MEET THE FILMMAKERS
Perdita
Brian "Ashton" Burnette
Freshman
Major: Film and Media Productions Minor: Film Studies
What got you interested in film?
In 2020, I watched the film 'Marriage Story' (2019), directed by Noah Baumbach, and I fell in love with the medium. Since then I have been obsessed with films and have had the dream of making my own one day. I want to use the art of films to inspire other people to grow.
What inspired you to make your film?
I drew a lot from my own experience back in high school. Some other films that we took inspiration from when creating the actual script were the show 'Normal People' and the film 'Aftersun'.
What are your plans after graduation?
I plan to move to New York City to continue to make and submit my films to film festivals and find my way into the industry however I can.
Perdita
Abby Grack
Junior
Major: Communication Studies and Film Studies
What got you interested in film?
After graduation, I plan on continuing to make films with my friends. I also would like to continue exploring screenwriting and acting in my future endeavors.
What inspired you to make your film?
'Perdita' was inspired by many of Ashton and I's favorite films. We wanted to make something as an ode to those films.
What are your plans after graduation?
After graduation, I plan on continuing to make films with my friends. I also would like to continue exploring screenwriting and acting in my future endeavors.
Curing Caroline
Rebekah Elise Ivy
Freshman
Major: Elementary Education
What got you interested in film?
My music taste has primarily comprised of film scores and original movie soundtracks - which obviously developed into a fascination with film as a whole and how music tells stories alongside visuals. In my senior year of high school, I had a group project in which we reenacted, filmed, and edited an amateur episode comprised of scenes from Macbeth, and it was the most fun I had ever had, working on a project before. So in college, my best friend and I decided to enroll in a film class, to see what it was like, and get the experience.
What inspired you to make your film?
Professor Rodney Stringfellow who teaches my film class assigned us a documentary project. Having recently celebrated my brother & sister-in-law's wedding, as well as my sister-in-law's cancer-free results, I knew she would be the perfect subject for that project, knowing how long of a process that had been for her to overcome.
What are your plans after graduation?As I plan on becoming a teacher, I definitely want to incorporate film into my curriculum. Whether it be creating supplemental videos that students can use from home--as our world becomes increasingly online--or simply to make short films highlighting the growth of students over time as a gift to them and their parents. Pursuing film professionally would be a dream, ideally, but I know it can still be used in many different ways to make a difference, so I'd still like to try.
Blind Date, The Printmaker
Sydney Carmer
Senior
Majors: Art, double concentration in Digital Media and Illustration
Minors: in Psychology and Art History
What got you interested in film?
I have been interested in film since I was a kid. When I was growing up, my family would go to the movie theater pretty regularly, which I have lots of fond memories of. The car ride home would be full of passionate critique about the cinematography, plot, acting, you name it. I also used to make a lot of home videos with my neighborhood friends and made plenty of cringe-worthy parody music videos for school assignments over the years, which gave me a lot of early experience in production and editing.
What inspired you to make your film?
I made The Printmaker for a documentary assignment in my Film and Media Production class. I was inspired by one of my favorite professors in the College of Arts + Architecture, Anna Kenar, and her experience as an artist. She has an amazing ability to connect with her students on a deeply meaningful level, so I knew we could have a really thoughtful conversation about both her teachings and her work.
Blind Date was made for my Senior Thesis project in Digital Media. It is an animation that I have been working on for the past year as a culmination of my time in UNCC's art program, and is also on view in Rowe galleries now until April 29th. I was inspired by my niche love for cryptids and all things spooky/supernatural, merging those iconic characters with my own playful sense of humor.
What are your plans after graduation?
After graduation, I am hoping to find a job in digital media. I'm especially interested in video editing/post-production and hope to incorporate that with my experience as a 2D animator. I also have aspirations of going to graduate school to continue my study of digital media and film.
Transformers: Horrors Beyond Machine
Thong Nguyen-Vu
Junior
Major: Interdisciplinary Studies: Film and Media Production Concentration
Minor: International Studies
What got you interested in film?
Growing up watching movies and particularly gaining an interest in stop motion animation. I have been animating for years using action figures.
What inspired you to make your film?
Considering animal Transformers are a relatively new niche in the Transformers franchise, I wanted to showcase a short tale about how a "regular" Transformer would react to seeing an animal Transformer. This was heavily influenced by the Beast Wars 90s cartoon.
What are your plans after graduation?
I plan to continue making stop-motion animations and hope to make a step toward live action filmmaking in the Charlotte area.
Whisper
Jett Benjamin Graham
Senior
Major: Communications & Film Studies
What got you interested in film?
