As Diondre Howell re-adjusts to civilian life and struggles to cope with the scars of the Iraq war, he increasingly becomes a threat to those he cares about the most - his family.

Interview with Bryant T. Griffin (Writer/Director) and Selena Leoni (Producer)

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

BRYANT T. GRIFFIN: I decided to make this film because it’s inspired by real-life events. I had a good friend who suffered from PTSD after serving in the military. Who he was before and after service was two completely different people. And when I heard about a tragic event, I was stunned! All I could think about was, how could this have happened? After researching the years after his service, I saw warning signs that everyone missed. And those who did see the signs were ignored. I wanted to make this film to help others identify when they have a family member who is suffering from PTSD and how to get the help necessary before something tragic happens.

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?

BRYANT T. GRIFFIN: This film is engaging and features incredible performances. It deals with important issues not only for the African American community but also for people from all walks of life who give their lives in service of this country. It’s a work of passion, and you will feel it in every frame!

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

BRYANT T. GRIFFIN: The personal elements for me begin with the fact that at the centre of this, the film follows an African American family, with dimension and depth. The specifics of being from a working-class African American family where no one is selling drugs or involved in gang activity. It’s a family that works hard to achieve the American dream, and attends church - just middle America but a version of it that we don’t normally see. This film is very specific but also universal. At the heart of this story, it’s about a family’s love for a son and brother and how to help a loved one who’s going through a difficult time. Love for a family member who’s going through a difficult point in life is something that I think everyone can identify with. Whether it’s substance abuse, mental health, depression. The personal elements for me begin with the fact that at the centre of this, the film follows an African American family, with dimension and depth.

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?

BRYANT T. GRIFFIN: The script changed a great deal from the first draft. The first draft of the script was written while I was at UCLA under my professor Phyllis Nagy, who wrote Carol with Cate Blanchette, and she encouraged us to write with no outline. So the first draft was almost 160 pages long. It was originally a courtroom drama where everyone told the story from their point of view. And we ended with the announcement of the verdict. I had flashbacks to Iraq, flashbacks to Diondre as a child - it was massive! There was no way I could come up with the budget for that so I decided to work backwards and focus on what I thought was most important, and that was the family. When I made that decision, all of the other elements went away and it essentially became a family drama that specifically focused on a mother’s love for her son.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

SELENA LEONI: We have received overwhelmingly positive feedback from audiences at our premiere in the 2024 American Black Film Festival this June. They praise the film for its bold and authentic portrayal of important and heavy topics such as mental health, toxic masculinity, and the impact of war. The audience has found Young King to be a powerful and important film that brings attention to issues often overlooked and the emotional depth and realism of the story have resonated strongly with many.

BRYANT T. GRIFFIN: The feedback has been overwhelming. We premiered at ABFF in Miami and our lead actor, Vincent Washington was awarded the best actor award which was surreal and well deserved! When he won the award, he asked the audience to come out to our screening, which was right after the award show. As a result, our screening was packed! The theater had to add chairs to accommodate the audience.

The audience laughed in the right spots, you could feel the tension in the room at the right moments and at the end, half of the audience was in tears. So many people of color have members of their families enlisted or are veterans and their stories are rarely told. When your stories aren’ttold, you’re not heard and you suffer in silence. So to have the audience leaving the film, sharing their personal stories,was incredible to experience and is why I wanted to tell this story. So that we can call attention to those who are suffering in silence.

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

SELENA LEONI: We were incredibly grateful for the positive feedback we received from the audience. Watching the film with an audience for the first time at ABFF this June was an eye-opening experience. Seeing their reactions, whether laughing or crying with the characters at the right moments, was deeply moving. It reaffirmed our belief in the importance of telling this story and highlighted the universal resonance of its themes. The audience's emotional connection with the film was both surprising and validating.

BRYANT T. GRIFFIN: Again, what surprised me and continues to surprise me is the number of people of color who have relatives serving in the armed services. Maybe it surprises me because we are never the image that is associated with the American patriot. 70-80 percent of people who I share this story with, talk about close relatives who serve or have served. A conversation that I want to see is a discussion about more intimate partner violence. This film is a hard watch, but I firmly believe that this film presents issues that are very important and that need to be discussed within not only our community but in all communities.

