Screenplay Personal Project #3

             I have now moved into the draft writing stage of my personal project. I think the most challenging aspect of this stage is dedicating time to write amongst my busy schedule. I’ve found that my habitual devotion to writing has become therapeutic because I can convert my daily struggles into the emotions of my characters. I think writing, is a very effective tool of nonviolence because the pen is truly mightier than the sword.  

             Now that I am in the draft writing stage of my personal project, I have completely developed my film. I am still deciding on a title, as I believe that a striking title is instrumental in getting people’s attention and conveying the right message that I want to relay.   

            The main theme of the movie is the power of forgiveness in the face of a familial travesty as the epitome of nonviolent action, but there are also other themes, such as family, colorism, racism, and structural violence, and social inequities.  

             In the film, Amani, the protagonist, finds out about her sister’s murder while away at college and is, unfortunately, unable to come to her family’s solace because of her distant geographic location. Amani, who has a fiery personality, is devasted by the death of her peaceful sister, Nia. She is forced to deal with this tragedy without her family and seeks appropriate avenues to channel her pain. In the end, she chooses to blog as her outlet and begins a blog in her sister’s honor named Nia Lives. Through the blog, Amani enumerates ways to advocate for real social change and to keep her sister’s memory alive.  

              I’ve decided that the project will be animated because animation allows for more flexibility and creativity. I am looking forward to the next stage of physically producing the film.