I've been writing stories since I was a child and grew up wanting to become a comic book writer. As I got older I felt like it was unrealistic and tried to pursue the STEM field, but always found myself obsessing over films and continuing to write short stories. My dad shared my passion for films and many of my cherished memories include watching old movies with my dad. I knew that whatever it was that I was going to do with my life, it needed to be creative, and I decided to pursue my passion for film to the exclusion of all else.
What inspired you to make your film?
Thrillers have always been my favorite genre and after (many) get-togethers at my house, we had an abundance of pizza boxes stacked high in the garage. The ominous lighting in the garage and the ceiling-high stack of grease-stained cardboard gave me the idea for a grungy torture scene. I obsessed with the concept for months without being able to come up with a good story to fit it into and after a couple of weeks of banging my head against the wall, I realized that sound design was the missing piece of the puzzle and wrote around that.
What are your plans after graduation?
I plan to complete a feature-length script that has been a passion project of mine for some time now. Once completed, I plan on moving to NY or LA to pursue writing, acting, and directing.
Cold Cuts
Ryan Epp
Junior
Major: Theatre and Film Studies
What got you interested in film?
Growing up watching a lot of movies, I loved how complicated they were. Through all the complication, they could make you feel all of these intense emotions that made you attached to what you were watching. The suspension of disbelief is such an abstract effect and I want to break people out of their comfort zone while enchanting their view of the world. It also showcases radically different ideas of how people live lifes outside of our own which we can reflect on for various values of society.
What inspired you to make your film?
The biggest inspiration for my film is my relationship with my brother. We love each other to death but there are definitely instances where we don't listen to each other when deep down we know what's best for each other. It's hard to accept that but when you've been living with them for so long you see the aspects of themselves that they don't want to see.
What are your plans after graduation?After graduation, I plan on being a part of the entertainment industry; in front or behind the camera. I am focusing on Performance in theatre so I would like to act more but I also enjoy the intricacies of lighting and directing movies. I want to produce a feature length film by the time I am 25 years old.
White Noise
Nuwuan Sabella
Junior
Majors: Communications, Film
What got you interested in film?
My 11th grade film analysis class. I bought a camera and picked up photography and film. I love how film can tell a realistic and emotional story while still altering reality and being entertaining. Film is a beautiful art form and I love collaborating to create a moving work.
What inspired you to make your film?
Angst. Anxiety. Alienation. Apathy.
What are your plans after graduation?I'd like to work on real sets as well as creating my own short films in the meantime. I'm still torn between whether I want to be a cinematographer or a writer/director. Both are intriguing and creatively fulfilling roles to me.
Crossroads
Luis Rivera
Sophomore
Majors: Criminal Justice and Communication Studies
What got you interested in film?
When I was little, I would watch films and repeat the lines to learn their pronunciation. This is how I became fluent in English while I grew up in Puerto Rico. Since then, films have inspired me. A good example is Rocky's conversation with his son in Rocky Balboa. "It 'ain't about how hard you're hit; it's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward – how much you can take and keep moving forward! That's how winning is done!"
What inspired you to make your film?
I wanted to step out of my comfort zone, and horror is a genre I've never truly explored. However, the main idea behind the film came from my interest in Robert Johnson. An artist in the 40's who became an artist after making a deal with a demon at a crossroads.
What are your plans after graduation?
I am hoping to become a producer/writer. Through some connections I've been able to build, I'm hopeful that Ill be able to join the industry someday.
411, Turnpike
Jackson Wells
Sophomore
Major: Photography
Minor: Film Studies
What got you interested in film?
I've always been into creating. It just took me until around 2017 or so to realize film was the medium I wanted to create in. Its what inspired me the most.
What inspired you to make your film?
411: This was a film for the Film Clubs 49 hour festival. So truthfully I didn't have much inspiration, we just went out and made it on a whim.
Turnpike: I wanted to really push myself on a visual front and go outside my comfort zone. So I went to an abandon turnpike in PA with 2 friends and we made it up as we went along.
What are your plans after graduation?
I want to try and work on as many sets as possible while also expanding my photography work.
Brokeback Hill
Peter Allacardi
Simon Pomerleau
Senior | Major: Biochemistry
Junior | Major: Marketing
What got you interested in film?
Film club and just watching movies with together.
What inspired you to make your film?
Nothing too crazy. We were all together and just wanted to make something fun.
What are your plans after graduation?For us, nothing much as our majors aren’t film related.
The Christmas Eve Massacre
Logan Talbott
Junior
Majors: Communications
Minor: Film Studies
What got you interested in film?
