Sierra Kay
din of the new blockbuster movies that studios spend
millions of dollars Jedi mind-tricking us to love.
However, at Black Harvest, movies can run in
the thousands instead of millions. Budgets can
be determined by how much was raised through
crowdfunding or the limits of the writer/director’s
savings account. Yet, the stories are no less rich
and dynamic than those of their higher yielding
counterparts.
Then There Was Joe was written, directed and starred
in by Justin Warren and featured actor/comedian Ray
Grady in a film exposing the difficulty that can happen
when navigating sibling relationships. (Preach) The
premise is a straight-laced law student, struggling to
study for his bar exam, is responsible for keeping his
older brother out of trouble as he awaits his trial.
Had Then There was Joe been rubbish, I would’ve
written off the whole Black Harvest Film Fest. It
would have gone into my, “That was an interesting
experience” pile never to be resurrected again. But it
wasn’t. I laughed. I was touched. And I could feel the
audience connect with the material. And as a writer,
that’s all we really want. That and a few Brinks trucks
full of money backing up to the house. (Still waiting,
Brinks.)
At minimum, creatives want people to understand
their vision and enjoy the journey. Scanning the
audience’s reactions and hearing the engaging
questions asked of the film’s stars after the show,
meant that the creative’s goal were reached.
I have sat in movie theaters watching rubbish on the
screen and had been upset because I knew I wasn’t
getting those hours or dollars back. Yet, I didn’t have
that experience once with the movies I chose to view
at Black Harvest.
Hearing filmmakers speak of filming in their parent’s
home or visiting car shows in neighboring cities to
find vintage cars for their period films was inspiring.
The determination to live as filmmakers/artists and
share their stories with the world are the kind of tales
that keep other artists moving forward when defeat is
knocking on the door and peeping through the window.
These filmmakers didn’t do it alone. Each one of
them had a tribe of family members, buddies, and
old bosses who had lent their time and talents to help
complete each project.
With Then There Was Joe, the hero of the day was
James “Butch”, Justin’s father. He played the father/
judge in the movie, filmed the Q and A with Ray and
Justin at Black Harvest, handed out ballots and sold
videos after the movie completed.
Justin Warren wrote an entertaining script that had
the audience laughing at the comedy and silenced
by the drama. Ray Grady as Joe, is an enormously
talented comedic actor that I definitely have an eye
out for the next time he passes through town whether
on stage or screen.
The Black Harvest Film Fest overall is an amazing
experience that deserves a full run of sold-out shows.
It’s not just to support independent film for the sake of
supporting independent film. In an era where so much
entertainment is created to speak to the lowest rung
of society, it’s refreshing to watch quality storytelling.
Hopefully, I’ll see you there next year.
Sierra Kay has an M.A. in Writing from DePaul University, won a Nuyorican Poets Cafe Short Story
Slam, participated in comedy fests as a member of the writing teams for Spankx and N20 Comedy.
She also writes poetry and suspense novels. Obviously, she’ll try anything at least once. Her two novels
From Behind the Curtain and In the Midst of Fire are available online. Learn more at sierrakay.com
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