What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?

SELENA LEONI: By having Young King featured on We Are Moving Stories, we hope to reach a wider audience and spread awareness about our film. We hope that more people will learn about Young King and the important issues it addresses. Increased visibility on this platform will help us connect with viewers who are passionate about meaningful cinema and social issues, ultimately amplifying the film’s message.

BRYANT T. GRIFFIN: A conversation that I want to see discussed more is intimate partner violence. This film is a hardwatch, but I firmly believe that these are issues we need to discuss, including intimate partner violence, and mental health issues, specifically within the African American community and amongst veterans. Also, a dream goal would be to start a discussion that would give all veterans, no matter how they are discharged, universal healthcare.

These individuals sign up to do something that I don’t think everyone would do - which is to put their lives on the line for their country, trusting that our leaders will make wise decisions (and you can definitely question the wisdom or lack thereof of our leaders) but that the least we can do as a society, is guarantee that they will have healthcare. Especially when the conflicts that we send them into are what is responsible for their health issues to begin with. It’s the least we can do - I don’t care what side of the aisle you’re on. Like it or not, soldiers are trained to kill, and when they come home from conflict, they are still trained killers. If we don’t take care of them, it’s not just them that are in danger, it’s potentially their loved ones and members of the community - it’s all of us.

Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?

SELENA LEONI: With our world premiere at the 2024 American Black Film Festival in June and our upcoming screening at the 2024 Martha's Vineyard African American Film Festival in August, we are at the beginning of our festival journey. To continue amplifying the film's message, we are looking for journalists to increase media coverage, film festival programmers to connect with and hopefully play at more festivals, and ultimately, we hope to connect with sales agents, buyers, and distributors to reach broader audiences and ensure that the film's themes of mental health, war's impact, and community support are heard and understood globally.

BRYANT T. GRIFFIN: It’s all of the above. We are a small film, a passion project, and we don’t have much industry support at the moment but after ABFF we can feel the momentum and we just want to keep it going to get as many people to see this film as possible. It’s a film with very strong performances and I want to honor the work that everyone has put in and the trust that they’ve given me. On top of that, it’s an engaging story that’s unfortunately very timely and very important.

What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?

SELENA LEONI: We hope Young King helps people understand the complexities of mental health and the profound impact war has not only on veterans but also on their families and communities. We want the film to spark conversations about these critical issues and encourage a more empathetic and supportive approach to mental health. Ultimately, we hope for Young King to be seen as a catalyst for awareness and change, inspiring viewers to recognize and address the often-overlooked struggles faced by those who serve and their loved ones.

BRYANT T. GRIFFIN: I hope that Young King starts and continues ongoing conversations around mental health in the African American community. In our community, women are expected to be superhuman all the time and not allowed to be vulnerable, and even more so with men. This takes a toll on people with so many suffering in silence and in some cases, just not having access to resources to help cope with trauma and difficult life situations. Anything we can do to further the conversations in search of solutions is the impact I hope for this film to have.

What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?

BRYANT T. GRIFFIN: That’s a good question. I feel that the film itself will spark a lot of conversation. What I hope the conversation will focus on is the cost of war, what is the cost of serving your country? And as a country, are we reneging on the contract that we have with our service members by not taking care of them when they come home?

SELENA LEONI: How can society better support veterans struggling with mental health issues upon their return to civilian life, and what role do community and government play in this support?

Would you like to add anything else?

BRYANT T. GRIFFIN: Thank you for taking the time and interest in our project. We know there are so many films out there and for you to take the time to talk with us is greatly appreciated. Thank you!

What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?

