INDIE FILM
Atlanta Filmmaker Deborah Riley Draper is One to Watch By Joanna Brooks | Pho t og r aphy by Ri ch i e Arp i no
T alking to Atlanta filmmaker Deborah Draper is much like listening to a great entertainer and world leader all wrapped into one. Her passion and energy are infectious, especially when talking about her new short film, Illegal Rose. Starring in the role of Rose is acclaimed Atlanta-based actress, Jasmine Guy. Guy told the Georgia Hollywood Review that working with Draper was inspiring. “The energy of a real filmmaker is infectious. [Draper] worked with each of us as actors. Her vision was clear, but we had room for our own choices.” The film tells the story of Rose, a woman who accidentally kidnaps a 9-year-old runaway from an Immigration Detention Center. “Since filming Illegal Rose , the detention and deportation debacle has only gotten worse, more violent, more bloody, more traumatic,” Guy says. “I hope the film opens discussion. Opens minds. Opens hearts. More importantly, moves us into action.” Draper’s desire to tell the story in Illegal Rose stems from a fundamental commitment to bring the stories of marginalized people to the screen. Born and raised in Savannah, Georgia, Draper came to filmmaking through another form of storytelling — advertising. When she made the leap into cinema, it was with the 2012 documentary film Versailles ’73: American Runway Revolution , a documentary about black runway models following the civil rights movement. She followed that film with another documentary in 2016. Olympic Pride, American Prejudice is about the African-American athletes that dominated the medal stands at the 1938 Olympic Games in Nazi Germany. The film was screened in Washington, D.C. by President Obama and the surviving family members of those athletes. “It was the first time some of these people were seeing their parents and their grandparents compete,” Draper says. It was an emotional experience that fueled her ambition to continue telling these stories. Illegal Rose, Draper’s first narrative short film, tackles another devastating and urgently important issue — immigrant children who are separated from their parents and held at US detention centers. After learning of the detainment of rapper, 21 Savage, at a Georgia detention center, Draper realized it was not an issue contained to the border. She had to bring the issue to light. She approached friend and co-writer Caroline Slaughter, and the two collaborated on the screenplay. The Georgia themes are relevant not only to the writers, director, and leading lady, but also to the film’s location. “I’m proud to
be a Southern filmmaker,” Draper says. When asked what attracted her to the project, Guy says, “I love the simplicity of the story dealing with the heart and soul of a little girl, lost and motherless, and a woman moved into action to save her. Illegal Rose offers a way for us to help these families, traumatized and desperate, one child at a time.” The somber subject matter did not spoil the energy on set. “The entire set was hard working and happy. That’s because of our director,” Guy says. “The mood, energy and drive of a production is created by the director, and Deborah is a great one.” When asked about working with such an iconic actor, Draper responds, “Jasmine is a very passionate, very physical actor.” At one point while shooting, Guy grabbed her co-star, Lucca Rodriguez-Pedraza and threw her into the back seat of the car during the kidnapping scene. “I cracked up, the whole crew cracked up because it was so unexpected. I was like, that was great. Let’s do it again,” Draper says. Guy’s experience on set was just as positive. “As I was leaving the set one day, the entire production surprised me with birthday cupcakes and gifts,” Guy says. “Their appreciation and love made me so happy. Fifty- seven years old. Forty years in the business and I have gone from the
Deborah Riley Draper and Jasmine Guy
The mood, energy and drive of a production is created by the director, and Deborah is a great one.
youngest on sets to the oldest — with gratitude and joy.” Jasmine Guy can be seen this fall on ABC’s hit series, Grey’s Anatomy. Draper’s next project is a feature-length adaptation of April Sinclair’s novel, Coffee Will Make You Black . John Norris and Tate Taylor of The Help are set to produce, with Academy Award Winner Octavia Spencer also attached. “Every day I wake up and say, ‘Is this my life?’” Draper says. Her commitment and passion for making films with such important stories makes Draper one of Atlanta’s most exciting rising stars.
Illegal Rose premiered at the Bronze Lens Film Festival August 25, 2019 at the Southwest Fulton Arts Center. The short is continuing on the festival circuit this season with the Urbanworld Film Festival in New York, Capital City Black Film Festival in Austin, Texas, and the Greater Cleveland Urban Film Festival. For more information, check out www.coffeebluffpictures.com.
Photography by Richie Arpino Makeup: Nyssa Green Hair by: Arpino Salon
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