- Kelly Luttinen
Local Filmmakers Tackle Tough Topic in Award-Nominated Project
Two young filmmakers originally from the Detroit metro area are tackling the tough topic of authentic masculinity and male/female relationships in a recently produced short film called After You.
Shannon DiSalle and Chris Bradley both grew up in the Clarkston, Michigan, area and attended Everest Collegiate High School & Academy. They recently graduated from John Paul the Great Catholic University in California. The college states its mission is to “Impact Culture for Christ” by “bringing together storytellers, artists, designers, leaders, and entrepreneurs in the pursuit of Truth, Beauty, and Goodness.”
DiSalle and Bradley (who, incidentally, are newly engaged to be married) put together the film as part of their college senior project.
The film has since been nominated for 10 awards and is one of the contenders at the “I See You Awards” festival taking place in Royal Oak this month.
After You lasts 15-minutes and will be shown along with other contenders at the Emagine Theater in Royal Oak on August 22. Their film airs at 1:40 pm. Those who attend can vote for their favorite. (Click here to get tickets, costing $17 each.) Awards will be presented to the winners on August 25.
DiSalle, Bradley and two other students who worked on the project talked about their work in a promotional video here. (Other team members in the video include the lead producer, Erica Kovacic, and director of photography Jacob Hotovy.) DiSalle, who directs the short film, said she and Bradley brainstormed ideas, and one image kept coming up – a young man chasing after a car. They felt the image conveyed the idea of “someone chasing after something so important to him.”
“We took that image that really resonated with the both of us,” she said. “We wanted to tell a story that took that theme and tied in masculinity and femininity. The story had a lot of room to grow. It was like it was revealing itself to us.”
DiSalle said working on the project was “one of the most rewarding things I have ever done.”
Bradley agrees, saying they both wanted to come up with a project that “really challenged us.”
“I felt a tug on my heart, along with Shannon, to really create something truthful, unique and different,” he said. “Today in our culture there is no push for men to be true, good men. We need men to stand up, to work together with women to fix these issues that are going on right now.”
Bradley and DiSalle presented their idea to the other team members who loved the idea and got on board.
In the film, Bradley plays the main character, Ronny, who witnesses a date rape situation and must decide between taking the easy way out, or doing what is right. For his role he has been nominated for two awards, including “Best Lead Actor” and “Hottest Up and Coming Actor.”
Click here for more information about all the films being shown at the Royal Oak festival:
For an in-depth article on DiSalle and the film project, click here: