Akin to a visual journal entry, Things Long Left Unsaid is a short personal documentary about the sudden loss of the filmmaker's father and her coming to terms with all of the things the two never talked about, including the difficulty of existing as a Black family in her predominantly white suburban hometown.

Interview with Director/Producer/Editor Antonia Thornton

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

Even after moving away at the age of 18 and living in NYC for the next ten years, I’m still struggling to reckon with growing up in Spokane - a town of just 200,000 people, 85% being white and 2% being Black.

So, I returned to Spokane to focus my camera on the family to try to break through our coping mechanisms and discuss the unmentioned difficulty of growing up Black in our predominantly white suburban town. But when I returned, my dad suddenly passed away and I realized that there were more things we never discussed as a family than our solitary suffering from racial differences.

This film is my effort to work through my grief and mull over all of the things I never talked about with my dad, all of the facets about him I’ll never understand or truly know. Things Long Left Unsaid serves as an honest love letter to this boisterous, complicated man.

Things Long Left Unsaid - Antonia contemplates in the bathtub.

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

The film includes very universal themes like grief, guilt and racism shown through my specific point of view. While the film concentrates on these heavy themes, I tried to instill humor all throughout to reflect how my family truly made it through those tough times.

I feel that many viewers can relate to my treatment of the film, which is somewhat like a home movie that's comprised of current and archival footage.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

I've found that others really relate to the film whether or not they happen to be a Black woman from a small town. Relationships within our families have their ups and downs, so that aspect of Things Long Left Unsaid in particular is an evergreen topic.

My family has been to most of my screenings thus far and I find that their reactions to the feedback and responses are the most rewarding. I'm not sure they understood what I was doing while filming them for months, but they are fully aware now. Lol

Things Long Left Unsaid - Pammy/Mom does Necia's/Sister's hair while Antonia films.

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

When I created this film, I was making it mostly for my own personal catharsis and to also encourage my mom and sisters to openly discuss our grief. Because of this, I have often been surprised by how much others relate to the film. It's such a personal project that I was honestly unsure if anyone else would even want to watch the film, so I have been pleasantly surprised at my screenings. lol

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

I would love for those in the Memphis area to check out my screening at Indie Memphis and those in the NYC area to check out the upcoming screening at Urbanworld.

Things Long Left Unsaid - Archival footage of Antonia's sisters gazing into the camera.

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

I'm hoping to add more festival screenings in 2024, so it would be great to have more festival programmers on board!

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

I originally created the film to work through my own grief and guilt. Being able to screen the film has allowed my family to more easily talk about the things we often swept under the rug. So I've achieved two of my main goals.

Now I would like the film to inspire others to really work through what may be bothering them at present or what has been gnawing at them for years!

Things Long Left Unsaid - Antonia and Pammy/Mom look down on her father's gravestone.

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

My film's aim was to start a conversation amongst my family about grief and our past but that could apply to other families who may not be able to directly address certain topics. The question that sort of spurred my creation of this project was, "If I had known my dad's life would be cut short, what would I have liked to say to him?" I don't think that sort of thinking needs to occur on someone's deathbed. We never know how long we have with someone, so we should take every opportunity we can.

Would you like to add anything else?

Thank you!!

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

As a big lover of horror movies, my most pressing goal is to finish writing a feature script in the genre.

Interview: October 2023

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

Things Long Left Unsaid

Length: 21:02

Director: Antonia Thornton

Producer: Antonia Thornton

Writer: Antonia Thornton

About the writer, director and producer:

ANTONIA THORNTON is a documentary filmmaker who earned an MFA in documentary producing and directing from UCLA’s School of Theater, Film & Television. During her time at UCLA, Antonia often focused her lens on women of color to explore the human costs of larger systemic issues. For these stories, she garnered awards like the Nikon Storytellers Scholarship, the Edie and Lew Wasserman Thesis Award and the MPAA Award. Her most recent film, Things Long Left Unsaid, was chosen to screen as part of the Director’s Spotlight at the UCLA TFT Film Festival 2022 and won Best Short Documentary at the 2023 Local Sightings Film Festival. She joined Firelight Media as an Artist Programs Coordinator in 2022, focusing her work on their flagship Documentary Lab fellowship.

Instagram: @antonia_empty

Where can I watch it next and in the coming month?

Oct. 26; Indie Memphis Film Festival/Memphis, TN
Nov. 3: Urbanworld Film Festival/New York, NY