After making Your Heart is Homeless did you know you would want to continue exploring on some of the themes that you touched on? 

 

It really encouraged me to write the stories I do not see out there. There is so much more to being gay than coming out or falling in love. We need more stories about our lives, the good, the difficult, and the fabulous. I also think we need far more Sci-Fi and Fantasy films with LGBTQ+ leads.

 

How much did this experience help prepare you for making your next short?

 

Wesley and I learned a huge amount from making Your Heart is Homeless, from writing and producing to promoting the film and getting it seen. Most of that happened during the pandemic, so we did not get to sit with many audiences, but we did get to watch it grow on YouTube.

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Can you tell me a little bit about how Breaking Through the Fear came about?

 

Wesley and I were eager to get back into filmmaking after taking time to recover from the pandemic. I had spoken with Peter McPherson, who we loved working with on Your Heart is Homeless, about collaborating again. We had a few ideas, but after talking it through with Wesley, we settled on the story that became Breaking Through the Fear. Wesley wrote the final image of the couple holding hands in the middle of a high street in the first draft, and everything flowed from that.

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How important is the creative collaboration between you and your co-writer Wesley Mahoney when working on projects like this?

 

From the very beginning, we have worked together on all our shorts, constantly bouncing ideas back and forth. We figure out what works and what does not. We work well together and are good at adapting the script to what we can realistically shoot.

 

When co-writing screenplays that come from personal experiences how flexible do you allow yourself with the script in the pre-production stage to filming?

 

Wesley wrote the first draft based entirely on conversations we had. We have known each other for over a decade, so nothing was off limits. Once we had the initial story, we spent several months rewriting and refining it, including getting feedback on some of the dialogue. There is also the challenge of sharing a personal story in a way that makes sense to someone who has never experienced it.

 

Even though the LGBTQ community has gotten better in how it deals with trauma, do you think the more could be done within the community to start breaking down the remaining barriers of stereotypes or fear?

 

I hope someone watches this film and realises that talking to each other can ease fears or help you through trauma. The themes in the short are not only about trauma but also about drugs, abuse, or anything someone might be struggling with. We also need to support partners, who often go through their own challenges while supporting someone they love.

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Do you think this could help in how homophobic abuse is reported and dealt with by the police? I ask this because of this case that happened in London, the family have been trying to deal with this alone and the MET seemingly not interested in dealing with case because of the gay connection. It’s a big question but as with a lot of trauma the community faces some of it is the type of trauma we don’t realise we’re gone through until it’s too late. And some of that comes from being afraid to talk up to peers, friends, family, the police. 

 

There is still a long way to go before the community truly trusts the authorities. Researching hate crimes for the film made it clear that the problem is just as relevant today as it was when it nearly happened to me decades ago. In fact, during the time of one of our writing sessions, someone was attacked in Soho.

 

What was the most challenging aspect of bringing Breaking Through the Fear to the big screen?

 

With almost no budget, the practical challenges are always the hardest. Our initial script was set on a busy market street, but we scaled back and shot nearby instead. We were lucky to have a great group of people who put in a lot of time and energy to bring the project to life.

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How much flexibility do you allow yourself and your actors with your screenplay once you start shooting?

 

I see the whole process as a collaboration. I had a rehearsal session with the actors before the shoot so they could ask questions and work through the dialogue. Apart from a few location changes, we shot the script as written.

 

What would you say has been the most valuable lesson you’ve taken from this whole experience?

 

Spending extra time on the script at the beginning made the film much stronger. That was the biggest lesson for me.