THE PRINCE'S DILEMMA, 5min., USA, Animation
Directed by Devin Rowe
The film follows Prince Philip, who longing to be with a prince of his own, must decide to follow the traditional tale expected of him or forge his own happily ever after.

https://www.facebook.com/PrincesDilemma/
https://www.instagram.com/princesdilemma/

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?
- Growing up closeted, there was not a lot of positive queer representation, especially in animation, which made my own journey of self acceptance hard. This film I hope lets children see positive representation, showing them that they themselves are the writers of their own tale and can inspire them to live their truest story.

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?
- The original idea came about in early 2020, with pre-production beginning in early July 2022 and full film completion in May 2023 resulting in an eleven month production.

3. How would you describe your film in two words!?
- Fantasiful dream

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
- The most challenging part of creating this film was overcoming the logistical nightmare of a 'single-shot' film. There are no cuts throughout the duration of the five minute film. This created a challenge of hooking up different shots done by various artists across the sequence and ensuring consistency in drawing, motion, and timing. To achieve this, we created roughly 100 different keys for the animators to use to ensure that characters started and ended in the correct positions on screen and on model so that the animation would appear smooth and seamless.

5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?
- I was very moved by how many people resonated deeply with the film. I was so happy that the message came across to the audience and that people were able to connect with the central idea and message. It made me feel seen as a filmmaker with what we were accomplishing with this film.

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?
- Toy Story 3 inspired me to begin making films at a very young age. It was the first film that truly hit me at an emotional level and made me realize how powerful animation as a media can be. It inspired me to want to create films that can move an audience.

7. What film have you seen the most in your life?
- The film I have seen most is actually a three-way-tie between Wall-E, Ironman, and the Back To The Future trilogy.

8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking career?
- Opening lines of communication between experienced filmmakers/directors with budding filmmakers would be a cool experience to help gather insight into the process and how to move forward with new ideas.

9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?
- It has been really simple finding festivals that fit my film's theme and a streamlined way of submitting making the overall process to get the film out to as many people as possible very easily.

10. What is your favorite meal?
- Can't go wrong with Kraft Mac & Cheese and Nuggets.

11. What is next for you? A new film?
- I have been in talks with my team on a sequel children's book to the short film that follows the Princess and her Knight. Should be cute! And a new film is always something I am thinking of!