In this exclusive video interview, I sit down with filmmaker Freddy Long to discuss his beginnings, his filmmaking and what’s next.
How do you bring an espionage film to life on a $20,000 budget? Writer and director Freddy Long joins Stacey Yvonne to discuss his independent film Feel the Burn, his journey from music production to filmmaking, and the creativity it takes to make every dollar count.
We explore writing complex female characters, bringing Black cultural authenticity to genre storytelling, and adapting ambitious scenes to real-world limitations. Long also shares his filmmaking influences and his interest in tackling sci-fi horror next.
Movies like Disney’s Sneakerella allow me to rest in the idea that the kids really are alright. One one hand, fairytales are classic tales full of heroism, romance, action and usually a moral lesson at their heart. On the other hand, they are often heteronormative, misogynist, lack any diversity and some of the endings are more nightmarish than any fairytale should be. The effect of these films and stories can’t be denied. Millions of little girls want to be princesses and millions of little boys want to be valiant princes.
