when they open up. I want to let these people know, we understand what you're going through.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
I absolutely want more film festival directors to see our film, appreciate its message, and allow it to be seen by broader audiences. That's #1.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I want this film to affirm and open up discussion. I want it to affirm black people who hide their feelings in times of racial strife and help non-black people to understand what we deal with when racism in America pervades our lives.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
For black people: Why do you feel it necessary to hide your voice on racial issues? For white people: What have you done to make a black person or POC feel safe and affirmed around you when racial incidents happen?
Would you like to add anything else?
If you love the film, then I recommend checking out Giants, a digital series created by James Bland. Season 2 is premiering on Issa Rae's Youtube Channel. Vanessa is a writer/actress on the series. I am one of the directors. Watch the series to learn about mental health issues, LGBQT issues, and millennial life experiences through the lens of its black cast and creators.
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
Season 2 of Giants is premiering an episode every week. You should watch. Vanessa works on the hit show, Ozark. Watching it supports her. My films On Time & Olde E are on the festival circuit and I'm also developing my first feature script.
Interview: March 2018
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We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTIAQ+, scifi, horror, world cinema. 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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other
In the wake of tragedy and racial tension in Charlottesville, one black woman must find a way to navigate her life as the rest of the world seems unaffected.
Director: Xavier Burgin
Executive Producers: Vanessa Baden Kelly, RJ Kelly
Producer: Christina Bachelor, James Bland
Xavier Burgin is writer/director of other. An HBO Finalist, Sundance Fellow, & USC Film School alumni, he has a following of 60,000+ on twitter as @XLNB.
Vanessa Baden Kelly is the writer, executive producer, and star of other. She is currently a showrunner's assistant on Ozark and a writer/actress on the digital series, Giants.
Key Cast:
Vanessa Baden Kelly
RJ Kelly
Mansa Wakili
Ryder Kelly
Carissa Kosta
Kaylee Bardin
Chris Hyancinthe
Edward Voccola
Jed Rapp Goldstein
Melissa Ugas
Social Media Handles: Xavier - @XLNB | Vanessa - @vdotkelly
For Other:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/othershortmovie/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/othershortmovie
IG: @othershortmovie
Funders: The Baden Family
Where can I watch it in the coming month?
Other will be playing at the San Diego Black Film Festival next.