MISSING IN THE MIDWEST, 18min., USA, Documentary
Directed by Harper Brock
Filmmaker Harper Brock journeys back to her roots to learn what happened to her cousin Joelle Lockwood whose 2014 abduction case shocked southwestern Indiana.

http://missinginthemidwestdocumentary.com/
https://www.instagram.com/missinginmidwest/

Get to know the filmmaker;

1. What motivated you to make this film?
My family, both my parents and extended family in Indiana really pushed for me to do this project as my student thesis at SCAD. I don't think I could have done it without their support.

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
Roughly two years

3. How would you describe your film in two words!?
Heartbreaking Resilience

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
The biggest obstacle was learning how to make a documentary while making your first documentary. As students, there were many things we tried and then tossed. There's hours and hours of footage that never made the cut. Additionally, cutting this story to under 20 minutes was extremely difficult, but we did so because we believed it would increase its chances at festivals.

5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?
I was really taken back by how much the story impacted them. I also was excited that my vision and framework for the story came across so clearly.

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?
I realized pretty young that I wanted to do something in storytelling, whether it was writing, journalism or film. It wasn't until early high school that I had decided on film.

7. What film have you seen the most in your life?
City of God

8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career?
Everything has been great so far! I wish more festivals did podcast interviews like this one.

9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?
Great!

10. What is your favorite meal?
A Raising Cane's Box Combo

11. What is next for you? A new film?
I have just moved to LA and am currently working as a producer for a company called Visual14 which focuses on documentary features, shorts, and branded content projects. We have three feature documentaries in development/pre-production and one currently in production.