This past summer, I along with 10 MTSU students, embarked on a journey to the city of Paris for a documentary project. My team consisted of four powerhouse women: Samantha Hearn, Kelsey Price, myself and our artist ‘Jara Ezo’. Getting onto the plane on May 10, we had no idea what to expect of our 3 week trip and our documentary. We had barely found Jara two weeks prior. We were in on an adventure for sure!

What came of the three weeks in Paris was a little film called “FIGHTER”. The film follows the life of Jara Ezo, an afro-french singer. Going into the project, we knew little of Jara. It wasn’t until our last week of the trip that we uncovered Jara’s true motives for her dream. Being from African descent, Jara was always treated a little differently. This made pursuing her dreams a tad bit harder. Despite how society may treat her today, she continues to fight for her dream.

What we as the filmmakers took from this experience was more than ‘a great piece for our portfolio’. No.

“FIGHTER” was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. What we got from it was more than a ‘finished product’. We established a friendship with a truly inspiring woman. We gained confidence in our abilities (and an ability to navigate a foreign city). We gained a perspective for other lifestyles. And we took away a passion for discovering the world. “Wanderlust” as Sam would always say. To see the trailer for the film, click here.

As we are submitting FIGHTER to festivals, I reflect on the experience and how blessed I was to be able to seek out my passion. I thank God everyday that He put me on that trip. I continue to pursue this unpredictable dream of mine. It’s taken me down roads I never thought I would travel. I don’t regret it for anything.

The reason behind posting this is for a tremendous gift that has been given to us. Deborah Gee, President of Women in Film & Television Nashville, provided us the opportunity to receive financial support for FIGHTER’s continued work. Our team received the ‘Left Brain Tennessee Finishing Fund’ December 6, 2014 for $1,000. With this wonderful gift, FIGHTER now has the support to be seen all over the United States and even across the world. We could not be more happy and excited to see where this grant will take us. Thank you all.

I had the privilege to film one of my best friend’s wedding. Katelynn and I have been friends for 7 years now, and I can’t believe that she’s married. She’s the first of “the girls” to get married. Many are following in her footsteps!

Alex and Katelynn are one of the sweetest couples. Here is a taste of what their big day was like.

You can view their film here.

FINALLY POSTED!

I had the privilege to put together this beautiful video for this beautiful couple. Go and check out the events that led up to their big day and take a look into their reception in Nashville. Two of the sweetest people, Chris DeStefano is a Grammy Award Winning singer/songwriter based in the Nashville area, and Lauren DeStefano comes from the talents of Julia’s Homestyle Bakery in Murfreesboro, TN.

Check out their highlight video here.

The premiere went wonderfully! Approximately 275 were in attendance at the Belcourt Theatre last night. All three films, “A Designer’s Canvas”, “Le Debut” & “FIGHTER”, all were shown and well received by those in attendance. A Q&A followed the showing where the creators had a chance to share insights and stories behind the films.

The night was filled with many ‘thank you’s’ and many smiles. (My cheeks were hurting by the end of the night!)

It’s sad to see this chapter come to an end, but FIGHTER is only beginning the film fest circuit! Be on the lookout for FIGHTER in upcoming film festivals!

Our finished film, FIGHTER, is premiering this coming Tuesday night at the Belcourt Theatre at 7:oo pm on September 30th. Admission is FREE.

The night will consist of the showing of three films each created and produced by three teams that studied abroad in Paris, France this past May.

The Back Road Films had a hand in the making of FIGHTER, a short documentary about the afro-french singer- Jara Ezo- and her road to freedom.

Also showing is “Le Debut”, the story of fashion designer Alice Elia, and “A Designer’s Canvas”, the story of fashion designer Piere-Henry Bor.

It should be a great night!