Interview With The Filmmaker

Where are you originally from?

I’m a little from all over which is part of the reason this film really spoke to me. I was born and partly raised in the San Francisco Bay area which was a very diverse environment. I later moved to Boulder Colorado which was quite different in terms of diversity which gave me a different perspective on the way people thought and interacted with one another.

What is your career history?

I was primarily an actor since childhood essentially growing up in the entertainment industry in theater and on camera. In my late 20s, I realized I really loved being behind the camera and had the opportunity to work with disabled actors in Los Angeles which was my first foray into the documentary world. From there I got involved with the Special Olympic World Games in Los Angeles in 2015. This experience just really taught me how much more excited I was to learn stories and share stories about real people and the struggles and triumphs they were going through that I decided to become a documentary filmmaker.

What inspired you to get involved in this project?

By time pandemic took hold, after 4 years of experiencing our past president and everything he stood for and seeing the division in this country that seemed to be growing more and more, it made me want to do everything I could to find out how people really felt about what was happening in different areas of our nation. In the beginning of the pandemic, I spent most of my time scouring through articles trying to figure out things for myself that I didn’t understand and wanted to find answers. For example, I’ve worked with the disability community for a long time, but I didn’t know if my friends with Down Syndrome could legally vote on their own. These were questions that I had to ask, and this led me to the path of finding other people that I could ask the same questions and developing a project around it.

How did you find your interviewees?

I’m a shy person in general but when it comes to being interested in people, I’ve become very good at reaching out. Dr. Brenda Williams I had heard on an NPR clip and saw her in another voting film of 2016. I was very intrigued as to why is she doing this? what is she doing this for? It seems so remarkable that this was a woman who was spending all her energy, time, and financial resources to ensure her lower income community members have access to voting rights, so I messaged her on Twitter. People that truly care so much take any opportunity to shed light on they will open their doors to you with open arms.

What did you think was the biggest hurdle that disenfranchised voters faced?

The biggest hurdle we face as Americans is our ignorance about people who are disenfranchised to vote. Those who have an easy time being able to vote have no idea how much communities have had to fight for that simple right and are still fighting.

What was the biggest lesson you learned through this project?

I learned that I don’t believe that either side has a bad motive. What I saw on both political spectrums was people that were working very hard for causes that they truly believe. I think we all need to somehow find some middle ground so we can work together to make positive change.

How will you continue to get involved in the voting process?

I still want to continue to film. One of my dreams is to film in Navajo Nation in Arizona. They are a very important voice because they are one of the reasons the Arizona majority flipped for Biden and also replaced senate seats.

How can other people get involved in the voting process?

The most important thing you can do is show up to the polls to vote but know it’s not just about your vote but everyone else’s vote too. It doesn’t matter if you are a Republican or Democrat, it’s not just about one person it’s about everybody.