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

A filmmaker was the very first thing I ever aspired to be. It started from imagining having an animated series that reflected my life while watching Saturday morning cartoons to watching daily syndicated sitcoms and weekend movies on The WB and eagerly desiring to be the person responsible for creating such content that could provoke a range of emotions from laughter to tears I often witnessed my mother have just by staring at the little black box in our apartment living room. Ever since, filmmaking has been my main passion and creative outlet for translating my unique point of view of life.   

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

The idea first came to me nearly 10 years ago back when I was in film school. The name "Zarina" came out of an impromptu character development exercise from one of my screenwriting courses. About a year later, I wrote a short script called "Revelation of Solomon" in which a Black male protagonist goes on a self-explorative journey to decipher frequent nightmares of his death that eventually leads to a final dream of him giving the eulogy at his own funeral. This particular script ended up remaining unproduced, yet the concept stood with me as it grew from being centered around a male protagonist to a female protagonist, now named Zarina. In May 2019, I pitched this new version to the EMERGE! Filmmaking Lab, a short film initiative through Little Ugly, Ghetto Film School, Vimeo and Dolby. I then received a $5,000 grant to go into production of a 4 minute short based on my pitch, which ultimately led to me becoming the grand prize winner of the program. It was an unforgettable experience I am forever grateful for. 

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

The biggest challenge was having to go through 3 cuts of the project with my editor, Lizz, within 5 days for picture lock under a 10-day post turnaround before having to submit the final cut to the EPs at Little Ugly. That was my tightest post turnaround as a director and, to be honest, I still carry a bit of a creative PTSD from it (laughs).

The easiest part was being surrounded by 3 supportive producers, a DP and production designer who I share a similar visual language with, and ultimately, a cast and crew with an "all-win" mentality. Also, it was extremely helpful being able to shoot the entire film at one location. That house was like a third of our budget, but the production value was very much worth it. Salute to my producer, Cornell Mitchell, for hooking that up. 

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

Premature. I saw it for the first time back in January at a Film Independent screening in LA with a Q&A with the film's director, Rashaad Ernesto Green. Initially, I walked in blind, not knowing what to expect, and left feeling moved and inspired to create pure, raw, authentic content just like it. It's independent filmmaking and intimate storytelling at its best. Since then, I've seen it twice and have introduced it to my friends and fellow artists.  

5) What’s next for you?  

As for shorts, my current goal is to secure funding for a semi-autobiographical comedy called "A Kid Named Leslie" that follows a 5-year-old kid's first day of kindergarten that goes hysterically wrong when he catches a bus to a different school. In the meantime, I'm prepping to shoot a few commercial pieces and developing two half-hour comedy pilots. 

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https://parapraxisfilms.com/directors/lexx-truss | IG: @trusslexx