A father struggles to come to terms with his son coming out.

Interview with Writer/Director/Producer Alana de Freitas

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

Often we see this story told from the perspective of the child coming out to their parents and how they deal with their parents' responses. I wanted to show this story from the other side, and I was particularly interested in the father/son dynamic. I'm obviously not anybody's son, but I see the relationship between my brother and my father, and I know my dad would struggle if my brother were to come out. And the point isn't to point the finger and say 'Ian is a bad guy who finds his way'. We are all on our own journey of learning and understanding, and some of us take longer to get there than others, and often that is purely because of the lack of experiences that force you to open your eyes. My dad came from a very religious family, and he is genuinely someone who loves all people, but he's really never had to deal with something like that in his personal life, and it would be a shock - and that's okay. Sometimes we aren't expecting things and they catch us off guard. We are all guilty of not having the perfect response to every situation. At the core of this is familial love, and my hope would be that people come away from this and remember that, whatever we are dealing with in our family dynamics, underneath it all is love, and we should always let that bring us back together.

Bryan McKinley (Bob) and Michael Yavnieli (Ian) in *Nancy*

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

I wrote Nancy because I wanted to explore a familiar concept from a not-so-familiar perspective. Our lead in Nancy is Ian; He is your quintessential ‘every-man’, so when Ian learns that his teenage son is gay, a prospect that had never even entered his mind, it sends him down a path of self-examination.

Ian is forced to question his own ingrained language and behaviours that he never realized could be harmful to his son. Ian deals with confusion, anger, denial, self-loathing and finally acceptance.

My aim with the film was to honor the emotions and to not sugar-coat the experience. Ian is not an outright homophobe or bigot; he is just not that woke. I also wanted to hold the mirror up to the audience, some of whom may also engage in casual prejudice, to show that we can all do better, and that learned behaviors can just as easily be unlearned.

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

We initially made the film to be part of a showcase so it was put together very quickly, over a matter of a few weeks. It really was a team effort to get it made in such a short span of time. It's a credit to everyone who worked on it, both cast and crew.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive so far. We keep hearing that is is a very honest, fresh take on the story, and we are thanked for that. And that's what warms my heart when people can watch it and relate to it and appreciate it.

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

I would love for as many people to watch Nancy as possible. If we can challenge some old ways of thinking and have people go home and think about the film and recognize some of their own behaviors in it, then hopefully we can start to make a change in the wat that people talk and think. Casual homophobia and prejudice is still a very real thing, and it's not always as overt as someone standing on the street with a sign. Sometimes it's our friends and family, or even ourselves!

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

We would love to see Nancy on a streaming service so that people all around the world can have access to it.

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

Can people put their prejudices aside?

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

I have a feature film, Before the Dawn which was just released on Amazon Prime. I have a #MeToo-themed documentary in development, as well as a horror feature.

Interview: November 2019

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

Nancy

A father struggles to come to terms with his son coming out.

Length: 15:38

Director: Alana de Freitas

Producer: Alana de Freitas & Matt McGee

Writer: Alana de Freitas

About the writer, director and producer:

Nancy was ALANA DE FREITAS' directorial debut. She currently has a #MeToo-themed documentary in development, along with a horror feature. She will be producing these under her production company, ADF Productions.

ALANA DE FREITAS made her writing debut in 2017 with a short called Indifelity. She followed this up with the dramatic feature Before the Dawn which she also produced. The film is now available on Amazon Prime

MATT MCGEE is an actor, writer and director from New Jersey. He has written and directed film and theatre including his debut feature I'm Not Here: or, The Dubious Physics of Holding Hands When You Don't Exist.

Key cast: Michael Yavnieli (Ian), Rahart Adams (Ryan), Cameron Meyer (Sandy), Bryan McKinley (Bob)

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

Facebook: Alana de Freitas

Twitter: @alanadefreitas

Instagram: @adfprods

Hashtags used: #nancy #shortfilm #supportindiefilm #lgbtq #adfproductions

Website: www.alanadefreitas.com

Funders: ADF Productions

Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? Sherman Oaks Film Festival - Thursday 21st November at 8:30pm - The Whitefire Theatre 13500 Ventura Blvd Sherman Oaks CA 91423