I have loved movies for as long as I can remember. I started making short films in high school and have only grown to love it more and more as time goes on.
What inspired you to make your film?
The inspiration for our film was our love for classic gangster movies. We wanted to make one of our own but with our own fun spin on the genre.
What are your plans after graduation?
I would love to work in film or video editing. I would also love to direct horror movies.
Girls on Film
Gabriella Davis
Co-director: Emma Gusman
Sophmore
Major: Film Studies
What got you interested in film?
Film was what got me interested in film! I have been inspired by film as a medium of storytelling since I was a child. The process is fascinating and beautiful and unique to each film maker and the result can have such a massive effect especially now. I simply find film itself as a whole to be so intricately inspiring, it's where I find joy.
What inspired you to make your film?
The song "Girls on Film" by Duran Duran was the inspiration for the film. I was trying to find a film topic when the song played on my way to work one day. I looked into the song and the music video and didn't think it did the song justice and wanted to take it deeper.
What are your plans after graduation?
I plan to continue my film journey post graduation and in the next few years up until then in any way possible. I'm in the process of searching for internships or opportunities that can get me behind a camera or experience with equipment.
Gravel Road
Lilli Bierstedt
Senior
Major: Communications - Mass Media Concentration
Minor: Film Studies
What got you interested in film?
I've always had a love of film ever since I was a kid making videos with friends. I did theater for over a decade until COVID forced everything online, and I started doing digital productions. I realized I had a true passion for film making after working on projects for school and a few online plays. This led me to taking film classes and eventually wanting to pursue it professionally.
What inspired you to make your film?
This film is the culmination of my work the past 3 years, and I wanted it to reflect my style and preferred themes as a creative. I am passionate about telling the stories of the people around me and those that I have met, and I like to do this through symbolic and "paranormal" ways. This, along with getting back into country music, kind of set the stage for Gravel Road.
What are your plans after graduation?
I want to either return to Wilmington and pursue film professionally, or continue working on it as a passion alongside my career. I grew up surrounded by the film world, and I'd love to finally be a part of it in Charlotte, back home, or anywhere it takes me.
Melancholia
Amr Al-Afifi,
Junior
Major: Business Analytics
What got you interested in film?
Film is an adaptation of life. I always found it fascinating how this is an art form that bounds no limits. I like how any story can be brought to life and a viewer can engage in something while developing their own interpretation. I've always found myself invested into a fictional story, sometimes that story feels personal than life itself.
What inspired you to make your film?
I found inspiration from films such as Skinamarink, Se7en, and Under the Silver Lake. I decided to make a short film that combines an analog horror aesthetic with creepy imagery and false sense. Even if it is just me and my friend with no budget, we make no excuses when it comes to delivery.
What are your plans after graduation?
I recently just started a production company. I am looking to invest more into this company once the films I produce gain some traction. I want to push the boundaries of traditional film and create something unique a select few would enjoy. I am going for a confused but satisfying reaction.
Nice Guys Finish Last
Taufik Abdul-Jaleel
Co-directors: Praise McNealy & Khawan Wilcox
Junior
Majors: Film & Media Productions, Management Information Systems (MIS), Operations and Supply Chain Management
What got you interested in film?
The smile, that is what led me to film. Being able to improve a person’s mood and the ability to impact the mind as well as heart. To create the unimaginable and to recreate what is possible just by using the potential which is given to us all.
What inspired you to make your film?
The inspiration can from see Charlotte’s film scene and believe that we could make a difference for independent filmmakers in the city. When I wrote this short film the idea of making the typical become something more impactful.
What are your plans after graduation?My plan is to continue my production company Influencing Legacies and create a space where Muslims and others who want to do positive things can express their creativity without having to sacrifice their morals. I plan to make something new in the sense that it’s never been proven to be done effectively. I am going to continue the journey of creating a place where people can realize the path less traveled pays off in the long run.
Her Name Is Nicki
Jalen Singleton
Junior
Majors: Communications, Film studies
What got you interested in film?
When I was younger, I went to go see Avengers Endgame in the theater. The thing that I will always remember is how the theater was reacting to certain scenes and moments. The joy that was in the audience, I wanted to give people that same joy and inspire people with my stories like Avengers Endgame did for me.
What inspired you to make your film?
I wanted to tell the dichotomy between love and money, and how the love of money can make you blind to the love in front of you.
What are your plans after graduation?
I want to be a writer/director/actor. I want to use these films that I've worked on propel me into the film world. Maybe they'll allow me to be a PA on a set or get some other opportunities