TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS, 16min., Drama/Animation
Directed by Nathan Morse
Former foster care youth Darroll Reed is asked by his mentor Ted to return to Journey House, a group home for teenage boys, and help locate a runaway at-risk youth.

https://www.instagram.com/TRIALSandTRIBULATIONSmovie

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?
I met the writer, Dameon D. Pichetrungsi, through a mutual friend. He had written a feature legnth script of Trials and Tribulations and asked if I would be interested in directing it. I was really taken with the characters and the morals presented in the story, most of which were inspired by Dameon's own history of being a former foster youth. Journey House is a real place that Dameon lived in for a time and later returned to to help guide other boys put in a similar situation to his own. We developed the script to include the "animated" looking flashbacks to give the film a visual variance and the challenge to bring that to life interested me. I was really drawn to the emotional arcs the story presented and the tuthfulness of the subject matter presented by people that lived that life.

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
After trying to get interest in making a feature legnth version of the story I decided that making a short film version might help encourage investors to see our vision. It was a very long road to getting the short film finished. Most of the hurdles were experienced in post. Financing is key but if you don't have the money then you need to have the time. So we eventually found the right people to help finish the film and gave them the time to finish the project the right way.

3. How would you describe your film in two words!?
Truthful, Hopeful

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
All film making is hard. Perceverence is key.

5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?
Encouraging. After all the trials and tribulations the film went through to get made it is nice the have people actually view the fruits of your labours.
6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?
I'm not sure when that was excatly, but when I was a youth I liked to make animated flipbooks and draw comicbook stories. I would record stoies I made up with my sister on a cassette tape recorder and at some point my father brought home a video recorder that I would film my friends and I doing silly things.

7. What film have you seen the most in your life?
As a kid you tend to watch things over and over so probably something like The Wild Bunch or Big Touble in Little China or The Goonies.

8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career?
I think the feedback you give is very encouraging. Meeting people at festivals is very helpful and making connections with other creatives what gets the artistic synapses firing.

9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?
FilmFreeway is very easy to navigate and led me to find your festival to submit to.

10. What is your favorite meal?
Anything home cooked.

11. What is next for you? A new film?
Developing new stories, learning new tools, helping friends complete their own movies, and seeing whats next for Trials and Tribulations.