Taiyen Stevenson is an independent filmmaker and actor living in Columbia. He is a recent 2nd Act Film Project alum and is currently producing a new film project titled “Justice”. The Jasper Project caught up with Taiyen to find out about producing a new project in the midst of a pandemic
JASPER: Tell me about your filmmaking history?
STEVENSON: I have been involved both in front of and behind the camera for almost 11 years. Acting has and will always be my first passion but I really love filmmaking even more because you can tell your own stories in a way you want. During those years, I wrote and produced four short films (Images, Thanks for Everything, Follow the Leader, and The Street Lights Are On). I always want to create strong and significant movies that everyone should see.
JASPER: Tell us about your new film project. What is Justice about?
STEVENSON: J.U.S.T.I.C.E. is about a young African American man with a bright future who gets caught up with the world’s chaos of nationalism. It's in the present day. We are talking about things that are happening now in the 21st century.
JASPER: Why did you want to tackle these issues with a film?
STEVENSON: Racism in America has always been a disturbing topic since day one. Now with visual camera equipment, society is able to see the cycle that has not ended and to start standing together for the struggle. The challenge is society sees racism as a hoax meaning that it doesn't exist. However, through news visuals such as phones, cameras, and other recording devices, we are able to take these truths to establish corruption within our human society.
JASPER: Tell us about your production process. What stage of production are you in now?
STEVENSON: Our production process was based on a lot of media that we were seeing of the senseless killing of African Americans. We also sat in a lot of protest rallies in our hometown. The next day, Vinnis Parnell and I teamed up with Michael Mykkel and we wrote the script. As of right now, we are still in pre-production, making sure everything's in order before filming later this month.
JASPER: What has been your biggest challenge with this project so far?
STEVENSON: Creating real facts. Not just by accident but by proving these things are bad occurrences.
JASPER: Who are your actors in this film? Who is the crew?
STEVENSON: We have two outstanding actors, Nnaemeka Okeke and Jason Paul Edwards and we also have the beautiful and talented actress, Skylan Kimbrell. As for the crew, we have Michael Mykkel, the co-writer of “J.U.S.T.I.C.E,” our director Vinnis Parnell and myself along with Vincent Monaco, Tamara Abrosimova, Julia Petrucelli, Courtney Geiger, Ashley McNeil, Augustina Quick and many others that will get their names in the credit.
JASPER: Where do you hope to screen "Justice"?
STEVENSON: Anywhere we can get it screened. (The Nickelodeon Theatre, Sundance, Tribeca, etc.)
JASPER: Tell me about your writing process?
STEVENSON: The writing process was basically viewing things that were happening around our city by jotting down notes, comments made, decisions, outcomes, and I just wrote it into a screenplay.
JASPER: Do you have any additional comments on your project?
STEVENSON: Yes. We have a GoFundMe page that helps bring “J.U.S.T.I.C.E” to life. Our website is www.gofundme.com/justice-short-film. You could also follow us on Instagram: www.instagram.com/justice_the_movie and liked the page on www.facebook.com/justicethemovie. Stay tuned with eyes wide open.