We had the opportunity to chat with director and writer Andrea Lewis, behind the scenes of her new short film which focus on mental health; a topic that she is familiar with and finds important to discuss.
Trustworthy Magazine: You recently wrote and directed a film about mental illness and depression. Why was it important to you to focus on mental health ?
Andrea Lewis: I've had my own struggles with depression and mental illness and I'm very open about it and naturally as a filmmaker it's important for me to tell stories that represent my own experience. When it comes to short films my story telling tends to be a reflection of how I'm feeling, or a lesson I recently learned.
TM: Describe the process of writing and directing a movie about such important issue ?
AL: Whether I'm telling a story about mental illness or a love story I treat them all with the same care. It's always about knowing who my story is for and usually my stories are written for someone directly in my life. Sometimes it's my friends or a family member or myself to be honest. The writing isn't about beating the message over someone's head, it's about simply sharing an experience in an authentic way and I like for the energy on my sets to be calm. I think actors give their best performances when they feel relaxed and free.
TM: What do you hope to accomplish with the film?
AL: I don't have an specific goals for this short film, I'm just excited to see it completed.
TM: Where will it be shown ?
AL: We'll be submitting this film to a bunch of film festivals and hopefully traveling the film festival circuit for 2020.
