Pan African Film Festival 2020 – Headlines
Three black journalists try to expose the defendant of a high-profile, racially motivated shooting case landing themselves in a criminal, public relations nightmare, forcing them to choose between their morals or their lives.
Interview with Director,/Producer Charles Lee Wilson
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
The writers Cam’ron Moore, Michael Bhim, and I love telling stories about social issues with a different outcome, one that we often don’t hear. When we began our search for a story to tell, we remembered Trevon Martin and Michael Brown, imagined if their story had ended differently, or had someone like a vigilante to fight for them. We were so tired of watching films where the person of color struggles the whole movie and loses in the end. In our film, we left the ending open for the audience to decide, if the characters loss or won in the end.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
You should watch our film, because it tells a different story of social justice, and what is sometimes sacrificed by obtaining it.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
With themes of personal struggle, justice for humanity, karma, and revenge our film can be relatable to anyone regardless of cultural differences. Our three main characters are all from completely different walks of life, but end up going through the same internal struggles at different times throughout the film. Each character struggles with personal moral decisions vs justice, the dark feeling of revenge, and their humanity.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
Developing a film with 3 creatives has its advantages, but also many challenges. During the outline stage, our story went through countless changes, until we found one that we were comfortable to tell. The climax was the hardest part. Figuring out the logistics behind the reason our characters are searching for the protagonist, then how will they get themselves out of this crazy situation.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
We have received tons of feedback and responses to the film. We originally imagined Headlines as a television series, so most of the responses from the audience are that they want to see more. The ending of the film will definitely leave you questioning how the characters' choices affected them after our story ended.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
We were definitely surprised that people were so invested in the characters, and they could already see it as a television series. We never really told anyone it was originally supposed to be a series.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
We are looking to reach a new audience and industry professional that might not have known about our film.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
We would like for producers, distributors, buyer, and producer to come on board to help us expand our film over a series of episodes or a feature-length film.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I would like for this film to bring attention to how social injustices affect a community as a whole.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
The one question that we want the audience to ask when they watch our film is, do they think the characters' decision was justified, or did they completely lose sight of their morals?
Would you like to add anything else?
We want to thank everyone who supported this film, and to the cast and crew for believing in the story and agreeing to be a part of the team. We couldn’t have done this without you all.
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
We are developing a series version of Headlines that you can hopefully see real soon.
Interview: February 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
Headlines
Three black journalists try to expose the defendant of a high-profile, racially motivated shooting case landing themselves in a criminal, public relations nightmare, forcing them to choose between their morals or their lives.
Length: 13:15
Director: Charles Lee Wilson
Producer: Charles Lee Wilson
Writer: Cam'ron Moore & Michael Bhim
About the writer, director and producer:
A filmmaker from Atlanta, CHARLES WILSON began his career after graduating from SCAD film school. Headlines is the 3rd short film he has directed, along with promo commercials for the CW television series All American, and additional photography for the Fox series Rosewood. His previous short film, Grit which focuses on a brother resorting to rogue tactics in order to save his sister who is spiraling down a deadly path, premiered at the DTLA film festival in 2018, winning awards at several other festivals.
CAM'RON MOORE is a San Francisco Bay Area native. He attended North Carolina A&T State University where he received his Bachelor's degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. Post-college, Cam'ron taught fifth grade in Atlanta, Georgia for two years before returning to California to pursue entertainment. He is currently a Staff Writer on the CW show All American.
MICHAEL BHIM is an award-winning playwright and screenwriter. His first play, Distant Violence, produced at the Tricycle Theatre, was nominated for the Meyer Whitworth Award. He is also a winner of the Alfred Fagon Award. He has had productions at the Soho Theatre, Royal Court Theatre, and Almeida Theatre, and has worked internationally with the National Theatre Studio in Europe and in the Caribbean, and in Africa with various arts organisations. As well as writing for the stage, Michael was a writer in residence at BBC Radio where his radio play Look Closer was produced. His short film Above, which he also co-directed, premiered at the London Film Festival 2015. When not writing Michael also guest lectures in writing, and works extensively with inmates at Brixton prison, with a keen interest in focusing on marginalized voices.
Key cast: DeRon Horton (Drew Murray), Jay Reeves (Amir Thomas), Bernard David Jones (Gaveron Hughes)
Looking for: producers, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, sales agents
Facebook: Charles Lee Wilson
Twitter: @KingCharles_Vth
Instagram: @kingcharlesvth
Hashtags used: #HeadlinesFilm
Other: IMDb
Funder: Gofundme