Pan African Film Festival - Cut My Hair, Barber
Kwame, a fatherless young boy who dreams of having a loving dad, meets his long lost father, and discovers even a nightmare can have a happy ending.
Interview with Writer/Director Patrick James Thomas
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
Thank you! I chose this story because I wanted to borrow aspects of my life to tell a coming of age story. I wanted to show some of my struggles of a boy being raised by his single mother while growing up without a father in the house. He doesn't fully come of age because this is a short story. We see what direction he is headed in by the end of the film. It was a way for to share my feelings and experiences in a film.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
You should watch this film because a lot of young boys (and in my case an African American boy) are growing up without a father in the household. This film shows some the struggles some of us had growing up without a father figure in the house. I think it may also be true if you had a father in the household, but he wasn't there for you. People without that experience may be encouraged to reach out and mentor someone with or without this situation. I believe mentors and positive role models help us all.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
There is a spiritual theme that I used from my faith. At times it's under the radar but we do see it shaping the decisions that young Kwame makes. There is a father and son relationship throughout the story. If this was a longer film I would've went deeper into the mother and son theme.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
The script was longer than the actual film. We had some long and funny barbershop scenes but ultimately we had to cut it out to concentrate on our protagonist Kwame. Kwame's name made more since in longer versions as well, the days of the week were significant as story led up to his birthday. We also wanted to keep the story moving so we had to cut out other scenes as well. I think all of those choices are what filmmakers normally go through to get to a tight story. I mentioned my desire to have a mother and son theme, but due to story time constraints involved in a short film I couldn't explore that as well. That relationship is what initially shined the light on the father and son theme. That theme of mother and son will come up on another film in working on called 3 F Words.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
I have received some critical feedback which I understand and by no means a perfect story. The best feedback I have received is how the film made people feel. No matter the age, race or gender, people have come up to express how this film has touched them. They share their story about not having a father in their household. For some odd reason I didn't expect that to be the case. I love listening, shaking hands and hugging people who can can relate to the film. At every showing I am asked to do a longer version or a series based on Kwame and these characters. They want to follow Kwame's story more. If I could get funding I would definitely look into that. The idea was to have people invested and caring about Kwame so much that they are curious to what happens to him next.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
It actually surprised me that so many people could relate to this story so well. I knew many have grown up without a father in the household, but it still surprised me when people would come up to me sharing their personal stories.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
I'm looking to share this story as a means of keeping attention on the importance of having a father in the household. I'm looking to have people to understand that if you don't have a father in the household all is not lost, you can define who you will become regardless of that situation. We would also like to get distribution for Cut My Hair Barber and our prior film Chasing Refuge.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
I think it would be helpful for distributors to come on board to help the film's audience to grow. I think journalist can help bring awareness to the film as well. Actually any and all of the above would be great as that is the direction that we are headed into.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I think this film has received the reception I had hoped that I would receive and more. I would love for this film to empower those growing up without a parent in the household to achieve regardless of their situation. It will be hard but you can do it.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
How do we empower our young women and men to be positive role models? What are you doing? and in my case what am i doing? I have to be able to turn the mirror on myself.
Would you like to add anything else?
Yes. Another response that I didn't expect was from my mother. She read an interview that I did about the film and my struggles of not having my father in the house. She cried and said she didn't know I was having those struggles. She put the blame on herself. I told her no that it showed her strength in raising 3 boys and a girl by herself. I also told her that as I matured I wouldn't have had it any other way. This is why I tried to show the mother in the film as being a successful provider for their household. They were not struggling off of her single income, they had plenty of food and a nice home.
Please reach out to me if you are interested in supporting any of my other upcoming films. If not me, support an independent filmmaker that you like. It's importing to have many different voices telling their stories. I made the hashtag #riptheframe to mean tell your own stories. Rip that traditional frame in half so you will tell your stories and not just let other tell your story. That comes from my experience in editing film and we would year the ends of the film off for various reasons. It's a way of ripping through the story.
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
The producer Krystian Ramlogan, our producer is developing a documentary as well as a short and a feature script. We have a long history of collaborating and will do so in the future if we can find a way since I'm in Atlanta and he is in Trinidad.
The cinematographer Michael Wilson is always working as a gaffer and cinematographer. He has recently finished shooting a short film in Washington DC called "Runaways" with director Dewey Ortiz. He also just finished shooting "Maxine" with Penny Hollis. We are in pre-production for my short film "Apple Core" to be shot in Atlanta this spring.
My assistant director Torell Shavone is also a director and she is in the final stages of a film I helped her produce called "Where the Water Meets the Sand" She also has a another film that she helped to produce in the Pan African Film Festival called "Sinners Wanted"
I just began auditions last weekend for my film Apple Core. I will be shooting that this spring. I'm also traveling back in forth to Mississippi gathering interviews for a Docu-drama on the first black person to receive a doctorate degree in the state of Mississippi. The person is Walter Washington long time President of Alcorn State University title "3 F Words". I also have a film slated for year every year through 2023. I have to keep pushing down this road that I'm traveling. I'm excited to be on this long journey.
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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Cut My Hair, Barber
Kwame, a fatherless young boy who dreams of having a loving dad, meets his long lost father, and discovers even a nightmare can have a happy ending.
Length: 24 min
Director: Patrick James Thomas
Producer: Krystian Ramlogan
Writer: Krystian Ramlogan and Patrick James Thomas
About the writer, director and producer:
Writer/Producer: Krystian Ramlogan (Trinidadian Filmmaker)
He got his start in broadcast television, which provided him with a strong foundation in media production. Pursuing his passion for cinema, he won a scholarship to Howard University, where he studied film under the tutelage of Haile Gerima.
Writer/Director: Patrick James Thomas
As an artist, Patrick is interested in sharing stories that are personal, inspiring, and shaped by exploring culture, history, and faith. He studied film under the tutelage of Haile Gerima.
Key cast:
Evan Moses
A student, actor, and entrepreneur. He is in the 10th grade and is a member of the scholars program, Spanish Honors Societys, the JROTC program, and the tennis team.
Candice "CJ" Johnson
A multi-talented artist. The arts are not her only love and passion - they are her gift. With more than 20 years in the Beauty & Fashion industry and a desire to follow her dreams in TV & Film, Candice has built an acting resume
Michael Patterson
Continues to excel while at the same time remaining a student of the art of acting. "I love to story tell." he says "It's really important to me."
Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists): If I am answering this correctly we are looking for all of the above. Especially distributors, sales agents and buyers. Journalists, film festival directors and producers are also crucial to our journey.
Social media handles:
Facebook: Patrick James Thomas and Cut My Hair, Barber.
Instagram: patrickjamesthomas, cutmyhairbarbermovie, and claudeparkfilms
Other:
Funders: Myself, Christina Thomas, Jerry Thomas, and family and friends. The black community in DC really helped with locations and support for this film. They helped to keep the cost of production down making it easier on the amount of funding we needed, so shout out to M&S Barbershop, Twist it Sista, Candice Johnson, and SEED Charter School of DC. *Side note I call my films "Stews" because of the rich community of people involved in making the film possible. I feel like I'm just the guy adding these ingredients and flavors of people together an stirring them with my spoon.
Made in association with: Multidiasopic and Claude Park Films
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month?
We are nearing the end of our festival run but we have submissions that are pending in the LA Film Festival, Atlanta Film Festival, Langston Hughes Film Festival, Capital City Film Festival in Lansing Michigan (My hometown) amongst a few more. The plan is to get distribution for the film.