5 Questions with Christian Nolan Jones ("Brown with Blue")

1) Can you talk briefly about your background, and how you first got interested in filmmaking?

I’m from Atlanta, GA—the eastside of the city. Went to college at Howard University in DC for two years then ending up transferring to New York University. But my interest in filmmaking actually began as a writer. I would write treatments for my friends music videos in HS and it slowly evolved into something I wanted to explore deeper in college.

2) What was the initial idea for this project and how did it evolve from there?

I got the initial idea from seeing a drug addled, older couple on the train in New York. I saw how much love they had for each other and thought why have I never seen this explored in cinema before.

I didn’t have the courage to write the film, though, until I met my co-writer Dominick. I told him about the idea and he said he thought it was dope. That’s when the writing process began.

3) What was the biggest challenge in making this film? And the easiest part?

There were so many challenges in making this film, but I would say the hardest part was post-production because at that point it was all on me to put together a tangible plan for getting it done. I had support from my producers, of course, but I had to fit finishing the film into my regular life.

The easiest part was shooting it. We had a lot of challenges there as well but it was so fun to really be on set and see the film come to life. That’s always so fun! Nothing like set life.

4) What’s a film you’ve seen recently, new or old, that you really loved and why?

I’ve watched a couple of the featurettes for the Steve McQueen series, “Small Axe,” on Amazon. It’s utterly amazing. The second episode, Lovers Rock, is about a group of Black Londoners in their 20s going to a house party (pretty simple but magic concept). It felt nostalgic for me even because I’ve had similar experiences as a young adult. I loved , though, because it was also great to see Black people just existing and not having to perform against the backdrop of trauma.

5) What’s next for you?

I’m currently writing my debut feature film, Kinfolk, and it’s an Mean Streets-esque autobiography about growing up on the eastside of Atlanta. It’s me paying homage to the city that made me. It’s a unique place and it deserves a story, honestly. I’m also developing a few other projects here and there! Everything is exciting right now. It feels like the sky is the limit.

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