A short film telling the story of one artist's journey from the external to the internal, and what she learned in the process.

Interview with Writer/Director/Editor/Actor Aleah Chapin

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

Thank you! This whole journey has been amazing and unexpected. I'm primarily a painter, and in 2020, my work went through a really big shift from external inspiration to internal. I made this film because I wanted to share that story.

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

A lot of difficult things happened during the COVID days, and this film tells the story of some good that came from that time. I think we can all hear more stories like this.

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

This film is extremely personal. It tells the story of how my work as a painter shifted from the external world to the internal. But this shift inward during challenging times is something I think we can all relate to.

Walking Backwards - The artist and her work

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

The idea for the film, the words, and the images, dropped into my consciousness quickly, and the filming and editing happened that way as well. I made the film to share with my art community, and never could have imagined that it would play in festivals such as Cinequest and reach audiences way beyond my own.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

It has been the greatest honor to hear how this film has inspired others to reach inward and find the light that only shines in the dark.

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

I have been surprised that so many people have gone through similar experiences with their own art, and how so many could relate to my experience of needing to go inward to find what is true.

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

I'm just riding the wave of this film and so excited to be able to share it with more people. I want to connect with people in real ways about real things. Thank you for making a platform for my story, because I know it is not just my own.

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 love to continue sharing this film in any way. Anyone is welcome to reach out to us.

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

I want this film to reach into people and help light their own sparks of creativity.

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

What is inside of you that you have been longing to bring out?

Would you like to add anything else?

Just a sincere THANK YOU for paying attention.

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

I (Aleah Chapin) have a solo show of paintings opening in NYC with Flowers Projects (www.flowersgallery.com) in September. Chris Rodriguez and Aleah Chapin are in pre-production on another short documentary about the artist Deborah Koff-Chapin and her 50 years of Touch Drawing.

Interview: August 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

Walking Backwards

A short film telling the story of one artist's journey from the external to the internal, and what she learned in the process.

Length: 4:00

Director: Aleah Chapin and Chris Rodriguez

Producer: Chris Rodriguez

Writer: Aleah Chapin

About the writer, director and producer:

Husband and wife team, ALEAH CHAPIN and CHRIS RODRIGUEZ directed this film together.

ALEAH CHAPIN is primarily a painter, and sometimes filmmaker, who has exhibited throughout the world for over a decade, winning the Promising Young Artist Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 2016. She wrote and created this film to share the story of a shift in her work that happened early in 2020.

CHRIS RODRIGUEZ is an award-winning writer, director, cinematographer, and producer of film and music. His first short film, Early Learnings, qualified for the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short in 2015. Chris's original feature screenplay, After Winter Must Come Spring, placed in the top 10% in the 2021 Academy Nicholl Screenwriting Fellowship and advanced to the second round in the 2018 Sundance Lab.

Together they won the Seattle Filmmakers Award for their film Walking Backwards in 2022.

Key cast: Aleah Chapin, playing self

Looking for: journalists, Distributors

Instagram: @aleah_chapin

Hashtags used: #walkingbackwards #aleahchapin

Website: www.aleahchapin.com/film

Other: IMDb, Vimeo

Made in association with: SEQUENCE 8 CREATIVE

Funders: Self-funded

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

Cinequest Film Festival/San Jose, California - August 27th and 29th