BRYANT T. GRIFFIN: Wow, a lot is going on right now. Of course, Young King is on the festival circuit so we’re traveling and working on spreading the word about the film and the talented people involved. I’ve recently been nominated for an Emmy for co-directing a documentary for PBS called The L.A. Rebellion: A Cinematic Movement, so that’s a huge honor. I’m currently developing three new features. One is a feature-length science fiction based on a short I directed back in 2018 called Birthright, and it’s about a couple that decides to modify their unborn child’s DNA with the hopes of giving them a better shot at being successful in life.

Another science fiction that I’ve just finished a first draft of deals with A.I. in the trucking industry and how it signals a new age and possibly the end of society as we know it, and the last thing is a 90’s coming-of-age story that’s semi-autobiographical that focuses on a family that moved from New York, during the crack epidemic, to North Carolina for a better life. I have other things on deck but those are the ones I’m focusing on.

SELENA LEONI: Besides Young King, which just kicked off its festival run, I'm currently also producing several projects that span a wide range of themes and genres. I am in development with two feature films: "A Profiled Life," which explores issues of immigration and cultural identity, and "Bitter Lilies," focusing on the heartbreak of interracial love at the turn of the 20th century. On the short film front, my short film "Sister Claire," supported by Film Independent and currently in the fundraising stage, confronts themes of faith, identity, and morality.

My other short film, "See You Tomorrow Tomorrow Tomorrow," a heartfelt dramedy supported by the Drama League of New York, is currently in pre-production and centres on themes of caregiving and family ties. These projects reflect my passion for storytelling that provokes thought and sparks meaningful conversations on important societal issues.

Interview: July 2024

We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela

Young King

As Diondre Howell re-adjusts to civilian life and struggles to cope with the scars of the Iraq war, he increasingly becomes a threat to those he cares about the most - his family.

Length: 1:33:00

Director: Bryant T. Griffin

Producer: Selena Leoni, p.g.a.

Writer: Bryant T. Griffin

About the writer, director and producer:

BRYANT GRIFFIN is a Los Angeles-based writer/director with an MFA in directing from UCLA. Bryant loves crafting character-based, genre-bending stories that focus on issues that affect marginalized communities and centred around family, both biological and found. Bryant premiered his first documentary titled The L.A. Rebellion: A Cinematic Movementon PBS SoCal’s Artbound Series, in October 2023, co-directed by Kitty Hu and nominated for the L.A. Area Emmy. The film retells the personal experiences of the UCLA film school's first diverse group of filmmakers in 1969, including influential filmmakers such as Larry Clark, Haile Garima, Julie Dash, and Charles Burnett. Before UCLA, Bryant spent 12 years as a visual effects artist and supervisor at Industrial Light & Magic, Lucasfilm’s visual effects division. During that period, he worked on over 40 feature films, including Marvel’s Avengers, Star Wars Revenge of the Sith, and Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol.

SELENA LEONI is a transnational producer and executive with over a decade of interdisciplinary experience in film, television, and multimedia. Shaped by her upbringing in Italy and China, Selena offers a unique perspective, fostering a profound understanding of globalized storytelling. With a stellar track record, she has led diverse projects across genres that reached various platforms, including STARZ, Amazon Prime, and Apple TV. Notably, her works have earned recognition at prestigious festivals. Bienvenidos a Los Angeles earned a spot on the Shortlist for the 2024 Academy Awards, while Eid Mubarak received an Honorable Mention on the 2024 Gold List. Her second feature film, Young King, the debut feature of Emmy-nominated director Bryant Griffin, will premiere at the renowned African American Film Festival in June 2024. As a member of BAFTA Connect, Berlinale Talents, Gold House Futures, and Film Independent'sProject Involve, Selena actively advocates for social inclusion and amplifies historically marginalized voices within the industry.

Key cast: Vince Washington (Diondre Howell), Tarra Riggs (Zoe Howell), Kirby Griffin (Fatimah Danel), Vaughn Wilkinson (Isaiah Howell), James Arthur Sims(James Howell)

Looking for: sales agents, distributors, journalists, buyers

Instagram: @youngkingthefilm

Hashtags used: #youngkingthefilm #youngking

Website: Young King, Bryant T. Griffin, Selena Leoni, Little Paws Pictures