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

We met at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts in the acting program. The seed was planted when we stopped going to parties and started making weird Instagram videos (e.g. "Corned Cream Delight"). We started getting interested in becoming filmmakers ourselves once we spent about a year in New York Post Grad, and realized that the waiting game wasn't going to work for us. Individually being on small indie film sets in the city gave us the community and confidence to take the leap ourselves. We were inspired by the multi faceted artists who -due to the limitations of indie filmmaking- were confidently and brilliantly able to switch between many roles in order to serve a project fully. And ultimately the chance to show a world, or a moment, or a person in whatever way we see fit is what continues to excite us to explore this type of storytelling. 

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

The initial story arc for Hi Mom was about a girl who falls in love and keeps calling her mom cause she doesn't trust her gut... but I quickly became uninterested in that story and called upon Tij to help me write what I really wanted to write- which was a story about a girl losing her shit. It's funny in hindsight, how this all started out as a love letter to a boy but has ended up becoming, in a way, a love letter to myself. 

3) What was the biggest challenge in making this film? And generally what part of the creative process do you enjoy the most?

The biggest challenge by far was that this was a first for both of us. In many ways we were learning and doing at the same time. We have big love and lots of gratitude to our co-producer Chad Knuth, who guided us along the way. 

Emily: I love being on set. The chaos and camaraderie is instant and so inspiring to me. I love it.

Tij: I've really been taken with the editing process as a whole. I can start with one idea of what I think I'm setting out to make and come out on the other end with something completely different, as was the case with "Hi, Mom." It's just magic. 

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

Emily: I recently watched Lemon by Janicza Bravo and was instantly obsessed. I feel like she created new rules for storytelling and each scene just blew my mind. I love a musical number in the middle of an angry family dinner. 

Tij: Not film... but I recently watched the series "Getting On." I'm a slut for a dark comedy with heart. 

5) What’s next for you?

Emily: I was in the middle of shooting my directorial debut "11:11" when quarantine kicked in. Once the world opens back up I'd love to finish filming and then get into the knitty gritty of post production.

Tij: With everything being on pause, I've taken this time to shoot a few more of these stupid sketchy shorts that I make for Instagram. They've turned out to be an important creative outlet for me over the last few months.

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http://tijdoyen.com | IG: @_tij_

https://www.emilykatedeforest.com/ | IG: @emilydeforest