.jpg "Mischa Marcus’s riveting feature I Am Still Here will Premiere at the 2017 New Jersey International Film Festival on Sunday, June 11!")
Mischa Marcus’s riveting feature I Am Still Here will Premiere at the 2017 New Jersey International Film Festival on Sunday, June 11!
Here is my interview with I Am Still Here Director Mischa Marcus:
Nigrin: Your important feature film I Am Still Here tells the harrowing story of a 10-year-old girl named Layla, who was stolen from her family and thrown into America’s child sex slave industry. Please give us more insight into your film and why you decided to make it.
Marcus: During my freshman year of college, a brothel housing child sex slaves was busted in a neighborhood close to mine. Hearing this shook me to my core. I was raised to believe I live in our “land of the free,” but that day, I discovered slavery, even of children, is still a very real problem. So I began to research the dark underworld of child sex trafficking here in the United States by interviewing sex trafficking survivors. A year’s worth of research became a script in less than three months. After years of exhaustive research, rewrites, and filming, we completed the film.
Nigrin: The Festival jury found your film to feature stellar and very convincing performances by the leads who play Layla at different times in her life. Tell us more about these terrific actors.
Marcus: Thank you so much! I discovered these actors by casting the film with two of my co-producers, Katherine Botts and Christian Beabes. We auditioned over 300 actors over the course of two days and found some incredible actors. Casting children who can handle difficult subject matter with authenticity was a challenge. I wanted every parent to use their discretion regarding whether they divulged to their child what they were portraying. Some of our actresses thought they were only portraying girls who were kidnapped. Our young lead, Layla (played by Aliyah Conley) didn’t truly know the whole story until she saw this finished film at our world premiere screening in Los Angeles. It was important to me that everyone felt as comfortable as possible during rehearsals and the filming process. Ciara Jiana had this incredible fragility to her that was so compelling. I knew she was the only person I could see being Older Layla. We found a wonderful cast and their performances were truly fearless. I am so proud of all of them.
Nigrin: What has the response to your film been so far at other Festivals?
Marcus: I have found audiences are often blown away by what we were able to achieve with this film. We’ve been very fortunate in the responses we’ve received. Most people feel compelled to help put a stop to child sex trafficking after watching our film by asking how they can help. Most Americans don’t really knowing how big of a problem it is here in the U.S., which is why our goal has always been to raise awareness that this is a worldwide problem, not just something that happens in third world countries. The film can make people uncomfortable, and it should, because for many children this isn’t just a movie, this is their reality. We’re very humbled by the responses I Am Still Here has had with audiences within the festival circuit. We’ve been honored with 15 awards (so far) and have just been accepted to our 26th film festival.
Nigrin: Are there any memorable stories while you made this film or any other info about your film you can rely to our readers?
Marcus: There are plenty! We definitely had a lot of memorable moments. I can say because the subject matter is so heavy we did our best to keep it light in between shooting scenes. Johnny Rey Diaz was fantastic with the kids, even letting Aliyah (young Layla) put makeup on his face between takes. All in all, we were all so motivated by the impact we wanted this film to have that I feel that was our driving force to get it done. Just as any independent film goes, we had our hiccups, but thanks to the incredible team I had behind me, especially our amazing producer Stephanie Bell, we were able to overcome the hurdles and to get to where we are now. I am so very proud of this film, and the cast and crew behind it who made it all possible.
***********************************************************
I Am Still Here will be preceded by the great short film Hijo Por Hijo (Child for Child) by Juan Avella. Here is more info on this screening:
Hijo Por Hijo (Child for Child) – Juan Avella (Los Angeles, California) The life of a Venezuelan kidnapper is turned upside down when his own son is kidnapped by his latest victim’s father. In Spanish, subtitled. 2016; 11 min.
I Am Still Here – Mischa Marcus (Los Angeles, California) I Am Still Here relays the harrowing story of a 10-year old girl named Layla, who was stolen from her family and thrown into America’s child sex industry. Stories of courage, drawn from interviews with trafficking survivors, are the foundation for this fictionalized account of Layla’s journey as she confronts the monsters of her past and embraces the hope of her future. 2016; 103 min.
Sunday, June 11, 2017 at 5:00 p.m.
Voorhees Hall #105/Rutgers University
71 Hamilton Street, New Brunswick, New Jersey
$12=General; $10=Students+Seniors; $9=Rutgers Film Co-op Friends
Information: (848) 932-8482; www.njfilmfest.com
Jimmy John’s of New Brunswick will be providing free food prior to all New Jersey Film Festival Screenings!
