When a crisis suddenly engulfs an elementary school campus, Ms. Leena, a determined art teacher, tries everything she can to save her frightened class.

Interview with Writer/Director/Producer Emil Gallardo

Watch 1, 2, 3, All Eyes On Me on Prime Video, HBO and hulu

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

Thank you! We made this film because we wanted to do more to help end mass shootings, especially at schools. While mass shootings are highly publicized, they’ve become so common that some people have started to become numb to them and they get summarized as a tally of the number of dead and wounded. To counter that, we created this film to help people develop a deeper emotional understanding of what it’s like to be in a situation like this.

While there are other movies on this subject, none are told from the perspective or in the way this film is so I felt compelled to make it. I hope the empathy 1, 2, 3, All Eyes On Me creates will lead to more people taking action to stop future incidents like these from happening.

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?

This movie is an intense, intimate story about a teacher and her class in the middle of a crisis. It’s a gripping drama that will hopefully make an impact on you. You should watch it if that’s what you want to watch right now. I also understand we’re in the midst of a global pandemic and get if watching a crisis is not what you want to watch at the moment.

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

The universal and personal theme of our film is resilience. How much can we take as a society before we break and something changes? That same theme is personified by Ms. Leena, the teacher and protagonist of our film. Her character takes that abstract concept and makes it very real and very personal and Farelle Walker, the actress who plays Ms. Leena did a phenomenal job portraying that.

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?

The story as a whole evolved a lot from the time we came up with the concept through the end of post-production. While writing it, I interviewed a few teachers, one of which had been in an active shooter situation. The perspective I got from the teachers was tremendously informative in shaping the story we ended up with. The story also naturally evolves as the cast is selected, we rehearse, and locations and crew members are confirmed. All of those moments are opportunities to refine the story.

I’m always looking for ways to make the story better. Sometimes it’s an actor improvising a line that’s better than what we’ve written or a location gets confirmed and it differs from what we imagined and we’ll re-work the story to fit the actual space we’re going to be filming in. Regardless of what it is, each new piece is a chance to improve the story.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

The feedback we’ve gotten so far has been tremendously positive and validating. Beyond the recognition from festivals and other filmmakers, some of the feedback that’s been the most impactful has come from teachers. They’ve expressed how much the movie has meant to them and how the work they do and the sacrifices they’re asked to make has been acknowledged.

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

Honestly, I expected the film to be more controversial than it has been so far. Somehow mass shootings have become political and some people see efforts to stop them as an attack on their right to own guns. I expected more pushback from people that feel that way but thankfully, that hasn’t been the case so far.

What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?

For this film to cause the type of change we’re aiming for, it needs to reach as large of an audience as possible and being given the opportunity to talk about it is needed and greatly appreciated.

Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?

All of the above. I’d also love to hear from anyone that just really connects with the film.

What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?

I’ll be blunt. I hope by the end of the film, people feel that these situations are completely unacceptable. And regardless of someone’s stance on gun rights, the highest priority is protecting our children and other innocent people caught in these situations.

What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?

A key question people can ask themselves and one another after watching 1, 2, 3, All Eyes On Me is simply - “What can I do to help stop this from happening again?” If at the end of the film you have been moved by what you’ve seen, ask yourself how you can make sure it doesn’t continue.

Would you like to add anything else?

First, thank you again for giving me the opportunity to speak about this movie. Second, thanks to everyone that took the time to read this. Feel free to reach out to me with any comments or questions.

What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?

We are all working on projects at the moment. Farelle Walker, our lead actress, just released her film, Small Talk. My-Hanh Lac, our co-producer is currently developing Aye, Boy, the feature after finishing her proof of concept by the same name. Derek Ho and I just finished the screenplay for a new short, tentatively titled, The Goat, and are developing a feature. Anyone that wants to keep up with what we’re doing can check waterlightfilms.com for the latest. Thanks!

Interview: May 2020

We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, 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

1, 2, 3, All Eyes On Me

When a crisis suddenly engulfs an elementary school campus, Ms. Leena, a determined art teacher, tries everything she can to save her frightened class.

Length: 15:00

Director: Emil Gallardo

Producer: Emil Gallardo

Writer: Emil Gallardo

About the writer, director and producer:

EMIL GALLARDO is a writer/director born and raised in LA. It was there that he started his career in the Production department before leaving to make films of his own in Oakland. Emil’s films typically deal with difficult topics and are motivated by building empathy for the characters and the worlds they live in. His latest movie, 1, 2, 3, All Eyes On Me is no exception.

Key cast: Farelle Walker, Blanca Ordaz, Armand Munoz

Looking for: sales agents, journalists, distributors, film festival directors, producers, buyers

Twitter: @emilgallardo80

Instagram: @waterlightfilms

Hashtags used: #123alleyesonme #waterlightfilms

Website: www.waterlightfilms.com

Other: Vimeo

Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? LA Latino International Film Festival / online at https://latinofilm.org - 5/17/20